Licensing guide · Northwest Territories

How to Become a Physician in Northwest Territories

Last checked 3 sources checkedNOC 31102

Do you need a licence?

Licence required

You must be registered with the Professional Licensing Office, NWT Health and Social Services to work as a physician in Northwest Territories or to use a protected title.

Protected titles
Not listed in the sources checked
Show the source
“Only those professionals that are qualified, competent, and safe are licensed to practice in the NWT. … Medical Licence”

From hss.gov.nt.ca/en/services/professional-licensing, checked October 10, 2026.

At a glance

Licence status
Licence required See the source
Routes
Annual fees

Your roadmap

Every route is listed. Follow the one that matches where you trained.

Trained in Canada

  • 2 steps without a listed fee
  • Annual fees: $128

  1. Choose three referees to complete the reference form: one Program Director from your residency and two physicians you have worked with in the past three years.

    Source
    “Select three referees to complete the reference form: One must be a Program Director from your residency. Two must be physicians you’ve worked with in the past three years (e.g., colleagues or supervisors).”
    hss.gov.nt.ca/en/services/medical-licence

  2. The referees must email the completed reference form directly to the Professional Licensing Office, and incomplete forms will not be accepted.

    Source
    “Referees must send the completed form directly to the Professional Licensing Office via email at [email protected]. Incomplete forms will not be accepted.”
    hss.gov.nt.ca/en/services/medical-licence

Listed fees for this route

No one-time fees listed by the regulator for these steps Check with Professional Licensing Office, NWT Health and Social Services

2 steps without a listed fee, so the total may not be the full cost.

Annual fees: $128 a year Paid every year, so not part of the one-time total. 1 fee depends on your situation and is not in the total.

Official page for this route

Licensed in another province

  • Annual fees: $128

No separate route for this group.

Source
“First-time applicants must apply through physiciansapply.ca”
hss.gov.nt.ca/en/services/medical-licence

Official page for this route

Trained outside Canada

  • Annual fees: $128

No separate route for this group.

Source
“First-time applicants must apply through physiciansapply.ca”
hss.gov.nt.ca/en/services/medical-licence

Official page for this route

Other listed fees

The regulator lists these without tying them to one step, so they are not in the route totals above. Check which apply to you.

Requirements

Not stated by the regulator Check with Professional Licensing Office, NWT Health and Social Services

Already licensed in another province?

Not stated

The pages do not state how someone already licensed in another Canadian province or territory registers in the Northwest Territories.

Source
“First-time applicants must apply through physiciansapply.ca”
hss.gov.nt.ca/en/services/medical-licence

Processing time: Not stated by the regulator Check with Professional Licensing Office, NWT Health and Social Services

Check a move between two provinces

Credential assessment

Not stated by the regulator Check with Professional Licensing Office, NWT Health and Social Services

Exams

Not stated by the regulator Check with Professional Licensing Office, NWT Health and Social Services

Language tests

Not stated by the regulator Check with Professional Licensing Office, NWT Health and Social Services

Compare scores across provinces and professions

Canadian experience

Not stated by the regulator Check with Professional Licensing Office, NWT Health and Social Services

Supervised practice

Not stated by the regulator Check with Professional Licensing Office, NWT Health and Social Services

Demand and pay

Job Bank figures for NOC 31102, General practitioners and family physicians. Wages for 2023-2024 in Canadian dollars a year; outlook for 2025-2027.

Job Bank wages and outlook in Northwest Territories and Canada
WhereLowMedianHighOutlook
Northwest Territories — — — Very good (5 of 5)
Canada $90,826 $232,227 $435,240 —

Wages in every province and territory

Physicians in other provinces and territories

Regulated in 9 of the other 12 jurisdictions checked so far. The rules differ from one place to the next.

Compare physician licensing across Canada

Sources checked

Pages read on October 10, 2026.

  1. Professional Licensing | Health and Social Services hss.gov.nt.ca/en/services/professional-licensing · fetched October 9, 2026
  2. Medical Licence | Health and Social Services hss.gov.nt.ca/en/services/medical-licence · fetched October 9, 2026
  3. Apply for a Certificate of Good Standing | Health and Social Services hss.gov.nt.ca/en/services/apply-certificate-good-standing · fetched October 8, 2026

Frequently asked questions

1

Do you need a licence to work as a physician in Northwest Territories?

Yes. Registration with the Professional Licensing Office, NWT Health and Social Services is required to practise in Northwest Territories.

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