Transfer a Veterinary License to Washington

Verified July 2026 · 25 official sources

One application for everyone, plus a 90% law exam

Washington runs everyone through the same application. Your national exam score carries over with no time limit (even the old NBE counts), but you'll take a mail-home open-book law exam that needs 90 percent to pass. The best part: a $215 temporary permit lets you practice at full scope for up to 180 days while the background check finishes.

First year: about $490Renewal: $211 / yrWait: days to weeksWork while waiting: Yes, $215 permit (up to 180 days)Travel required: None (mail-home exam)

What carries over to Washington, and what does not

Comes with you

Your NAVLE or even the old NBE (no time limit)
Your degree (or ECFVG/PAVE)
Everything moves board-to-board via AAVSB

New for this state

Mail-home open-book law exam (90% to pass)
One-time jurisprudence training before first renewal
Verifications from every jurisdiction ever held
Fingerprints only if DOH asks

Working in Washington without a Washington license

To advise another vet Free: Washington exempts an out-of-state vet consulting with a Washington-licensed vet. The statute doesn't spell out hands-on limits, so keep it clearly consultative or confirm with the board first.

For visits or one-time work The $215 temporary permit is generous once your application is filed: full scope of practice for up to 180 days while the background check finishes. There's no standalone visiting permit, but since the whole process is remote, the permit effectively covers a working move.

For remote care Washington license required. Today the vet-client relationship needs an in-person exam within the past year. From July 2027, a signed law allows starting it remotely in hardship or urgent cases, with 3-month prescription caps and 14-day antimicrobial limits.

Your send-off checklist

YOUApply online through HELMS (SecureAccess Washington account) or mail form 672-001. $161 Apply online (HELMS)

YOUPay the jurisprudence exam fee; the open-book exam is mailed to your home. You need 90 percent. $210

STATE BOARDSEvery jurisdiction you've ever held sends verification form 672-025 directly. (From Pennsylvania: PALS, $15.) PALS portal

YOUR SCHOOLYour school sends the official transcript directly (mail or email).

YOUOrder the AAVSB score transfer; Washington accepts scores only board-to-board. $105 AAVSB VAULT

YOUOptional: once filed, request the temporary permit and work at full scope up to 180 days while the background check finishes. $215

YOUIf DOH emails you for fingerprints, use their card at local law enforcement ($33 FBI fee). Don't pay anything before that email.

Where documents go. Application + fee mail to DOH, P.O. Box 1099, Olympia, WA 98507 (or file online). Everything else goes to Veterinary Board of Governors, Credentialing, P.O. Box 47877, Olympia, WA 98504, or by email from the third party to VetApplication@doh.wa.gov.

The money

Initial license	$161
Jurisprudence exam	$210
Temporary permit (optional)	$215
Score transfer (VAULT)	$105
VER
TOTAL First year, typical	~$490
Then: renewal every year	$211

Watch out in Washington

The law exam needs 90 percent, the highest bar of any state here, though it's open book at home.
There are two jurisprudence hurdles: the exam now, plus a separate one-time training before your first renewal. One doesn't cover the other.
Renewal lands on your birthday every year and really costs $211 thanks to two built-in surcharges.
Portal drafts self-delete after 14 days of inactivity, and card payments add 2.5 percent (use a bank transfer).

After you are licensed

Renew every year on your birthday ($211). CE is 30 hours per 2 years with a one-time suicide-prevention course and recurring health-equity hours.
A telehealth law already signed loosens things in July 2027: remote vet-client relationships in hardship cases, with 14-day antimicrobial limits.
Board-certified specialists have a side door: a specialty license limited to their specialty.

Official links for Washington

Board. Washington State Veterinary Board of Governors (DOH) · Portal. HELMS via SecureAccess WA · Phone. 360-236-4700

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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