Veterinarian Licensure Requirements in South Dakota
South Dakota licenses veterinarians through the SD Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners.
Applicants take the NAVLE with a passing score of 425 — or the legacy NBE and CCT at 70 percent — plus the state's own online jurisprudence examination, passed at 90 percent, covering South Dakota law and AVMA ethics.
Foreign graduates qualify through ECFVG, PAVE, or a Canadian CVMA certificate, and an out-of-state veterinarian can be licensed without examination under SDCL § 36-12-15.
Sixteen hours of continuing education are required each year.
Verify before you rely on this
At a glance
Required — a NAVLE score of 425 or greater, stated in South Dakota's own regulation (ARSD 20:57:02:08(2)(a)); the legacy NBE and CCT combination remains an independently sufficient alternate, passed at 70 percent under (2)(b).
Yes — the South Dakota State Jurisprudence Examination, administered online, requires a score of 90 percent or higher and covers state veterinary laws and rules plus the AVMA's principles of veterinary medical ethics (ARSD 20:57:02:08(3)).
None found in the sources read — the rule names only the NAVLE (or the legacy NBE and CCT) and the state jurisprudence examination.
Both accepted, plus a third pathway: a graduate of a nonaccredited foreign college qualifies with an ECFVG certificate, a PAVE certificate, or a Canadian Veterinary Medical Association certificate of qualification, then completes the same exam and jurisprudence requirements (ARSD 20:57:02:09).
Yes — SDCL § 36-12-15 allows licensure without examination for a U.S. citizen or a South Dakota resident actively practicing in another state, territory, or D.C., on a good-standing certificate from that jurisdiction's board, where standards are at least equal to South Dakota's; the filing fee is capped at $25. Whether the jurisprudence exam also applies on this pathway is not addressed in the sources read.
16 hours of continuing education annually in subjects related to the practice of veterinary medicine (ARSD 20:57:04:01); the board's current renewal application covers a two-year license period, July 1, 2025 – June 30, 2027, and collects the 32 hours those two years add up to.
Not stated in the sources read.
SD Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners
No interstate veterinary licensure compact is currently operational in any state, including South Dakota — 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 South Dakota's 425 passing score
South Dakota's own regulation spells out the passing number rather than deferring to the testing entity: the NAVLE must be passed at 425 or greater, and the legacy National Board Examination plus Clinical Competency Test combination — passed at 70 percent — stands as an independently sufficient alternate for an applicant who never sat the NAVLE.
The board's requirements sheet adds the mechanics: the NAVLE is computer-based testing administered in Prometric Test Centers, the Board does not collect NAVLE applications or fees itself — it submits the names of candidates it has approved — and scores are obtained through the American Association of Veterinary State Boards.
For a new graduate that makes the NAVLE the exam to plan around.
A relocating veterinarian faces no stated age limit on an older NAVLE score in the sources read; the gate for anyone who has ever held a license elsewhere is a good-standing verification, with no disciplinary action previously or pending against it.
“(2) Complete one of the following examinations in veterinary medicine: (a) The North American Veterinary Licensing Examination (NAVLE), as prepared by the International Council for Veterinary Assessment (ICVA), with a passing score of 425 or greater: or (b) The National Board Examination (NBE) and the Clinical Competency Test (CCT) as prepared under the authority of the National Board Examination Committee for Veterinary Medicine (NBEC) or its predecessor organization the National Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners with a passing score of 70 percent or higher”
The South Dakota State Jurisprudence Examination
The 90 percent threshold comes from the Board's own regulation: the exam is administered or authorized by the Board, covers state laws and rules regarding veterinary medicine plus the principles of veterinary medical ethics as published on the AVMA website, and every exam-track applicant must clear it.
The board's requirements sheet names it the South Dakota State Jurisprudence Examination and states that it is administered online.
For a veterinarian relocating into South Dakota, this is the layer that doesn't transfer — the test is sat against South Dakota's own laws, rules and ethics expectations, not national exam content.
Whether the 90 percent exam is also required on the no-exam endorsement pathway under SDCL § 36-12-15 isn't addressed by the statute text — confirm with the Board before assuming either way.
“(3) Complete with a score of 90 percent or higher an examination administered or authorized by the board covering state laws and rules regarding veterinary medicine and covering the principles of veterinary medical ethics as published on the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) website.”
Degree, dean verification, and the ECFVG/PAVE/CVMA routes
The exam-track application runs through an AVMA-accredited college: the board's requirements sheet requires an applicant to be at least 18, to apply on the Board's own form, and to have the application signed by the dean of an accredited or approved college of veterinary medicine verifying graduation.
A graduate of a foreign college that is not AVMA-accredited or approved qualifies by certificate instead — ECFVG, administered by the AVMA; PAVE, administered by the American Association of Veterinary State Boards; or a Canadian Veterinary Medical Association certificate of qualification — and then completes the same national-exam and 90 percent jurisprudence requirements as a domestic graduate.
For a foreign-trained veterinarian the sequencing matters: the certificate is a prerequisite to sitting the licensure exam, not an alternative to it, so build the ECFVG or PAVE timeline first.
“(1) Possess one of the following: (a) A certificate issued by the American Veterinary Medical Association Educational Commission for Foreign Veterinary Graduates (ECFVG): or (b) A certificate issued by the Program for the Assessment of Veterinary Education Equivalence (PAVE) as administered by the American Association of Veterinary State Boards (AAVSB): or (c) A certificate of qualification issued by the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association”
Licensure on certification from another state (endorsement)
South Dakota's endorsement statute lets the Board license, without examination, a citizen of the United States or a resident of South Dakota who has been actively engaged in the profession in some other state, territory, or the District of Columbia, on a certificate from that jurisdiction's licensing authority certifying the applicant is duly licensed, has never had a license suspended or revoked, and is entitled to endorsement.
The sending jurisdiction must maintain standards at least equal to South Dakota's, and the statute caps the filing fee at $25 — the actual board-set fee isn't stated in the sources read.
The eligibility gate deserves a second read: it is open only to a U.S. citizen or a South Dakota resident, so a veterinarian who is neither should confirm their route with the Board.
The statute is also silent on whether the 90 percent jurisprudence exam applies to this pathway — ask the Board before relying on it.
“The Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners, without examination, may issue a license to practice veterinary medicine to a citizen of the United States or a resident of South Dakota who has been actively engaged in such profession in some other state, territory, or the District of Columbia, upon the certificate of the proper licensing authority of that state, territory, or the District of Columbia, certifying that the applicant is duly licensed, that his license has never been suspended or revoked, and that in so far as records of that authority are concerned, the applicant is entitled to its endorsement.”
Continuing education and renewal
The rule is written in annual terms: each veterinarian licensed and registered in South Dakota must complete 16 hours of continuing education annually in subjects related to the practice of veterinary medicine, under the statutory duty in SDCL § 36-12-19.1 to complete annual courses of study.
The board's current renewal application puts that into practice across a two-year license period, July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2027, collecting the 32 hours two annual requirements add up to, with hour-for-hour credit for programs of veterinary medical associations, a college of veterinary medicine, USDA training, or providers approved by the AVMA or the AAVSB's RACE program, and half credit for certain private-industry seminars after Board review.
The fee figures the sources do pin down: a $75 application fee, a statutory $100 cap on the initial-license fee (SDCL § 36-12-12), and reinstatement within four years of forfeiture at a flat $100 plus the registration fee (SDCL § 36-12-20).
The one fee to confirm with the Board directly is the renewal fee — the board's own renewal documents print two different amounts.
“Each veterinarian licensed and registered in this state must complete 16 hours of continuing education annually in subjects related to the practice of veterinary medicine.”
What This Page Does — and Doesn’t — Cover
This page summarizes South Dakota’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 SD Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners’s own application instructions.
Accepted exams, endorsement conditions and continuing-education requirements change by statute and by board rule. Confirm every requirement with the SD Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners before you register for an exam or submit an application.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does South Dakota require an exam beyond the NAVLE?
Yes.
Alongside a NAVLE score of 425, applicants must complete an examination administered or authorized by the Board covering South Dakota's veterinary laws and rules and the AVMA's principles of veterinary medical ethics, with a score of 90 percent or higher.
The board's requirements sheet calls it the South Dakota State Jurisprudence Examination and states it is administered online.
Confirm current format and scheduling with the SD Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners before you apply.
Can an out-of-state veterinarian be licensed in South Dakota without retaking the NAVLE?
Yes.
Under SDCL § 36-12-15, the Board may issue a license without examination to a U.S. citizen or a South Dakota resident who has been actively practicing in another state, territory, or the District of Columbia, on a certificate from that jurisdiction's board certifying licensure in good standing and entitlement to endorsement.
The sending state must maintain standards at least equal to South Dakota's, and the application fee is capped at $25.
Ask the Board whether its jurisprudence exam also applies to this pathway — the statute doesn't say.
How much continuing education does South Dakota require?
Sixteen hours a year.
ARSD 20:57:04:01 requires each licensed and registered veterinarian to complete 16 hours of continuing education annually in subjects related to the practice of veterinary medicine, and the board's renewal application for the July 1, 2025 – June 30, 2027 period collects the resulting 32 hours across the two years.
Hour-for-hour credit covers veterinary association, veterinary-college, USDA, and AVMA- or AAVSB RACE-approved programs.
Confirm the current renewal fee and deadline with the SD Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners.
Does South Dakota offer a temporary or relief permit for veterinarians?
The sources read for this page — the board's requirements and renewal documents and the state's veterinarian regulations — do not state a temporary or relief permit for the profession.
That is an absence in the sources, not a confirmed no, so a veterinarian planning short-term or relief work in South Dakota should ask the SD Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners directly what, if anything, applies before committing to an assignment.
Has South Dakota joined a multistate veterinary licensing compact?
No. As of September 2026, no state — South Dakota included — has joined an operational interstate veterinary licensure compact; none currently exists in any U.S. jurisdiction.
A veterinarian moving to South Dakota should use the state's own endorsement pathway under SDCL § 36-12-15, which rests on a good-standing certificate from the current licensing board rather than any multistate agreement.
Check with the SD Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners for the latest status.
More South Dakota & Veterinarian Resources
Sourced from South Dakota’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 SD Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners.