Applicants Previously Licensed in another State or Canada

All applicants are required to pass the Minnesota Veterinary Jurisprudence Examination, a 50 question open-book examination on the regulations governing the practice of veterinary medicine. After you have submitted the necessary licensure documents, you will be provided further information on this examination via email. You will be allowed to work on the Jurisprudence exam while the Criminal Background Check office processes your Criminal Background Check information.

Veterinarians who were licensed for the first time in another state or province that had licensure requirements similar to the requirements at that time in Minnesota may request the Board to waive any retake of a national examination (see page 3 of the application). Minnesota required the NBE from 1955 to 2000 and both the CCT and the NBE from 1986 to 2000.

If you graduated more than 5 years ago and have practiced or taught less than 3 out of the last 5 years or were first licensed in a state or province with lower licensure requirements than Minnesota, the Board may require you to take an examination.

The following documentation must be provided to the Board to support the application: 

1. Completed application: Online Application
2. Application fees: application fee ($50); Jurisprudence Exam fee ($50); Criminal Background Check Fee ($33.25) and biennial license fee ($200). TOTAL: $333.25. Please enclose a check for that amount along with your application if you are submitting a paper application form. 
3. Completed application for Criminal Background Check. The Health Licensing Board's Criminal Background Check office will e-mail you an application for a Criminal Background Check as soon as the Board receives fee payment for your license.
4. Proof of graduation from an AVMA accredited college of veterinary medicine, or, if you are not a graduate of an accredited college of veterinary medicine, certification of completion of the ECFVG or PAVE program is required.
5. Certification of license in good standing from all other jurisdictions in which you hold a current license or have held a license in the past 10 years. The licensing agency should mail the verification directly to the Minnesota Board.
6. Score reports of all previously taken national examinations in veterinary medicine, certified by the Veterinary Information Verifying Agency if scores were not already sent to the Minnesota Board of Veterinary Medicine at a past exam date.
7. Affidavits of two licensed practicing doctors of veterinary medicine residing in the United States or Canadian licensing jurisdiction in which the applicant is currently practicing, attesting that they are well acquainted with the applicant, that the applicant is a person of good moral character, and has been actively engaged in practicing or teaching in such jurisdiction for the period above prescribed. Please have veterinarians include in their letter an active license number and state where currently practicing. Letters of reference are considered affidavits and therefore require a notarized signature on each letter. Notarized letters may be sent separately from the application form via mail to 2829 University Ave SE #401, Minneapolis, MN 55414. You may search for a notary using the Minnesota Secretary of State's notary website. Notaries do not need to be from Minnesota; they may be from any state.
8. State Jurisprudence exam (see details below)

The Minnesota Jurisprudence Examination is a 50-question open book examination on the laws and rules governing the practice of veterinary medicine in Minnesota. An applicant is eligible to take the Jurisprudence examination when all other requirements for licensure have been submitted, including a passing score on the NAVLE (or NBE and CCT) examination and submission of fingerprints for the Criminal Background Check. You will receive a copy of the jurisprudence exam electronically at the email address you provided on your application. Hard copies are available by request. There is a two-hour time limit for taking the exam. Passing score for the jurisprudence exam is 90%. If special accommodations are needed for the exam, please reach out to the Board.

Once you have completed the Jurisprudence Exam and all your documentation is in order, your file will be presented to the Board for formal license approval. Board meetings are generally held in February, May and September. See the Board meeting schedule here.

To have your licensure application considered at the next Board meeting, the completed application must be received at least two weeks before the meeting and the completed jurisprudence exam received two days before the meeting. Should you wish to practice in Minnesota prior to the Board meeting, you will need to obtain a temporary permit. See page 3 of the application for details regarding a temporary permit. A temporary permit can be requested if you complete the requirements and wish to practice before the upcoming Board meeting. There is an additional $50 fee for a temporary permit and the payment can be included with your initial licensing fees or you may pay for a temporary permit separately after you have submitted an application.