How to apply

The College and Association of Registered Nurses of Alberta (CARNA) is the regulatory body for registered nursing in the province of Alberta, Canada.

  1. Submission of Documents

For CARNA to begin processing your application, CARNA must receive the following:

  • Your completed Application for Registration

  • Your application fee - CDN$212.00

  • Copies of the following documents:

    • Birth certificate or notarized document attesting to date of birth

    • Photo identification, e.g. passport details page

    • Marriage certificate or other notarized documentation if you use a different last name than that listed on your birth certificate and/or transcripts/verification documents.

In addition, you must arrange for the following documents to be forwarded directly to CARNA from source

  • Verification of Registration from the jurisdiction where you obtained your nursing education

  • Verification of Registration from all jurisdictions where you have practiced in the last five years

  • Nursing Education Transcript from your initial nursing program

  • Transcripts from any additional nursing education institutions

  • English Language results where applicable

  1. Preliminary Review

If CARNA is able to determine your competence to practice from the information submitted, the Registrar will decide on your eligibility for registration.

If CARNA cannot satisfactorily determine your competence to practice from the information submitted, you may be required to complete a Substantially Equivalent Competence (SEC) assessment, a process administered in Calgary, Alberta. When the SEC results are forwarded to CARNA, the Registrar will decide on your eligibility for registration. (Fee: TBA)

  1. Decisions on Eligibility
  1. Eligibility to Apply for a Temporary Permit (TP) - Fee CDN$190

You are eligible to apply for a “TP with conditions” to practice in Alberta as a Graduate Nurse. The conditions include the achievement of a passing score on the CRNE and submission of a satisfactory Canadian employer reference. Once the conditions are met, you will be eligible to apply for registration as a Registered Nurse in Alberta.

  1. Deferred approval of eligibility for registration

CARNA may require you to meet additional requirements such as achievement of English language fluency or additional educational preparation. Once these requirements are met, you would be eligible to apply for a TP with conditions.

  1. Eligibility denied

Failure to meet the requirements will result in the application for eligibility being denied.

Application Processing

In order to be fair and equitable to all applicants, each application for registration is assessed individually. As a result, the time required for registration to be established can vary significantly from applicant to applicant.

Related Information

Other Sources

Date Updated: Jan 18, 2008
RDP-722