Canadian · Professional Licensing
Quebec doctor directory (CMQ bottin) lookup.
The Collège des médecins du Québec (CMQ) publishes a directory, the bottin, of physicians and medical residents. The official site is in French; this page explains in English what the directory holds, how to search it and what it says it is not.
CMQ says you can search by the physician’s five-digit permit number or by last name (the full name or at least the first three letters). It also says the bottin is neither the order’s official roll nor a referral service.
The permit number and the other ways to search
CMQ’s own wording is “le numéro de permis à 5 chiffres du médecin”: a five-digit permit number. The alternative is a last name, complete or at least the first three letters. The search form on the bottin page also takes an optional first name and a category menu, where you choose Médecin (physician) or Résident·e (resident). A five-digit number is only a shape; the directory is what tells you whether the number belongs to a physician and what their status is.
For residents the directory lists a rotation card number (numéro de la carte de stages) instead of a permit number, along with status, faculty of medicine and training program. If a person introduces themselves as a resident, search the resident category, not the physician one.
Open the CMQ bottin (in French)
The form is in French. Pick the category, enter the permit number or last name, and read the profile that opens.
What a physician’s profile shows
According to CMQ’s page on accessing the directory, an entry for a practising physician or a former member can include the person’s name, sex, specialty or specialties, permit type, status (including any mention of a practice limitation) and the address and phone number of the main place of practice. Additional information may be available on opening a profile: records for physicians who have died, been struck off, resigned or had their permit revoked, the nature of practice limitations, disciplinary information (notably complaints pending before the disciplinary council) and information about the transfer or provisional custody of clinical records.
That list is useful because it shows what the directory can answer, which is mostly standing and contact information, and what it cannot, which is quality of care or availability.
Decisions that changed the right to practise
CMQ explains how limitation, striking-off, suspension and revocation decisions are shown. If a decision is active it appears on the physician’s profile. If the decision is in the past it no longer appears, but a note indicates that the physician’s right to practise has been modified in the past. This is worth knowing, because a clean-looking profile can still carry that note, and because an old decision that has lapsed will not be spelled out.
What the bottin says it is not
The College states that the bottin is neither the official roll of the order (the tableau de l’ordre) nor a referral service, and that it cannot guarantee that a physician is accepting new patients. For finding a family doctor, nurse practitioner or group practice taking patients, CMQ points to the Guichet d’accès à un médecin de famille (GAMF) waiting list. It also says the data are updated regularly and reflect the latest information physicians have supplied to their order, so a very recent change of address or status may not yet show.
A worked example (hypothetical)
You moved to Montréal, a clinic gives you the name “Dr. Exemple” (made up) and a number on a business card. You want to check that the person is a physician and where they practise. This describes no real physician.
Open the bottin and choose Médecin. If the card shows a five-digit permit number, enter it. Otherwise enter the last name, or at least its first three letters, and add the first name if you have it. Open the profile and read the status line, any practice-limitation mention and the main practice address, and compare the specialty with what the clinic told you. If a note says the right to practise was modified in the past, open the details and the disciplinary section. If the number is not five digits, or the search returns a different surname, do not assume a typo: ask the clinic to confirm, and write to CMQ at info@cmq.org or call 514 933-4441, the contacts the College publishes for questions the directory does not answer.
What this page does not cover
- It does not run the search, store a name or number, or confirm any physician’s status.
- It does not help you find a doctor accepting patients. Use the GAMF waiting list that CMQ points to.
- It does not translate the French form line by line or give medical or legal advice.
- It does not cover nurses, pharmacists or other Quebec professions, which have their own orders.
- It does not cover physicians licensed in other provinces; see the related lookups for Ontario and British Columbia.
Frequently asked questions
How do I check if a doctor is licensed in Quebec?
Use the CMQ bottin des médecins et des résidents. Search by the five-digit permit number or by last name and read the status on the profile.
What is the permit number?
CMQ describes it as the physician’s five-digit permit number (numéro de permis). It is one of two search options, the other being last name.
Can I search by first name only?
The form has an optional first name field, but CMQ’s instructions name the permit number or the last name (full or at least the first three letters) as the search criteria.
Is the bottin the official roll of the order?
No. CMQ says the bottin is neither the official tableau de l’ordre nor a referral service.
Does the bottin show if a doctor is accepting patients?
No. CMQ says it cannot guarantee that a physician is accepting new patients and points to the GAMF waiting list for finding a family doctor.
Will a past disciplinary decision appear?
An active decision limiting, suspending or revoking the right to practise appears on the profile. A past decision no longer appears, but a note indicates the right to practise was modified in the past.
How current are the data?
CMQ says the data are updated regularly and reflect the latest information physicians supplied to their order, so recent changes may not yet appear.
Does TNAADO look physicians up?
No. This page explains the official directory in English and links to it. It collects nothing and verifies no one.
Sources
Retrieved
- CMQ: Accéder au répertoire des médecins et des résidents (permit number, profile contents, disclaimers)
- CMQ: Bottin des médecins et des résidents en médecine (the directory)
Official register and regulator pages only. Each link was opened on the retrieval date and the facts above were read from it. The register itself is the authority.
Guide only — not a verification tool
This page explains a public register and links to it. TNAADO does not check anyone’s licence or registration, does not copy or proxy the register, and collects nothing you might look up. Nothing here is an official verification or professional advice. Details above were read from the regulator’s own website on 19 October 2026 and can change; always rely on the official register.