March 30, 2023
Registered nurses (RNs) and nurse practitioners (NPs) in Alberta must hold a permit to practice. Nurses renew their yearly permits in the late summer or join the register through out the year. The fees collected from these permits is how the College of Registered Nurses of Alberta (CRNA) is funded. This supports the regulatory functions provided to Albertans.
Starting Oct. 1, 2023, all first-time applicants to Alberta will pay the same fee of $225 (plus GST) for account creation and assessment. A small number of internationally educated nurses may need to pay for a second assessment ($225), depending on the complexity of their application. To further reduce assessment costs, there will no longer be a $100 return to practice fee ("late fee") nor a charge to join the non-practising class.
For an Oct. 1, 2023 - Sept. 30, 2024, permit, the cost will be $480 (plus GST), a dollar difference from last year. To obtain a permit, applicants must also sign up for Professional Liability Protection and Core Services from the Canadian Nurses Protective Society (CNPS). This fee will be the same.
| 2020 - 2021¹ | 2021 - 2022¹ | 2022 - 2023¹ | 2023 - 2024¹ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CRNA | $503.89 + $25.19 (GST) = $529.08 |
$503.89 + $25.19 (GST) = $529.08 |
$478.89 + $23.94 (GST) = $502.83 |
$480 + $24 (GST) = $504 |
¹Permit years are from Oct. 1 to Sept. 30.
In addition to the new annual permit fees, a new pro-rated fee schedule will be in effect from May 1, 2024, to Sept. 30, 2024. Next year, individuals who apply for permits during May, June, July, August or September will pay a fee based on the number of months remaining in the year.
| May 1, 2024¹ | June 1, 2024¹ | July 1, 2024¹ | Aug. 1, 2024¹ | Sept. 1, 2024¹ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $288.00 + $14.40 (GST) = $302.40 |
$240.00 + $12.00 (GST) = $252.00 |
$192.00 + $9.60 (GST) = $201.60 |
$144.00 + $7.20 (GST) = $151.20 |
$96.00 + $4.80 (GST) = $100.80 |
¹Permit start date. The permits expire on Sept. 30, 2024.
Applicants for permits that begin between Oct. 1, 2023, and April 30, 2024, pay the full annual fee, while nurses who apply for permits starting May 2024 through September 2024 will only pay for the remaining months of the year. Previously there was only one prorated fee that applied to May through September of that permit year.
We know that nurses in Alberta work tirelessly and with the other increases they have seen in inflation this past year, we know that every dollar counts. That is why we wanted to ensure standardization, equity, and fairness in our fee structure that balanced the financial viability of the College.