Veterinarian Licensure Requirements in Montana
Montana licenses veterinarians through the Montana Board of Veterinary Medicine.
A first-time applicant must pass the NAVLE within 62 months of the application date and complete an open-book state jurisprudence exam that comes included with the application — a score of 90% or greater passes.
Graduates of non-U.S. schools qualify through ECFVG or PAVE.
Veterinarians already licensed in another state complete the same components, with three national-exam options available.
Twenty continuing-education hours are reported every even-numbered year, on a September-through-November renewal window.
Verify before you rely on this
At a glance
Required on the first-time track, where Montana checks recency against its own window: the NAVLE must have been passed within 62 months of the application date (ARM 24.225.503/504); the currently-licensed-out-of-state track instead accepts any of three national-exam options (see the endorsement card).
Yes — an open-book state jurisprudence exam that comes included with the application itself; a passing score is 90% or greater, graded by department staff, who contact you for a retake if you don't pass.
None beyond the NAVLE and the state jurisprudence exam.
Both ECFVG and PAVE are accepted for graduates of non-U.S. schools that don't meet the AVMA-accreditation requirement (MCA 37-18-302), with the certificate sent to the department directly from the issuing agency.
Applicants already licensed out-of-state complete the same components as a first-time applicant: the same open-book jurisprudence exam, plus one national-exam option of three — the NAVLE, the NBE plus CCT with a converted score of 70 or greater, or the NBE at 70 or greater with licensure originally based on a state or provincial competency exam; $200 application fee.
20 hours of continuing education, reported every even-numbered year; the renewal window runs September 1 through November 1, with a 45-day late grace period.
Not stated in the sources read.
Montana Board of Veterinary Medicine
No interstate veterinary licensure compact is currently operational in any state, including Montana — none of the 51 U.S. jurisdictions' own board pages, statutes or administrative codes references joining, enacting or currently considering one, as of September 2026.
The NAVLE and the 62-month window
Montana requires the NAVLE, and the Board's rule sets its own recency test: the exam must have been passed within 62 months — five years and two months — of the application date.
For a new graduate that is a long runway, but note the clock is measured against the date you apply, not the date you graduate, so a candidate who sits the NAVLE in school and then waits years before applying to Montana should check the arithmetic early.
A veterinarian who passed the NAVLE in another state and is relocating needs the same calculation, and the sources read don't describe a waiver from the window — if your score is older than 62 months at application, confirm your options with the Board before filing.
“Pass the North American Veterinary Licensing Examination (NAVLE) within 62 months of the application date”
Montana's open-book jurisprudence exam
Montana's state-specific test is an open-book exam on its own laws that arrives as part of the application packet itself — you complete it and department staff grade it, rather than scheduling a separate sitting.
A passing score is 90% or greater, and a failed attempt isn't fatal: the checklist says staff will contact you so you can retake it.
Because it is bundled with the application, a new graduate can finish everything in one pass, and a relocating veterinarian should expect to demonstrate Montana-specific law knowledge even when applying on an existing out-of-state license.
“Pass the open-book state jurisprudence examination which is included with the application. A passing score is 90% or greater.”
Degree, ECFVG, and PAVE
Option 1 is a degree from a school of veterinary medicine accredited or approved by the AVMA Council on Education.
Option 2 covers graduates of non-U.S. schools that don't meet Option 1: completion of either the ECFVG program or the PAVE program satisfies the education requirement, and both are named in the Board's own checklists, which cite MCA 37-18-302 and ARM 24.225.503 (first-time track) or ARM 24.225.507 (currently-licensed-out-of-state track) for the requirement.
Paperwork mechanics matter here — transcripts must reach the department directly from the college or university or from the AAVSB, and an ECFVG or PAVE certificate must be sent directly from the issuing agency — so a foreign-trained applicant should build in lead time for those verifications.
“Or, if applying using Option 2, either the ECFVG certificate or the PAVE certificate sent directly to the department from the issuing agency.”
Applying as a currently licensed out-of-state veterinarian
Montana's route for a veterinarian already licensed elsewhere is not a shortened reciprocity path: the Board's checklist requires the same open-book jurisprudence exam, and the national-exam requirement can be met three ways — the NAVLE, the NBE plus CCT with a converted score of 70 or greater, or the NBE with a converted score of 70 or greater plus licensure originally granted on the basis of a state or provincial competency exam (the checklist cites ARM 24.225.504 and 24.225.507 for these options).
The application fee is $200, and the document list is broad: official license verification from every state and jurisdiction in which you hold or have ever held a professional license of any type.
Notably, the out-of-state checklist doesn't restate the 62-month window the first-time checklist attaches to the NAVLE — if your NAVLE is older than that, ask the Board how the window applies to your track before you file.
“Have passed one of the national exams as described in either Option 1, Option 2, or Option 3 - [ARM 24.225.504, 24.225.507]”
Continuing education and renewal
Montana requires 20 hours of continuing education, reported every even-numbered year.
Renewal happens in a fall window — September 1 through November 1 — with a 45-day late grace period after the window closes.
For a veterinarian newly licensed in Montana, the practical takeaway is to anchor CE tracking to that even-year reporting rhythm from the start, and to confirm with the Board how the requirement is counted for a license issued partway through a cycle.
What This Page Does — and Doesn’t — Cover
This page summarizes Montana’s own statute and board rule as read for this series, current as of September 2026. It does not list application forms, current fees beyond what’s cited above, background-check steps, or processing times, and it is not a substitute for the Montana Board of Veterinary Medicine’s own application instructions.
Accepted exams, endorsement conditions and continuing-education requirements change by statute and by board rule. Confirm every requirement with the Montana Board of Veterinary Medicine before you register for an exam or submit an application.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Montana require an exam beyond the NAVLE?
Yes.
Every applicant completes an open-book state jurisprudence exam on Montana's own laws, and it comes included with the application packet rather than as a separately scheduled sitting.
A passing score is 90% or greater; department staff grade it, and if you don't pass they contact you so you can retake it.
Confirm current exam mechanics with the Montana Board of Veterinary Medicine before you apply.
Can an out-of-state veterinarian get licensed in Montana without retaking the NAVLE?
Possibly, but not through a reduced track.
Montana's checklist for applicants already licensed elsewhere requires the same open-book jurisprudence exam, and it accepts any of three national-exam options: the NAVLE, the NBE plus CCT with a converted score of 70 or greater, or the NBE at 70 or greater where your license was originally based on a state or provincial competency exam.
Check with the Montana Board of Veterinary Medicine which option fits your history.
How many continuing-education hours does Montana require, and when do licenses renew?
Montana requires 20 hours of continuing education, reported every even-numbered year.
The renewal window runs September 1 through November 1, and there is a 45-day late grace period after the window closes.
Confirm your exact reporting deadline and cycle with the Montana Board of Veterinary Medicine, especially if your license is issued partway through a cycle.
Is there a temporary or relief permit for veterinarians in Montana?
The materials reviewed for this page — the Board's own licensing checklists — did not identify a temporary or relief permit, so it is recorded here as not stated rather than guessed at.
If you do short-term or relief work, ask the Montana Board of Veterinary Medicine directly what authorization, if any, covers an out-of-state veterinarian practicing in Montana for a limited period.
Has Montana joined a multistate veterinary licensing compact?
No. As of September 2026, no state — Montana included — has joined an operational interstate veterinary licensure compact; none of the 51 U.S. jurisdictions' own board pages, statutes or administrative codes reference one.
To practice in Montana, the standard application track, including for veterinarians already licensed in another state, is the mechanism to use.
Confirm current requirements with the Montana Board of Veterinary Medicine.
More Montana & Veterinarian Resources
Sourced from Montana’s own statute and board rule (see the citations above). Verified September 2026. This page is general information, not legal advice — confirm current rules with the Montana Board of Veterinary Medicine.