Consent for Release of Information
What You Need to Know about MINC Numbers
A medical identification number system has been developed with
the goal of providing a reliable means of identifying every
individual in the Canadian medical education and practice systems.
A not-for-profit corporation (whose legal name is noted above),
known as “MINC#NIMC”, has been incorporated by the Federation
of Medical Regulatory Authorities of Canada (FMRAC) and the
Medical Council of Canada (MCC) for the sole purpose of
administering the MINC number system.
A MINC number will be issued to all individuals (who consent in
writing) at the time of their initial, even temporary, entry to any
aspect of the Canadian medical education or practice systems,
including undergraduate students, postgraduate trainees,
applicants to the MCC examinations, and physicians of any
registration status.
Once assigned, an individual’s MINC number will remain
unchanged throughout his/her entire medical career. Assigned
numbers will never be reused, even after the death of the
individual. Individuals will carry the same MINC number, even if
they leave Canada and return, move between jurisdictions or
change registration status. No information is encoded in an
individual’s MINC number, other than a country code (CA for
Canada) and a profession code (MD for Medicine). The MINC
number does not imply any special privilege, rights or status; it is
simply a series of letters and numbers for identification purposes.
Upon the consent of an individual, the MCC or a provincial/
territorial medical regulatory authority will submit personal
information to MINC#NIMC as follows: name(s), gender, date of
birth, country of birth and year and university of graduation (note:
previous names if applicable and other identifiers if necessary to
confirm identity may also be submitted), collectively referred to as
the Core Information.
MINC#NIMC will use Core Information to either generate or
confirm a MINC number for individuals and will retain the Core
Information and its associated MINC number in its system for the
purposes of uniquely identifying individuals and ongoing identity
confirmation by Prime and Licensed Users of the MINC system.
Not-for-profit and public sector organizations that are involved in
the education, certification, licensure or professional practices of
physicians in Canada may apply to MINC#NIMC for a license to use
the MINC number system as a means of:
(i) accurately identifying individuals with whom they have
dealings,
(ii) processing information relating to those individuals, and
(iii) linking or exchanging physician information with other
Licensed or Primary Users for Approved Purposes such
as the compilation of statistics, the development of
profiles, the administration of programs or benefits, the
management of the health system and research.
Licensees agree to comply with MINC#NIMC’s Privacy Code, with
privacy, security and confidentiality provisions, and with
applicable privacy legislation as part of their licensing agreements.
The MCC and the twelve Canadian medical regulatory authorities
will have controlled access to both MINC numbers and Core
Information in order to facilitate the performance of their
regulatory responsibilities. The only information that shall be
disclosed to Licensed Users shall be the MINC numbers for their
own members.
For a more complete description of MINC#NIMC, including the
details of its Privacy Code and a list of all Licensed Users and
their approved uses, consult its website at www.minc-nimc.ca,
or contact MINC#NIMC directly at:
2283 St. Laurent Blvd., Suite 100
Ottawa, ON Canada K1G 5A2
Phone: 613-288.2792 – 1.855.288.2783
Info@minc-nimc.ca
www.minc-nimc.ca
I have read and understand the above information, and consent to the release of my information to MINC#NIMC for the purpose of
generating a MINC number that will be permanently assigned to me. I further consent to MINC#NIMC disclosing the MINC number and
personal information to Prime and Licensed Users, as outlined above.
_________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________
Signature Date
_________________________________________________________________________
Name Printed