Veterinarian Licensure Requirements in North Dakota

North Dakota's licensure statute takes an either/or form: an applicant passes the national board examination and clinical competency test, or the North American veterinary licensing examination — the NAVLE being the current name of that national requirement.

The board's rule adopts the passing score recommended by the International Council for Veterinary Assessment rather than restating a number of its own, so the target score is whatever the ICVA currently sets, and a failed NAVLE can be retaken under the ICVA's own retake policy.

Applicants must request that their scores be sent to the board.

One timing note for a new graduate: the rules let a senior veterinary student apply and take the state board examination early, provided the student has already passed the NAVLE and submits a letter from the dean of an approved college stating the anticipated graduation date.

North Dakota defines its state board examination in statute — the jurisprudence examination administered by the board — and requires every veterinarian applicant to pass it in addition to the national exam.

The board site describes it as open-book and online, and the board's rules supply the mechanics: a passing score of 80%, administration by written or electronic methods, and approval to sit only once a completed application and all necessary documents are on file.

The retake ladder is specific — a failed attempt can be retaken after 30 days upon repayment of the application fee, a second failure requires board approval for a third sitting, and a third failure means petitioning the board for reconsideration of eligibility.

Applicants separately sign a statement attesting they have read, understand, and will abide by the statutes and regulations governing veterinary practice in the state, so the law knowledge is both tested and sworn.

The statute requires graduation from an approved college of veterinary medicine — defined as a school conforming to the standards of a board-approved, nationally recognized accrediting entity; the board's rules tie that accreditation to the AVMA Council on Education — or completion of an equivalency program established by board rule.

For a graduate of a college that is not approved, the rules name the pathway by organization: enrollment in the AVMA's Educational Commission for Foreign Veterinary Graduates program or the American Association of Veterinary State Boards' educational equivalence program is required before the candidate can be approved to sit the NAVLE, and a certificate from ECFVG, the AAVSB program, or the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association is required before sitting the state board examination.

The statute itself never names either program, and the AAVSB program is identified by its sponsoring organization rather than the PAVE acronym, so a foreign-trained applicant should confirm certificate-by-name acceptance with the board before counting on a specific credential.

The research read found no endorsement or reciprocity language anywhere in Century Code chapter 43-29 or the board's administrative rules — the UNVERIFIED finding behind the at-a-glance line above, and the reason a relocating veterinarian should plan around the standard requirements instead of assuming a reduced pathway.

Section 43-29-07 is written as one set of requirements for any applicant: the degree or equivalency program, the national exam, and the state board examination.

The application does ask for verification of any veterinary license issued by another jurisdiction, and the board's rules direct military members and military spouses to a separate statutory licensure process (Century Code section 43-51-11.1).

An endorsement practice could exist in board operations without appearing in the documents read, so an out-of-state licensee should put the question directly to the board before scheduling exams.

Two cycles run side by side, and they don't line up.

The license itself expires annually on June 30, renewed by a completed application, the renewal fee, and proof of the board-required continuing education; the board's rules set the annual renewal fee at $110, due June 30, with a late fee of 50% of the renewal fee.

The continuing-education requirement, though, is measured against each even-year renewal date: 24 hours of board-approved CE in the 24 months preceding it, prorated for a veterinarian licensed fewer than 24 months before that date.

The rules cap practice-management CE at 8 hours, veterinary-exchange-program CE at 8, and board-meeting attendance at 4, and require at least 18 of the 24 hours through in-person or live-virtual delivery.

The annual license cycle and the even-year CE cycle don't obviously match — confirm with the board how they interact for your first renewal.

An expired license can be renewed within five years of expiration by paying the current and delinquent fees and completing the required CE; after five years, a new application is required.

The statute lets the board issue a temporary license to a qualified applicant who meets board-established requirements, and the board's rules name three categories.

The first is a graduate bridge: an approved applicant who has not yet passed the state board examination practices on the temporary license until the exam is passed and a regular license issues, or for up to one year.

The second is the closest thing to a short-term permit in the sources read: a temporary license for a foreign practitioner, issued for no more than 60 days and no more than once per calendar year — the term is defined by cross-reference elsewhere in the code, so confirm coverage with the board.

The third is a catch-all for a qualified individual as approved by the board.

The fee is $45.

Nothing in the documents read describes a general relief permit for an already-licensed veterinarian practicing temporarily from elsewhere.