The Red Cross has a number of re-certifications courses available to candidates that are required to renew their first aid and / or CPR certificate. Candidates that are required to have a current certificate have the opportunity to take a renewal course instead of re-taking the original full course. To register for a renewal course with our Red Cross training partners visit our re-cert location page.

Re-Cert Course Length

Renewal courses are shorter and cheaper than original courses. A standard first aid and CPR course takes approximately 14 to 18 hours to complete. A standard first aid and CPR re-certification takes only 6 to 8 hours to complete. The price difference between the two courses is almost half.

Prerequisites for Renewal Program

To be eligible for a re-certification course candidates must possess a previous certificate from a credible provider such as the Red Cross, Lifesaving Society, Heart and Stroke Foundation or St. Johns Ambulance. Certifications that have been awarded via online courses are not eligible for re-certification via these main providers. Candidates can use the providers interchangeably when doing re-certification courses. If a candidate has a St. Johns Ambulance first aid certificate he or she is eligible for a re-cert through the Red Cross.

Another criteria for candidates to be eligible for a re-certification is that they must have completed a full course or a renewal course within the past 5 years. Candidates that have not completed either course within that time frame must re-take the original course.

Finally, to be eligible for a re-certification course candidates must possess a first aid and / or CPR certificate from the same country as the re-cert course. First aid and CPR certificates are not internationally accredited and can not be re-certified in different countries. Only candidates that receive approval from the previous provider are eligible for a re-certification in a different country.

Available Re-Certification Programs Via the Red Cross

Not all of the Red Cross first aid and CPR courses include re-certifications. Only the following courses can be re-certified. All other courses must be re-taken.

Red Cross Standard First Aid Re-Certification Award

• Standard First Aid and CPR level “C”
• Standard First Aid and CPR HCP
• Emergency First Aid and CPR level “A”
• Emergency First Aid and CPR level “C”
• Stand alone CPR level HCP
• Stand alone CPR level “C”

If the course you need to re-certify is not in this list then you will have to re-take the course. For more information on the re-certification courses in your area select the highlighted word with the course name that you need (or click here). If you have any questions or concerns please feel free to ask but visiting our contact. We proudly offer the best first aid and CPR re-cert courses throughout Canada.