Transfer a Veterinary License to Pennsylvania
Two shortcuts, $35 today, $125 once the rule publishes
Pennsylvania gives movers two shortcuts: a narrow reciprocity route for vets with 5 straight years in ONE state, and the broader Act 41 endorsement needing just 2 of the last 5 years in practice. No exam, no fingerprints, and the application is still $35, rechecked against the fee schedule and the board's own licensure page in October 2026. An approved rule raises it to $125 on the day it publishes in the Pennsylvania Bulletin, which has not happened yet, then to $131 on December 1, 2026 and $138 on December 1, 2028. If Pennsylvania is on your list, the cheap window is open and dated.
What carries over to Pennsylvania, and what does not
Comes with you
- Your license (5 yrs in one state = reciprocity; 2 of 5 yrs = Act 41)
- Your NAVLE via AAVSB (no recency limit)
- Your degree (ECFVG and PAVE both named in rule)
New for this state
- Good-standing letters from every state ever licensed
- Two colleague recommendation certificates (reciprocity route only)
- Nothing else: no exam, no fingerprints
Working in Pennsylvania without a Pennsylvania license
Your send-off checklist
Where documents go. Everything applicant-side goes through PALS. Third parties send directly: school/AVMA (degree proof), each state board (good-standing letters), AAVSB (scores). Paper fallback: P.O. Box 2649, Harrisburg, PA 17105.
The money
| Application | $35 today, $125 on publication |
|---|---|
| Score transfer (VAULT) | $105 |
| VER | |
| TOTAL First year, typical | ~$155 |
| Then: renewal every 2 years | $360, rising to $371 on December 1, 2026 |
Watch out in Pennsylvania
- The fee step is dated, not vague. We rechecked in October 2026 and the application is still $35, with the approved rule setting $125 on publication, $131 from December 1, 2026 and $138 from December 1, 2028. Renewal goes $360 to $371 on the same December date. Fees are nonrefundable either way, so early beats late.
- The reciprocity route requires 5 continuous years in a single state; recent movers should use the Act 41 endorsement instead.
- Everyone's license expires November 30 of even years, so an autumn license renews almost immediately (the first period is CE-exempt).
- No temporary permit exists for experienced vets; Act 41's provisional license is board discretion.
After you are licensed
- Renew $360 every 2 years (November 30 of even years). CE is 30 hours, and the old online cap is officially suspended, so all 30 can be online.
- Visiting consultants get an unusually concrete allowance: 16 days per year of direct-to-public work, plus public events under 10 days.
- Vets are the only PA health profession exempt from child-abuse training, and the board refuses those credits toward CE.
Official links for Pennsylvania
Board. PA State Board of Veterinary Medicine (BPOA) · Portal. PALS portal · Phone. 1-833-DOS-BPOA
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 four professions we cover.
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