Locum licence
Locum licence
Physicians applying for a full licence may be granted a monthly locum licence or an annual locum licence if they intend to practise medicine in BC temporarily.
Types of locum licences
Monthly locum
Physicians eligible for a monthly locum licence may complete a locum placement of up to three months in BC.
Annual locum
Physicians who maintain a permanent practice outside of BC may be eligible for an annual locum licence. They may travel to BC to complete at least three locum placements per year. Each locum placement can last up to three months.
Requirements
Full licence
Applicants must be eligible for the full licence before they are eligible for a monthly or annual locum licence.
Annual locum licence
To be eligible for the annual locum licence, applicants must have a permanent practice outside BC and travel to BC to complete at least three locum placements each year. Each locum placement can last up to three months.
Maintaining the licence
Monthly locum
Physicians who hold a monthly locum licence and want to extend it—or transfer to an annual locum or full unrestricted licence—should email licensing@cpsbc.ca before their current licence expires.
Annual locum
Ongoing licensure in the full class as an annual locum is maintained by
- satisfactory completion of the annual licence renewal form,
- online payment of the annual licence renewal fee as detailed in schedule B of the CPSBC Bylaws,
- payment of any other outstanding fine, fee, penalty fee, debt, levy or costs owed to CPSBC,
- on-going compliance with continuing competency requirements,
- on-going professional liability coverage or protection, and
- provision of certificates of professional conduct, where applicable.
Renew the licence by March 1 each year
If a licensee does not renew their CPSBC licence, they incur escalating late penalties starting March 1 and their licence is suspended on April 1, after which they are no longer permitted to practise, prescribe, or bill for medical services until all fees, penalties, and required renewal forms are completed.
Penalty fees for late renewal are outlined in schedule B of CPSBC Bylaws.
The annual licence renewal process is accessed by logging in to the CPSBC website. Licensees are notified by email of the licence renewal process in late December or early January each year.
How to answer the Annual Renewal Licence Form (ALRF)
Renewal fees and penalties
ALRF FAQs
For more information about the licence requirements, refer to:
- part 3 of the Health Professions and Occupations Act
- part 6 of the CPSBC Bylaws
- CPSBC licensing policies