Licensing
Veterinary Licensure and Technician Certification
The Board issues licenses to practice veterinary medicine in the state of Arizona and certifies veterinary technicians. Licenses and certificates are renewed every two years to remain active, with an expiration date of December 31st of every even-numbered year. All the forms you may need can be found below or via the "Forms" tab.
*If you need to overnight your application, we recommend using UPS or FedEx, etc. rather than USPS. "Overnight" USPS mail gets to us a day late.
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Licensure and Certification by Universal Recognition
On August 27, 2019 the Arizona State Veterinary Medical Examining Board began to accept applications for licensure and CVT certification by universal recognition. Applications are posted in the document sections below.
The universal recognition policy allows Arizona residents to use an out-of-state professional or occupational license to qualify for an Arizona license to work. To qualify, an applicant must:
-Prove residency in Arizona.
-Be currently licensed or certified for at least one year in another U.S. state in the discipline applied for and at the same level of practice as recognized in Arizona.
-Be in good standing in all states where currently or previously licensed or certified and have no open investigations.
-Have met all applicable education, work, exam, and/or clinical supervision requirements in the other state where originally licensed or certified.
-Take and pass the Arizona State exam (veterinary or CVT).
-Pay all applicable fees to the Arizona Veterinary Medical Examining Board ($400 application fee; $200 issuance fee (odd-numbered year) or $100 (even-numbered year)
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Veterinarians
Regular License:
Applicant is a graduate from a college of veterinary medicine accredited by the AVMA or holds a certificate issued by the ECFVG or PAVE and has taken the NAVLE within the past 5 years.
Endorsement License:
Applicant is a graduate from a college of veterinary medicine accredited by the AVMA or holds a certificate issued by the ECFVG or PAVE, has not taken the NAVLE within the past 5 years, is currently licensed as a veterinarian in another state and has been actively working in veterinary medicine for at least three of the preceding five years or six of the preceding ten years.
Specialty License:
Applicant is a graduate from a college of veterinary medicine accredited by the AVMA or holds a certificate issued by the ECFVG or PAVE AND holds a current certification as a specialist of a national specialty board or college recognized by the AVMA. Passing the NAVLE is not required. The applicant’s practice will be limited to the scope of the applicant’s board certification.
STATE EMPLOYEE LICENSE: Applicant is a State of Arizona employee who serves as a veterinarian. License expires upon employment termination.
VETERINARY FACULTY MEMBER LICENSE: Applicant is employed by a veterinary college in Arizona. Practice limited to the licensee's official academic responsibilities.
NAVLE:
To apply to take the NAVLE and for further requirements and instructions, please visit www.icva.net.
Important!: Although the review time is usually much faster, per AZ Administrative Rules, the Board has 15 days in which to inform you whether your application is complete. You may want to submit your application at least 2 weeks prior to the deadline to allow time for you to make corrections to the application or gather additional required information. Do not wait until the deadline date to submit your application, as you risk having it deemed incomplete, causing you to miss the next scheduled exam.
OPTIONAL FEE WAIVER FOR LOW INCOME APPLICANTS: Per A.R.S. 41-1080.01, an applicant applying for an initial license whose family income does not exceed two hundred percent of the federal poverty guidelines may be eligible for a fee waiver. If you believe that you qualify for the waiver, please contact the Board office at 602-542-8166 to request the Application for Waiver of Initial Licensing Fees.
NOTICE: Pursuant to Section 41-1093.01, Arizona Revised Statutes, an agency shall limit all occupational regulations to regulations that are demonstrated to be necessary to specifically fulfill a public health, safety or welfare concern. Pursuant to Sections 41-1093.02 and 41-1093.03, Arizona Revised Statutes, you have the right to petition this agency to repeal or modify the occupational regulation or bring an action in a court of general jurisdiction to challenge the occupational regulation and to ensure compliance with Section 41-1093.01, Arizona Revised Statutes.
Certified Veterinary Technicians
Next State CVT Exam: Friday, April 10, 2020. If you have been approved to take that exam, you were mailed a packet of exam information.
Please note that the deadline to submit a COMPLETED application for the April 10, 2020 STATE exam is February 5, 2020. If you have been approved to take that exam, please refer to the confirmation letter which was mailed to you for details about exam location, ex. NOTE: This application is also required to be approved by the Board to take the VTNE in the March 15- April 15, 2020 testing window.