If your corporation or partnership has an adjusting firm licence from another Canadian province or territory, you can apply for the same licence with the Financial Services Regulatory Authority of Ontario (FSRA).

However, you must register your business with Ontario's Ministry of Public and Business Service Delivery before you can submit your licence application.

If you are an Ontario-licensed adjusting business, and you want to apply for a licence in a different province, go to the Canadian Council of Insurance Regulators to access links to the different regulators.

About the Ontario licence

Principal adjuster required for a new licence

Before you apply for a new adjusting firm licence in Ontario, you will need to select one person to act as the principal adjuster for your firm. This person would be authorized to conduct your adjusting business and act as the main point of contact for all of the adjusters working on behalf of your business.

  • The principal adjuster must already hold a Full Adjuster Licence in Ontario.
    • Once they are selected, their licence will need to be transferred to your adjusting firm. Read on for details.
    • If the principal adjuster has any restrictions on their licence (e.g., they can't process auto claims), those restrictions will apply to the adjusting firm licence.
  • For corporations, the principal adjuster does not have to be an officer, director or shareholder.
  • For partnerships, at least one of the partners must hold a Full Adjuster Licence in Ontario.

The principal adjuster may also be required to complete a new criminal record check.

New Criminal Record check process 

FSRA is changing its licensing processes for background criminal checks to ensure the processes remain up to date. Criminal record checks are part of FSRA’s rigorous licence qualification process to protect consumers by ensuring only suitable individuals sell or offer financial products and services in Ontario.

FSRA now requires licence applicants to complete their criminal record checks through our approved vendor, Triton Canada (Triton).  If you have disclosed information about a criminal matter, or FSRA has received information that you may be involved in a criminal matter, you may be required to complete a background check after you have submitted your application. 

If required, FSRA will notify you, and will send a link to Triton’s website to complete the background check. Once completed, you will need to provide the 8-digit confirmation number found in your Triton receipt to FSRA.

A fee of $19.15 applies for Triton’s service, and the background check is valid for 90 days.

Please monitor your email frequently for any information requests from FSRA. If you have any further questions about the new background check process, please contact us.

Frequently asked questions – Background check process

Transfer the principal adjuster licence to your adjusting firm

If their Ontario licence is active

The current adjusting firm will need to terminate the principal adjuster's current licence.

 

They can do so by emailing a termination letter to [email protected].

 

You will then need to transfer the principal adjuster's licence to your adjusting firm.

 

See How to apply for details.

If their Ontario licence is inactive

The principal adjuster will first need to reinstate their Full Adjuster Licence, before they can be transferred to your adjusting firm.

 

They can go to Reinstate my insurance adjuster licence to get started.

Qualifying for a Full Adjuster Licence in Ontario

If the principal adjuster does not have a Full Adjuster Licence in Ontario, but they want to qualify as one, they can submit an out-of-province application. Review the requirements on Apply for an insurance adjuster licence from another province or territory. If they meet all the requirements, their insurance adjuster application can be submitted at the same time as the adjusting firm application.

Fee for a new application

The fee to apply for a new adjusting firm licence is $200. This fee will cover the first year of the licence up to June 30. Then, you will need to renew it every year.

If your principal adjuster needs to apply for a new Ontario licence to qualify for a Full Adjuster Licence, the fee will be $75.

There is no fee to transfer a qualified principal adjuster to your adjusting firm, as long as their Ontario licence has not expired.

What are the requirements to apply from another province or territory?

File an Initial Return in Ontario – corporations

If you are incorporated in another province or territory or if you are federally incorporated, you will need to first file an Initial Return/Notice of Change by an Extra-Provincial Corporation (Form 2 under the Corporations Information Act) with Ontario’s Ministry of Public and Business Service Delivery. For details on how to file an Initial Return, go to ServiceOntario.

Your application to FSRA will need to include:

  • A copy of the incorporation documents from your home province or territory
  • The Ontario Corporate Number certificate from your Initial Return
  • Information about your directors and officers

Are you incorporated in Ontario? Go to Apply for a new adjusting firm licence.

Register your partnership – partnerships

If you are applying as a partnership, you will need to first register as a partnership with Ontario's Ministry of Public and Business Service Delivery. For details on how to register your partnership, go to ServiceOntario.

Your application to FSRA will need to include either:

  • A copy of the Declaration (Form 3 under Limited Partnerships Act)
  • A copy of the partnership agreement

You will also need to provide a Business Name Registration with your application. See Register your trade name in Ontario for more details.

Register your trade name in Ontario

You must register a trade name with the Ministry of Public and Business Service Delivery if:

  • Your business is a corporation and you want to operate under a name that is not your legal name; or
  • Your business is a partnership

You will receive a Business Name Registration as proof of the registration. For details on how to register your trade name, go to ServiceOntario.

When you apply for the adjusting firm licence, you will need to include the registered trade name, along with a copy of the Business Name Registration. The Business Name Registration must have an expiry date greater than one month from the date of your licence application.

If you will be using more than one trade name, you will need to register and provide a Business Name Registration for each name.

Checklist for a new licence

Review all the requirements to ensure you are ready to apply for a new licence in Ontario.

Requirements:

  • Confirm the name of your principal adjuster and ensure they have a Full Adjuster Licence in Ontario.
  • If you are a corporation, include:
    • a copy of the incorporation documents from your home province or territory
    • the Ontario Corporate Number certificate from your Initial Return
    • proof of your business address
    • information about your directors and officers, including a unique email address for each director or officer
    • a Business Name Registration (if applicable)
  • If you are a partnership, include:
    • a copy of the Declaration OR your partnership agreement
    • a Business Name Registration
    • proof of your business address
    • information about the other partner, including their email address
  • Have an Ontario mailing address that can receive registered mail (e.g., no postal boxes).

Once you have met all these requirements, you are ready to begin the application process.

Ready to apply for a new licence?

Who can apply?

A director, officer or partner will need to submit the application.

How to apply

You will need to provide two licence applications:

  1. Adjusting firm
  2. Principal adjuster transfer

1. Adjusting firm

Complete the application for your adjusting firm.

1. Download the Corporate/Partnership Application for insurance adjuster.

  • Right click on the link and choose Save link as to download the PDF to your computer or drive.

2. Fill out the application electronically.

  • You will need to verify your business’ suitability to have a licence by confirming:
    • You are familiar with the laws of Ontario relating to the licensing of corporations and partnerships.
    • You will hold yourself out publicly and carry on business in good faith in the name in which your business is licensed.
    • You will not engage in any other business that would jeopardize the integrity, independence or competence of your business.
    • You are legally entitled to carry on business in Canada and have made all the required provincial and federal government regulatory filings.
    • You have provided information about bankruptcies, lawsuits, criminal records, decisions from other regulators or licensing bodies or other employment information for your partners, directors or officers.
  • Corporations – you will need complete sections A, B, D, E and F
  • Partnerships – you will need to complete sections A, C, D, E and F

2. Principal adjuster

Complete the application to transfer the principal adjuster to your adjusting firm. If the principal adjuster needs to qualify for an Ontario Full Adjuster Licence, view applying for a new insurance adjuster licence for details.

a. Download the Insurance Adjuster Application.

  • Right click on the link and choose Save link as to download the PDF to your computer or drive.

b. Fill out the application electronically.

  • Select the Full Adjuster Licence as the Type of Licence.
  • Select Licence transfer.
  • You will need to confirm the principal adjuster's suitability to have an adjuster licence.

Submit both applications to FSRA

a. Submit the completed applications along with the required documents through the Online Services Portal.

b. You will be asked to pay the fee on the Online Services Portal.

  • You can use credit card (VISA, Mastercard) or select debit cards (RBC, TD, First Nations Bank of Canada, most credit unions).

What happens after the application is submitted:

FSRA will send you an email to confirm it has received your application.

For most applications

  • It should take 10 business days for FSRA to issue your licence.
  • If approved, FSRA will email you a PDF of your licence.

If the application requires additional review

  • FSRA will send you a follow-up email to let you know your application requires additional review.
  • The email will include the name and contact information for the assigned Licensing and Registration Specialist.
  • The Specialist reviewing your application will contact you directly if additional information is required.
  • If approved, FSRA will email you a PDF of your licence.