Annual Renewal - Frequently Asked Questions

All RCDSO members who hold a general, specialty, or academic license must renew their certificate of registration by December 15. The annual fee for 2025 is $3,170.

A $500 late fee applies to renewals received after December 15.

Members who have not renewed or resigned before February 1 will be suspended. 

Where do I go to renew?

You can now renew your membership by logging into the RCDSO Portal using your e-mail address and password. Renewals open in mid-October and all members will be notified by e-mail once renewals have opened.

My login credentials are not working. What can I do? 

If it says ‘A user with this specified ID already exists’ it means the account has already been created. If you do not remember your password, follow the ‘Forgot Password’ option.

If an error message says ‘This account does not exist’ that means your account was created using a different e-mail address.

If you have recently updated your e-mail address in the RCDSO Portal, it may take a few business days for the update to be processed. You will receive an e-mail with instructions on how to reset your login credentials.

For all other technical issues e-mail paperless@rcdso.org

I forgot my password. How do I reset it?

Staff do not have access to passwords. If you do not remember your password, try logging in using your current e-mail address.

• If it says ‘A user with this specified ID already exists’ click on ‘Forgot your Password’ to reset your password
• If it says ‘We Can’t Seem to Find your Account’ then you are either using an incorrect login e-mail or you have not yet created a portal account.

To update your login e-mail address pleas contact paperless@rcdso.org. In the e-mail, confirm your old e-mail address, the new e-mail address to be used, and confirm your residential postal code on file so that staff can verify your identity. You will be sent another invitation e-mail to create new login credentials.

I tried to reset my password but did not receive the verification code

It may take up to 24 hours for the e-mail to arrive at your inbox. If the verification e-mail is not in your inbox, check your junk/spam folder. If the e-mail is not in your inbox or junk/spam folder, follow the Forgot Password instructions once more and make sure to use the most recent invitation e-mail.

I got the verification code via email but it is not working

If you have clicked on Forgot Password more than once, you must only use the most recent email.  For example, if you tried to reset the password three times, three different codes will have been emailed.  Only the most recent code will work.

The portal will not let me pay for my renewal

Members must complete all steps before proceeding to payment, including:

• Instructions page
• Renewal questionnaire
• HPDB questionnaire

Only once all questions from both questionnaires are completed and submitted will the payment page become available. Double-check whether your answers to both questionnaires have been submitted.

An error message keeps coming up when I try to submit the HPDB questionnaire

You must answer all mandatory questions. The error message at the top of the page will be linked to the questions that are missing a response.

Some questions will require you to add a record. Please review the instructions in the renewal guide to complete this step.

Are wallet cards still available?

No. Wallet cards are no longer available as any information regarding current registration status should be verified through the College’s public register.

How can I get my annual certificate or receipt mailed to me?

The College does not mail annual certificates or receipts. They are available through the RCDSO portal. To access your certificate, log into your member portal and click on My Account > RCDS Register > and then Membership certificate.

Is the payment site secure? I got a pop-up that says the site is not secure

Yes, we use Chase to process payments securely. 

How do I know if my renewal is complete? I do not know if my credit card went through

As soon as payment has been made successfully online, your renewal process is complete. To confirm, access your renewal receipt in My Account > Receipts in the RCDSO Portal and your 2025 annual certificate by navigating in the Portal to My Account > RCDS Register > and then Membership certificate.

If you are unable to view your renewal receipt or 2025 certificate your renewal is likely not complete. Navigate back to the renewal page to complete your renewal. The system will not allow you to pay twice for your renewal. If the payment option is available it means no payment has gone through successfully.

I used the wrong credit card to pay for my renewal. Can I get a refund?

Unfortunately, we cannot accommodate refund requests.

Can I pay by cheque?

Yes, but our ability to receive and process cheques at the office is very limited as staff continue to work remotely. Paying by cheque may delay the processing of your renewal by several weeks.  Where the payment of a cheque does not go through, an NSF fee will apply. The mandatory questionnaires are only available online and are still required to be completed when paying by cheque.

What should I do if I am considering retiring or resigning?

If you are unsure of your options, please contact the Registration department staff who can assist you.

How do I submit a resignation notice?

Log into your member portal and click on ‘My Account” and scroll in the drop down to ‘Submit Resignation Notice'.

First, read the important information regarding resignation. Next, select your reason for resignation and type your name in the signature field. Finally, click ‘Submit’ at the bottom of the page.

All resignations received between October 15 and December 31 become effective on December 31 of that same year, 2024.

In addition, if you have a current certificate(s) of authorization for a Health Profession Corporation, the revocation of the certificate(s) will be automatic upon the effective date of your resignation.

If you do not renew your license, you will not be entitled to practice in 2025.

Why do I need to submit a resignation notice? Can I just let my license lapse?

If a member does not renew or resign their license by January 31, then that license will be suspended effective February 1^st. The suspension will be displayed on their public register profile.

Can I put my license on hold? Is there a part-time or retired option?

We cannot put licenses “on hold” and we do not have a “retired class”.

Resigning does not mean a member must be resigned forever. Members can apply for reinstatement in the future. Be sure to read the important information regarding ineligibility for reinstatement in the resignation notice section of the member portal.

Members may choose to maintain their license even if they are not practicing in Ontario as we do not have a minimum practice hour requirement. If you choose to maintain your license while retired, you will still need to pay the full annual fee and be up to date with any Quality Assurance requirements.

Does resigning impact my professional liability coverage?

For any questions related to liability coverage, contact the Professional Liability Program at info@plpservices.org 

Reduced Fee for Volunteer Services

Council approved a reduced annual fee of $250 for dentists who intend to only volunteer their services during a calendar year.

To qualify, you will need to provide assurances to the College that you:

• will not practice dentistry except on a volunteer basis in support of access to care during the calendar year for which the annual fee is being reduced
• will not receive income, compensation or other monetary benefit from the practice of dentistry or from holding of a certificate of registration
  • this includes owning shares in a corporation, owning a practice, consulting, earning a stipend on a Board/Committee, etc.
• will maintain competency through the Quality Assurance program, including the requirements for continuing education and the Practice Enhancement Tool (PET)
• agree that the fact that you are practising dentistry in a not-for-profit capacity will be on the College’s register
• sign a voluntary agreement/undertaking to ensure, among other things, that the conditions for the reduction have been and will continue to be met.

The reduced fee applies only to the calendar year for which an application was approved and will only remain valid until December 31 of that calendar year. Members must apply annually during the renewal period for each year they wish to be considered.

The request form is available in the RCDSO Portal by clicking on My Account > Submit a Request > then click on Submit a new request >  and select ‘Dentistry Services on a Voluntary Basis Request’. All requests are subject to a review, and approval is at the Registrar’s discretion.

The deadline to submit these requests is December 1.