Transfer a Veterinary License to Pennsylvania

Verified July 2026 · 26 official sources

Two shortcuts, $35 for now (fee about to triple)

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 $35, for now. A fee rule already approved will more than triple that to $125 the day it's published, which could be any week. If Pennsylvania is on your list, apply now.

First year: about $155 (before the hike)Renewal: $360 / 2 yrsWait: not publishedWork while waiting: Provisional license possible (board discretion)Travel required: None

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

To advise another vet Free under the consulting exemption when called in to consult with PA licensees. Unusually generous: up to 16 days per year of direct-to-public work without PA-licensee direction, plus public events under 10 days.

For visits or one-time work The 16-day-per-year allowance and the sub-10-day public-event exemption cover a lot of visiting scenarios without any license. Beyond that, there's no temporary permit for experienced vets; the full (currently $35) license is the answer, and it's exam-free.

For remote care Pennsylvania license required, and prescribing needs a hands-on exam or premises visit first. A telehealth modernization bill is only at the memo stage, and it would help PA licensees only.

Your send-off checklist

YOUApply in PALS NOW while the fee is $35. The approved increase to $125 hits the day the rule publishes. $35 Apply (PALS)

YOUPick your route: 5 straight years in one state = reciprocity (add two colleague recommendation certificates and your practice verification); otherwise Act 41 endorsement (2 of the last 5 years).

STATE BOARDSEvery state you've ever held sends a good-standing letter directly.

YOUR SCHOOLYour school or AVMA sends degree proof directly (or your ECFVG/PAVE certification).

YOUOrder the VAULT score transfer for the Act 41 or standard routes (the reciprocity route doesn't even list it). $105 AAVSB VAULT

YOUTrack PALS. No exam, no fingerprints. If your license lands in autumn 2026, budget the November 30 renewal right away.

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 (rising to $125 soon)
Score transfer (VAULT)	$105
VER
TOTAL First year, typical	~$155
Then: renewal every 2 years	$360

Watch out in Pennsylvania

The fee cliff is real: the tripling rule was approved June 18, 2026 and takes effect on publication. 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 three professions we cover.

Every other jurisdiction

Alabama · Alaska · Arizona · Arkansas · California · Colorado · Connecticut · Delaware · District of Columbia · Florida · Georgia · Hawaii · Idaho · Illinois · Indiana · Iowa · Kansas · Kentucky · Louisiana · Maine · Maryland · Massachusetts · Michigan · Minnesota · Mississippi · Missouri · Montana · Nebraska · Nevada · New Hampshire · New Jersey · New Mexico · New York · North Carolina · North Dakota · Ohio · Oklahoma · Oregon · Rhode Island · South Carolina · South Dakota · Tennessee · Texas · Utah · Vermont · Virginia · Washington · West Virginia · Wisconsin · Wyoming