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Annual Renewal - Certified Dental Assistants

Certified dental assistants must renew their certification annually. BCCOHP’s registration year runs from April 1 each year until March 31 the following year*.

The renewal period will open each January for the following year. The renewal process can be completed online by logging into your account, completing the forms and paying the annual fee.

Have questions? Please contact us.

*Note: Some legacy college registration years (CDHBC and CDSBC) will end on February 28, leaving a one-month gap between the legacy college registration ending and the new registration year.  For the period of February 28, 2023 – March 31, 2023, certified dental assistants, dental therapists, dental hygienists and dentists will need to register and pay for one month’s registration. Information on how to renew during the gap period will be shared as it becomes available.

CDAs must ensure the following is current:

Reminder: CDAs must keep their contact information up-to-date with BCCOHP.

Annual Renewal FAQ for CDAs

CDA Login and Payment

On the login page, click “Forgot password? Click here.” You should receive an email with a temporary password. If you do not receive the email, please check your junk mailbox; if you do not find the email there, please use the contact us page or call 672-202-0448 (toll-free 1-888-202-0448) to get in touch.

Clear your browser’s cache, and then try logging in again. Additionally, we recommend using the Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge browsers.

Still not working? Please call BCCOHP at 672-202-0448 (toll-free 1-888-202-0448).

Mastercard and Visa credit cards are accepted, but Mastercard/Visa debit cards are not. Interac for RBC Royal Bank, TD Bank, First Nations Bank of Canada, Scotiabank, and most BC Credit Unions are accepted.  
If you receive an error message while paying, please contact your bank to ensure there are no issues on their end before making another attempt with payment using the same credit card. If the issue is not banking-related, try another payment method or please use the contact us page to get in touch.

Payment by cheque, money order or bank draft is acceptable. Please mail your cheque, money order or bank draft with the exact amount before March 1 to:

BCCOHP
110-1765 West 8th Avenue
Vancouver, BC V6J 5C6
 
Note: You must complete and submit an online renewal before providing payment.  
 
BCCOHP does not accept payments by telephone, in cash, or those delivered in person.
Accepted payment methods include cheque (by mail), Mastercard and Visa credit cards, and Interac for RBC Royal Bank, TD Bank, First Nations Bank of Canada, Scotiabank, and most BC Credit Unions. Mastercard/Visa debit cards are not accepted.  

Additionally, BCCOHP does not accept payments by telephone, in cash, or those delivered in person.

There is a five-year mandatory re-check for criminal records. Every year, you are charged a fifth of the criminal record check fee. On the fifth year when your re-check is due, your criminal record check will be automatically resent to the government.

Criminal Record Check

Criminal record checks cost C$28. The College collects one fifth of the CRC fee (C$5.60) each year at annual renewal.

This is the amount charged by the Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General, not BCCOHP, to complete a criminal record check.

For new applicants, a fee of C$28 will need to be paid for your criminal record check. Existing registrants will pay C$5.60 per year during annual renewal. BCCOHP collects the money and submits payment to the Ministry on the registrants’/applicants’ behalf.

Although BCCOHP will be sending your criminal record check to the Ministry on your behalf, you will still be responsible to provide the Ministry correspondence that they request from you such as fingerprint requests and adjudication.

CDAs Renewing as a Different Certification Category

If you are not planning to practise as a CDA effective March 1, you have three options:

  1. renew with full certification,
  2. renew as non-practising, or
  3. allow your certification to lapse

1. Renew with full certification
You can choose to keep your certification active by renewing with full certification, even if you do not plan to practice during the time for which you will be certified. If you choose to do so, you must:

2. Renew as Non-Practising
As a non-practising CDA, you are not permitted to provide any services of a CDA. You may apply to transfer back to a full status any time of the year. The transfer process does not require a new criminal record check. You can find the transfer application and requirements on our website here (see “Transfer from Non-Practising to Full Certification”).

Note: CDAs may hold non-practising certification indefinitely but must meet the QA requirements to transfer back to practising.

3. Allowing Certification to Lapse
If you don’t renew, your certification will lapse. If your certification has lapsed and you wish to regain practising status, you must:

Reinstating After Less Than 60 Days Lapsed
To reinstate your certification after less than 60 days lapsed, you must complete a renewal form online and pay the renewal fee, reinstatement fee and criminal record check fee.

Reinstating After More Than 60 Days Lapsed
To reinstate your certification after more than 60 days lapsed, you must complete and submit a paper reinstatement application, available on the transferring and reinstating certifications page. You must also undergo a new criminal record check and submit payment for the renewal fee, reinstatement fee and criminal record check fee.

Note: After an extended absence, educational credentials may not be recognized. 

Note: You cannot practice until you have reinstated.

If your certification has lapsed and you wish to regain practising status, you must:
Reinstating After Less Than 60 Days Lapsed
To reinstate your certification after less than 60 days lapsed, you must complete a renewal form online and pay the renewal fee, reinstatement fee and criminal record check fee.

Reinstating After More Than 60 Days Lapsed
To reinstate your certification after more than 60 days lapsed, you must complete and submit a paper reinstatement application, available on the transferring and reinstating certifications page. You must also undergo a new criminal record check and submit payment for the renewal fee, reinstatement fee and criminal record check fee.
Non-practising certification is a category for individuals who are eligible to hold full certification but do not plan to practice at that time. Non-practising CDAs are not permitted to provide CDA services.  
 
Note: If you are a non-practising CDA, you may hold non-practising certification indefinitely. However, if you wish to regain full status, you must meet the Quality Assurance requirements in place at that time. After an extended absence, educational credentials may not be recognized.
You must contact BCCOHP before you complete the renewal process online. Non-practising CDAs must meet the Quality Assurance (QA) requirements to transfer and renew to a full status. For more information on QA requirements, please click here.  
 
If you were practising in another jurisdiction as a healthcare provider, BCCOHP will require a Certificate of Standing from that jurisdiction prior to completing renewal.  
 
Please contact our office using our contact form to first confirm eligibility.  
If you are retiring your CDA certification, please select one of the two below options on your renewal form:
  • “Retired”: Inactive status; you will continue to receive BCCOHP communications including emails and physical newsletters, for a fee.
  • “Resigned from Register”: Inactive status; you will not receive any BCCOHP communications (including emails and physical newsletters).

Both are inactive statuses; details are laid out below:

  • “Retired”: Inactive status; you will continue to receive BCCOHP communications including emails and physical newsletters, for a fee.
  • “Resigned from Register”: Inactive status; you will not receive any BCCOHP communications (including emails and physical newsletters).

CDA Quality Assurance

To renew, reinstate or transfer to practising registration, you must meet BCCOHP’s Quality Assurance requirements including:

  1. Continuing education (CE) – CDAs must have a minimum of 36 credits completed in a three-year cycle.
  2. Continuous Practice hours (CP) – CDA must have a minimum 600 practice hours providing the restricted services of a CDA in the three preceding years.

The minimum continuous practice requirement is 600 hours of providing the restricted services of a CDA in the preceding three calendar years. If you do not meet this requirement, please get in touch using our contact form.

The minimum continuing education requirement for CDAs is 36 credits per CE cycle. Log in to view your CE transcript. If you do not meet this requirement, you must renew as “non-practising” while you complete your CE credit requirements.

Note: If your CE requirement is incomplete and your cycle has expired, please contact us using our contact form for next steps.

If the CE credits you submitted are not selected for audit, your submission status will remain as “Submitted” at the end of the submission day, and the credits will be added to your total CE credits for that cycle.

For more information about CE submission and audit process click here. For the information about CE statuses, please click on the link for CE transcript terminology.  

CDAs Renewing as the Same Certification Category

All certifications expire at the end of March each year, and the deadline to renew is April 1. 

For information on returning to practise, please review our online information. If you have further questions, please contact our office.

As of September 1, 2022 – the College of Dental Hygienists of BC, College of Dental Surgeons of BC, College of Dental Technicians of BC, College of Denturists of BC becomes…

British Columbia College of
Oral Health Professionals