Transfer a Veterinary License to Idaho
Three licensed years, one letter, but fingerprints
Three years licensed anywhere and Idaho's endorsement wants almost nothing: no exam-score proof (a license verification substitutes, and AAVSB's verification service is accepted by statute), no transcripts, just an attestation of your degree. $200 plus a $32 fingerprint check, with the cards rolled at any local police station and mailed in. PAVE foreign grads are welcome, a rarity. The oddity: the statute still demands a 90 percent law exam that a newer law arguably outlaws and no current form mentions; we've flagged whether anyone actually takes it.
What carries over to Idaho, and what does not
Comes with you
- 3 years licensed = no score proof and no transcripts (one verification + a degree attestation)
- Your NAVLE at any age (exam path, via VAULT)
- Your degree (AVMA; ECFVG or PAVE both welcome)
New for this state
- FD-258 fingerprint card rolled locally and mailed ($32)
- Notarized application + passport photo
- The always-in-good-standing attestation (zero-tolerance definition)
Working in Idaho without a Idaho license
Your send-off checklist
Where documents go. Apply online via eDOPL (OASIS); supporting documents go to the Boise office or hp-licensing@dopl.idaho.gov. Third parties direct: every state board (or AAVSB's verification service, accepted by statute); school only on the exam path.
The money
| License (application + first licensure) | $200 |
|---|---|
| Fingerprint background check | $32 |
| VER | |
| TOTAL First year, typical | ~$250 |
| Then: renewal every 2 years | ~$350 |
Watch out in Idaho
- The attestation is a perjury trap: you swear you have ALWAYS been in good standing, defined as never ANY fine, reprimand, probation, consent agreement, or surrender, ever. One old reprimand means calling the board first.
- The 30-day lapse cliff is among the sharpest anywhere: birthday plus 30 days, then a full new application including fresh fingerprints. The mercy: Idaho has no NAVLE age limit, so it's paperwork, not a re-exam.
- Temporary permits exist in the statute but nothing implements them; there is no relief or locum lane at all.
- Fees changed three times in 18 months and the codified rule still prints $275; the board's posted table ($200) is what's charged.
After you are licensed
- Renewal is biennial on your birthday, about $350 for two years, phased in since October 2025. CE stayed at 15 hours per renewal when the cycle doubled, an effective 50 percent cut.
- Controlled substances need a $50 Idaho registration first, then the DEA registration within 45 days; vets are exempt from the prescription-database prerequisite.
- A telehealth sleeper: board policy blesses starting the vet-client relationship by VIRTUAL exam, one of the few states to do so in writing. It lives in a policy PDF layered on an ambiguous rule, so cite it carefully.
Official links for Idaho
Board. Idaho Board of Veterinary Medicine (DOPL) · Portal. eDOPL portal · Phone. (208) 334-3233
Keep going
- The veterinary planner, which builds a plan across several states at once.
- What transfers when you move a veterinary license, covering NAVLE, VAULT and DEA.
- All three professions we cover.
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