Transfer a Veterinary License to Illinois

Verified July 2026 · 26 official sources

Two shortcut routes, but paper and patience

Illinois gives an already-licensed vet two routes for the same $100: endorsement, or 'acceptance of examination' for any NAVLE-passer, which is the safety net if your original state's old rules weren't equivalent. No law exam, no fingerprints, and the cheapest renewals in the country. The catch is the process: paper applications by mail, payment by check, a warning to wait 6 weeks before even asking about status, and no temporary permit.

First year: about $220Renewal: $100 / 2 yrs (cheapest here)Wait: 6+ weeks, historically slowWork while waiting: NoTravel required: None

What carries over to Illinois, and what does not

Comes with you

Your NAVLE (or NBE/CCT), any age
Your degree (ED form or transcripts)
Your license history (CT forms)

New for this state

Nothing to test: no exam, no fingerprints
CT verifications collected BY YOU from every state
Illinois child-support/tax/workers-comp certifications

Working in Illinois without a Illinois license

To advise another vet Free when an Illinois-licensed vet invites you in for consultation on their case. Not limited to advice-only on its face, and no day cap is stated; the trigger is the invitation.

For visits or one-time work There's no temporary or courtesy permit at all (the old one was repealed). Invited consultation aside, paid hands-on work means the full, cheap-but-slow license. Guest lectures and demonstrations for associations or CE providers are exempt.

For remote care Illinois license required; unlicensed remote service into Illinois is expressly unlawful except within an existing vet-client relationship, which can't be formed electronically and requires a physical exam within the past year.

Your send-off checklist

YOUDownload the paper packet and choose your route: Endorsement, or Acceptance of Examination if your original state's old rules might not measure up. $100 Endorsement packet (PDF)

YOUR SCHOOLYour school completes form ED (with seal) and returns it TO YOU.

STATE BOARDSEach state you've ever held completes form CT (or its own standard letter) and returns it TO YOU. (From Pennsylvania: PALS, $15.) PALS portal

YOUOrder the AAVSB score transfer; scores go directly to IDFPR. $105 AAVSB VAULT

YOUAssemble everything and mail the packet with a check. Then wait: allow 6 weeks before even asking about status.

YOUPrescribing controlled substances later? Add the $5 Illinois registration per location before your Illinois DEA registration. $5

Where documents go. Mail the completed packet with a check to IDFPR, ATTN: Division of Professional Regulation, P.O. Box 7007, Springfield, IL 62791. Unusual: your school and past state boards return their forms TO YOU, and you include them in the packet. Only AAVSB sends scores directly.

The money

Application (either route)	$100
Score transfer (VAULT)	$105
VER
TOTAL First year, typical	~$220
Then: renewal every 2 years	$100

Watch out in Illinois

Verification forms come back to YOU, not the board, backwards from every other state. You collect them and mail the full packet.
Equivalence is judged by your origin state's rules when you were FIRST licensed. Grandfathered vets should use the acceptance-of-examination route instead.
Still paper-and-mail with checks in 2026; the agency itself has admitted historic wait times.
Prescribing controlled substances needs a separate $5 Illinois registration per location, issued before your Illinois DEA registration.

After you are licensed

Renew $100 every 2 years (all licenses expire January 31 of odd years; your first renewal's CE is waived).
CE is 40 hours per cycle, the highest here, including a 1-hour sexual harassment prevention course.
The whole practice act sunsets January 1, 2029, so rules may shift at reenactment.

Official links for Illinois

Board. IDFPR (Veterinarian Licensing and Disciplinary Board) · Portal. paper packets by mail · Phone. 1-800-560-6420

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.

Every other jurisdiction

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