LicensedAnywhere

Transfer a Veterinary License to West Virginia

Verified July 2026 · 12 official sources

Hardest license, easiest telehealth

The toughest full-license path on this page. There's no endorsement unless you actually live in West Virginia, so it's the complete application: an online law exam, fingerprints, and even a certified birth certificate. But WV hides a surprise. A $300 telehealth registration lets an out-of-state vet serve WV patients remotely without ever holding the full license.

First year: about $470Renewal: $250 / yrWait: document-gated, plus exam windowWork while waiting: NoTravel required: None expected (confirming)

What carries over to West Virginia, and what does not

Comes with you

  • Your NAVLE score (via AAVSB)
  • Your degree (transcript direct from school)

New for this state

  • The online WV law exam
  • Fingerprints (IdentoGO)
  • A certified birth certificate and photo
  • Verifications from every past state

Working in West Virginia without a West Virginia license

To advise another vet Careful: West Virginia has no general consulting exemption. Only research consultations and unpaid emergency care are exempt. Paid advice needs a credential.
For visits or one-time work Nothing. Paid hands-on work in West Virginia means the full license, exam and all.
For remote care The best deal in the country: a $300 telehealth registration (then $250 a year) lets you treat WV patients remotely with no full license. The patient needs an in-person exam by some vet, anywhere, within the past 12 months, and Schedule II drugs are off the table.

Your send-off checklist

YOUDecide first: do you need the full license, or is the $300 telehealth-only registration enough for what you're doing? Telehealth registration info
YOUFile the online application. $300 WV online application
YOUFingerprints via IdentoGO (locations in every state) or mailed cards. vendor fee
YOURound up the unusual documents: certified birth certificate, a current photo, and work-authorization proof.
YOUR SCHOOLYour school emails the certified transcript to the board.
STATE BOARDSEvery state where you've ever held a license sends a verification directly. (From Pennsylvania: PALS, $15.) PALS portal
YOUWhen your file is complete you get 30 days to take the online WV law exam. Don't miss the window.

Where documents go. Documents: 5509 Big Tyler Road, Suite 3, Cross Lanes, WV 25313. Schools can email transcripts to brandi.n.legg@wv.gov.

The money

Application (full license)$300
Fingerprints (vendor fee, confirming)~$50
Score transfer (VAULT)$105
VER
TOTAL First year, typical~$470
Then: renewal every year$250
Alternative: telehealth-only registration (then $250/yr)$300

Watch out in West Virginia

  • There are two 30-day deadlines (completing the file, then sitting the exam), and missing either closes the application.
  • The certified birth certificate requirement catches everyone off guard.
  • CE is 18 hours per year, 14 of them classroom or webinar scientific, with zero carryover.
  • The telehealth registration still requires an in-person exam by some vet, in any state, within the past 12 months. Schedule II drugs are off the table.

After you are licensed

  • Renew every year by December 31 ($250, or $312.50 late with CE proof).

Official links for West Virginia

Board. West Virginia Board of Veterinary Medicine · Portal. wvbvm.org · Phone. (304) 776-8032

Keep going

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 · Pennsylvania · Rhode Island · South Carolina · South Dakota · Tennessee · Texas · Utah · Vermont · Virginia · Washington · Wisconsin · Wyoming