Transfer a Veterinary License to Mississippi

Verified July 2026 · 20 official sources

One application for everyone; the exam comes to your couch

Mississippi repealed endorsement outright in July 2026, which changes less than it sounds: the state never waived its exam anyway. Everyone files one $200 application and takes the state exam ONLINE through AAVSB: open book, 100 questions, 70 percent to pass, taken from home. No fingerprints, no NAVLE age limit, no travel. The catches are paperwork from another era (notarized application, passport photo, THREE vet recommendation letters) and a total lack of temporary permits for nonresidents.

First year: about $370Renewal: $200 / yrWait: no published time; exam on demandWork while waiting: Only by moving there (30-day resident permit)Travel required: None (online exam)

What carries over to Mississippi, and what does not

Comes with you

Your NAVLE or NBE+CCT, any age
Your degree (AVMA; ECFVG, PAVE, or a 1-year internship for foreign grads)
No fingerprints, no background check

New for this state

Online open-book state exam via AAVSB ($50, 70% to pass)
Notarized application + passport photo + THREE vet recommendation letters
Good-standing letters from every state ever

Working in Mississippi without a Mississippi license

To advise another vet Free and unusually broad: consultation 'in person, telephonically, electronically or by any other method' from a vet licensed in any state is exempt, and invited hands-on assistance under the Mississippi vet's supervision is exempt too, with client consent.

For visits or one-time work Nothing for nonresidents: every temporary permit requires Mississippi residency, so paid relief work means the full license. Taking a job there? A notarized promise-of-employment letter makes you a resident, with a 30-day temporary permit and a mandatory 120-day decision.

For remote care Mississippi license required; advice 'by any means including telephonic' counts as practice. The relationship can't start remotely, and from July 2026 it dies if you haven't seen the animal in 12 months.

Your send-off checklist

YOUComplete the application: notarized, with a passport photo under 6 months old and a diploma copy or transcript. $200 Apply (Thentia portal)

YOUCollect THREE recommendation letters from licensed veterinarians, plus good-standing letters from every state you've ever held (Mississippi has you gather and submit these yourself). (From Pennsylvania: PALS, $15.) PALS portal

YOUOrder the AAVSB score transfer (NAVLE or NBE+CCT, any age). $105 AAVSB VAULT

YOUWhen the board marks you eligible, pay AAVSB directly and take the online open-book state exam from home: 100 questions, 70 percent to pass, 60-day wait between attempts. $50

YOUMoving to Mississippi? Invoke the universal-recognition law with residency proof (even a notarized promise-of-employment letter) for a 120-day decision cap and a 30-day temporary permit.

YOUAfter licensure: renew every August 1 with CE certificates attached, and never let the 30-day delinquency window close; the license goes void by operation of law.

Where documents go. Apply in the Thentia portal (card payment) or mail the notarized paper application to 1089D Stark Road, Starkville, MS 39759 (check to the board). Third parties direct: AAVSB (scores); your school if sending a transcript. Good-standing and recommendation letters travel with your file.

The money

Application (includes first-year license)	$200
State exam (AAVSB SPA, per attempt)	$50
Score transfer (VAULT)	$105
VER
TOTAL First year, typical	~$370
Then: renewal every year	$200

Watch out in Mississippi

The new good-standing rule has no lookback window: recent discipline anywhere is disqualifying while old history is arguably scrubbed. The board's reading isn't settled; ask before applying with any record.
Nonresidents get NO temporary permit of any kind, so relief and locum work means the full license. The hidden accelerant: a notarized promise-of-employment letter (even your spouse's) makes you a 'resident' with a mandatory 120-day decision and a 30-day temporary permit.
Old-school file: notarized application, a passport photo under 6 months old, and THREE recommendation letters from licensed veterinarians.
The lapse cliff moves fast: licenses expire August 1, and 30 days after the delinquency letter the license is VOID by operation of law. Reinstatement runs $500 plus back fees.

After you are licensed

Renew $200 every August 1 with CE certificates submitted alongside: 15 hours a year, only 5 of generic online RACE; the other 10 must be contact hours (live-streamed counts if RACE-approved), and USDA accreditation modules double-count.
From July 2026 the vet-client relationship expires if you haven't seen the animal within 12 months, and it can never start electronically.
Practice owners get a clinic inspection every 3 years; fees are now board-set, so confirm current amounts.

Official links for Mississippi

Board. Mississippi Board of Veterinary Medicine · Portal. Thentia portal or mail · Phone. 662-324-9380

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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