Registered Veterinary Technician License Application

Prior to applying with the Veterinary Medical Board (Board), all applicants must apply directly to the AAVSB to take the VTNE. The VTNE is administered in three specific testing windows throughout the year and each application window has a deadline. Please refer to the AAVSB for the application and application deadlines for each examination window.
Once an applicant has successfully passed the VTNE and applied with the Board, the applicant must request a Veterinary Application for Uniform Licensure Transfer (VAULT) for veterinary technicians.

Personal Information Requirement

• Full legal name
• Full nine digit United States Social Security Number (SSN) or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN).

Note: A Canadian Social Insurance Number (SIN) is not acceptable.

Pathways to Completing the Education and/or Experience Requirements

• A degree from an American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) Committee on Veterinary Technician Education and Activities (CVTEA) program.
• Complete a certificate from an Alternate Route program.
• Complete the Program for the Assessment of Veterinary Education Equivalence (PAVE) for veterinary Technicians
• Complete the requirements for out-of-state applicants registered as a RVT in another U.S. or Canadian jurisdiction.

AVMA CVTEA Graduates Pathway:

AVMA CVTEA graduates must request official transcripts from their school to be send to the Board. Transcripts can be sent to the Board’s email account at vmb@dca.ca.gov.

Alternate Route Pathway

Applicants who have completed a certificate from a veterinary program in the Alternate Route pathway will need to submit all of the following:

• Task list – Proof of Experience Form
• Postsecondary Academic Checklist Form
• A syllabus or an outline for each course.
• Complete one of the following from the school:
  
  • Request an official transcript to be sent directly from the school to the Board or copy of the Certificate of Achievement/Completion.
  • A certificate of attendance for each course.
  • For each course, a letter on official stationery signed by the course instructor documenting that the applicant attended a particular course.

  Note: The Alternate Route pathway can be found California Code of Regulations section 2068.5 in Practical Experience and Education As Equivalent Curriculum.

  PAVE for Veterinary Technicians

  • Successfully complete the PAVE for Veterinary Technicians from the American Association of Veterinary State Boards (AAVSB).
  • Request the certificate of education equivalence be submitted by the AAVSB to the Board.

  Note: The PAVE for veterinary technicians pathway can be found in BPC section 4841.5(c).

  Out-of-State Veterinary Technicians

  • Request from all US and/or Canadian veterinary boards, who have ever issued a veterinary technician registration to provide a "Letter of Good Standing" to the Board.
  • Either complete one of the three education pathways above or submit Task list – Proof of Experience Form

  Note: VAULT documentation that includes registration information from all jurisdictions in which the applicant has ever held a RVT registration is exempt from the "Letter of Good Standing" requirement.

  Fingerprinting and Background Check

  All applicants for licensure must complete the fingerprinting and pass a background check before a registration will be issued.

  California Applicants

  Applicants living in California are required to get their fingerprint clearances from the Department of Justice (DOJ) and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) by completing the Live Scan Form and submitting it to a Live Scan location.

  Out-of-State Applicants

  • Request and complete two FD-258 hard cards.
  • Mail the hard cards to the Board’s physical address.
  • Pay $49 to the Board, which includes $17 to the FBI and $32 to the DOJ.

  Fees:

  • Application Fee: $225 (non-refundable)
  • Initial License Fee: $225

  Note: Under BPC section 4847.1, if an applicant fails to complete their application within one year after it has been filed, the application is considered abandoned and the application fee forfeited. Pursuant to Business and Professions Code section 4902, licensees whose licenses have been expired for more than five years must reapply as a new applicant.