Health Profession Corporations

A Health Profession Corporation (HPC) means a corporation incorporated under the Business Corporations Act that holds a valid certificate of authorization issued under the Regulated Health Professions Act (RHPA) or the Health Professions Procedural Code, Schedule 2.

The RCDSO must issue your HPC a certificate of authorization before it is permitted to practice dentistry through it. Certificates of authorization are renewed annually.

Before you can apply for an HPC certificate of authorization, you need to:

have a registered corporation under the Ontario Business Corporations Act; and
been issued a corporation number by the Ontario Business Registry

Apply for an HPC Certificate of Authorization

To apply for a health profession corporation (HPC) certificate of authorization, follow these steps:

Complete the College’s Application for a Certificate of Authorization for a Health Profession Corporation.
Ensure that the HPC director and/or officer, and each dentist shareholder is a dentist registered to practice in Ontario.
Email your complete application to hpcinfo@rcdso.org, including:
- a $750 fee payable to the Royal College of Dental Surgeons of Ontario with your HPC application form.
- all required documentation with your application as per the College’s Instructions and Checklist.

All certificates of authorization expire on August 31 of each year regardless of the initial date of issuance and must be renewed annually. If the certificate of authorization is not renewed before August 31, it will be revoked effective September 1 for failure to comply with renewal requirements.

Additional Information/Documentation

HPC Naming Criteria

Click here to learn more about the naming criteria for a health profession corporation.

HPC Optional Naming Pre-approval Form

Download the HPC Name Pre-approval Form.

Revised HPC Certificate of Authorization

Download the Application for a Revised HPC Certificate of Authorization.

Notice of Change of Shareholders for HPC

You are required to notify the College when there are changes to your corporation's shareholders. Download the Notice of Change of Shareholders Form and Declaration and send the completed forms to the College.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I obtain legal or accounting advice with respect to my application? Can my certificate of authorization be back-dated? Can my application for a certificate of authorization be expedited for an additional fee? Can I use my HPC without a certificate of authorization issued by the College? Can a Health Profession Corporation or a Holding Company own shares of another Health Profession Corporation? Who can hold non-voting shares in an HPC? Are there any restrictions, if any, on business the corporation may carry on? What happens if I amalgamate?

Upon amalgamation the predecessor corporations cease to exist and a new certificate of authorization is required. You should submit a new application for a certificate of authorization for the newly amalgamated corporation.

The application and the supporting documentation can only be submitted by the purchaser/new director after the amalgamation takes place.

A cancellation notice of the predecessor certificate(s) may be submitted together with the application and the supporting documentation.

Can I obtain a certificate of authorization for a Federal Corporation?

A certificate of authorization cannot be obtained for federally incorporated corporations.

The rules governing health profession corporations are provincial and set out under the Regulated Health Professions Act, 1991 and the Business Corporations Act, 1991. In order to satisfy the legislative requirements governing an Ontario dentistry corporation, the Corporate Type should be “Ontario Business Corp”. In addition, the Jurisdiction on the current-dated Corporate Profile Report should be “Ontario”.