Veterinarian Licensure Requirements
Before applying for licensure, please familiarize yourself with the general licensing policies.
In order to qualify for licensure, an applicant must meet the following requirements:
Hold a doctor of veterinary medicine degree or its equivalent from a school of veterinary medicine, dentistry or surgery which, at the time of graduation, was accredited by the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA);
Applicants graduating from a veterinarian education program located outside of the United must have graduated from a program that is acceptable to the AVMA's Educational Commission of Foreign Medical Graduates. Please select this link for the acceptable schools.
Foreign trained applicants must also be either certified by the Educational Commission for Foreign Veterinary Graduates (ECFVG) or successfully complete the Program for the Assessment of Veterinary Education Equivalence (PAVE) administered by the American Association of Veterinary State Boards (AAVSB).
Successfully completed the North American Veterinary Licensing Examination (NAVLE) or the National Board Examination (NBE) and Clinical Competency Test (CCT) in Veterinary Medicine, with the criterion-referenced pass point developed by NAVLE or NEEC. The pass point for examinations administered prior to December, 1992, is a score equal to or less than one standard deviation below the mean of the national norm group.
Applicants intending to sit for the NAVLE examination as a Connecticut candidate should visit the NAVLE website to access an examination bulletin, test dates, deadline dates and to register for the examination. The application for examination obtained from the NAVLE website and the NAVLE examination fee must be sent directly to the NAVLE.
In addition to the NAVLE application, candidates are also required to complete the Department of Public Health's licensing application and arrange for the submission of an official transcript of veterinary education and if foreign educated, verification of enrollment in the Program for the Assessment of Veterinary Education Equivalence (PAVE) or verification of certification by the Educational Commission for Foreign Veterinary Graduates (ECFVG).
Candidates who have not graduated from an accredited veterinary school at the time of application may be approved for the NAVLE examination provided their expected graduation date falls within 8 months of the test dates and the applicant has met all other licensure requirements. Such applicants must arrange for submission of a letter from the registrar’s office of the veterinary program confirming the anticipated date of graduation.
The Department will provide the NAVLE with a list of eligible candidates at such time as all required documents have been received. Authorization to test letters and scheduling permits will be mailed directly to approved candidates by NAVLE.
Documentation Requirements
Applicants must arrange for the submission of the following documentation to be submitted to directly to this office directly from the source:
An official transcript of veterinary education verifying the award of the doctor of veterinary medicine;
A score report verifying successful completion of the NAVLE or NBE and CCT submitted by the Veterinary Information Verifying Agency (VIVA) of the American Association of Veterinary State Boards (AAVSB);
Verification of all licenses ever held, current or expired. The Veterinary Licensure Verification Form should be forwarded to the appropriate authority in any state of the United States, its territories or Canada in which the applicant is or has ever been licensed. Some jurisdictions may charge a fee for completion of the verification form. Please contact the jurisdiction directly for fee information.
Foreign trained applicants must also document certification by the Educational Commission for Foreign Veterinary Graduates (ECFVG) or successfully complete the Program for the Assessment of Veterinary Education Equivalence (PAVE) administered by the American Association of Veterinary State Boards (AAVSB);
A completed application with photograph attached. Applications are only accepted online. Please select this link to apply online. The application fee is $565.
Please arrange for all supporting documentation to be sent directly from the source to:
Connecticut Department of Public Health
Veterinarian Licensure
410 Capitol Ave., MS #12 APP
P.O. Box 340308
Hartford, CT 06134
Phone: (860) 509-7603
Fax: (860) 707-1931
Email: dph.healingarts@ct.gov