CNO vs NNAS: who assesses, who registers, and who gets paid?
An Ontario guide to credential verification, the current alternatives to NNAS, application fees and annual registration costs.
- CNO grants Ontario registration. NNAS supplies a credential assessment report.
- NNAS is not the only accepted Ontario verification route.
- NNAS has an application fee; CNO has initial and recurring registration fees.
Sources checked 6 October 2026.
What is the difference between CNO and NNAS?
CNO is the College of Nurses of Ontario, the provincial nursing regulator. It checks your registration requirements, decides your exam eligibility and issues the certificate that allows nursing practice in Ontario. NNAS is the National Nursing Assessment Service. Its report helps participating regulators assess internationally educated applicants; it does not give you a nursing licence, exam authorisation or immigration status.
In Ontario, RPN means Registered Practical Nurse. NNAS also uses RPN for its Registered Psychiatric Nurse Pathway in other jurisdictions. That is a different profession and is not the Ontario REx-PN route.
Must I register with NNAS before applying to CNO?
Not necessarily. CNO currently lists WES, ICAS and ICES as approved educational credential assessment providers. It also continues to accept qualifying NNAS expedited reports prepared by CGFNS, now TruMerit. Choose a report the destination regulator accepts, and follow that provider's CNO-specific instructions. Do not buy a general immigration ECA and assume it includes the education documents CNO needs.
CNO must receive the report and corresponding educational documents before you submit the registration application. Wait for your provider's delivery confirmation, then apply through CNO's Maintain Your Membership portal yourself.
How does verification work and who sends the documents?
The provider authenticates the credentials. Nursing schools and licensing authorities send the requested education and registration evidence using the provider's instructions. NNAS requires source-sent documents and an identity process described in its current handbook. CNO can request more education, practice or conduct evidence after receiving the report.
Match names across your passport, qualification and registration record. Supply legal name-change evidence when required. Use the receiving organisation's approved translation process for documents not in English or French. An uploaded copy is not automatically a substitute for a document requested directly from the issuer.
Where do I pay, and is there a yearly NNAS membership fee?
Pay your assessment provider for its report, CNO for Ontario application and registration, and Pearson VUE for the licensing exam. NNAS Expedited currently costs CAD 750 for RN/LPN applications, with selected participating regulators included if chosen before report issuance. Translation and reactivation may cost extra. NNAS is not an annual professional membership; its open application normally expires after 12 months.
CNO General Class RN/RPN base fees are CAD 433 application, CAD 40 jurisprudence, CAD 69 initial registration and CAD 368 annual registration for 2026. Published 2027 base amounts are CAD 454, CAD 42, CAD 72 and CAD 386 respectively. CNO adds 13% HST. Annual renewal therefore costs CAD 415.84 for 2026 or CAD 436.18 for 2027 per certificate. Annual fees are not prorated. Pay only the amount CNO instructs you to pay.
Does a report or an exam pass complete registration?
No. Ontario RN applicants take NCLEX-RN; Ontario RPN applicants take REx-PN. CNO also checks education, recent practice, English or French proficiency, Transition to Practice, jurisprudence, suitability and legal entitlement to work. Follow your application checklist. Passing the exam alone does not authorise practice.
NNAS's five-business-day Expedited report timing starts after all required documents arrive. It is not a five-day promise for CNO registration. Use the registration planner to track the steps and budget the known costs.
- CNO · Approved credential providers
- CNO · International registration guide
- CNO · RN education requirement
- CNO · Application and registration fees
- CNO · Annual renewal fees
- NNAS · Current fees
- NNAS · Expedited applicant handbook · July 2026
- NCLEX · Fees and payment
- NCSBN · NCLEX fee changes · February 2027
- REx-PN · Fees and payment
- Texas Board of Nursing · Examination