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United States · Licensing exams

Vet tech license: how to get one, and what each state calls it

To get a vet tech license, you qualify through one of three pathways, pass the Veterinary Technician National Exam (VTNE) and then apply to your state or province. The American Association of Veterinary State Boards (AAVSB) runs the exam, but your jurisdiction issues the credential. Depending on where you live, that’s a license, a registration or a certification, and it isn’t required everywhere.

  • 51Regulated jurisdictions, with 42 states
  • 8 statesWith a voluntary credential only
  • 3 pathwaysRoutes to sitting for the VTNE
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Updated November 2026 · Written from official sources, listed at the bottom of this page

The three VTNE pathways

Not every jurisdiction accepts all three, and the AAVSB checks your choice against your own jurisdiction’s rules:

  • Accredited program graduate: from a program accredited by the American Veterinary Medical Association’s Committee on Veterinary Technician Education and Activities (AVMA-CVTEA) or by the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association (CVMA). All jurisdictions accept this. Your program director uploads a roster, or if you graduated before 2025, your school sends a transcript. Some programs let you test in your last semester.
  • On-the-job training: the handbook says this is valid only in Montana, Wisconsin, Alaska and Utah. Your supervising veterinarian signs a form, which you upload.
  • Alternate pathway: for graduates of other programs, in select jurisdictions. You send a transcript, and some jurisdictions also want proof of work experience.

Choose carefully, because the last two can limit where you can work later. If you move after on-the-job training, you may have to retake the VTNE through a different pathway.

AAVSB: Review your VTNE pathway ↗AVMA: Accredited vet tech programs ↗VTNE dates, fees and format →

Which states do not require a vet tech license?

The AAVSB’s list, updated in August 2026, shows eight states with no regulation but a voluntary credential, which uses the VTNE: Connecticut, Florida, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Vermont and Wyoming. British Columbia, Newfoundland and Labrador, Prince Edward Island and Quebec are the same in Canada. The AAVSB’s list shows the credential each one uses.

AAVSB: Regulated and non-regulated list (PDF) ↗

What each state calls a vet tech license

In the regulated US jurisdictions, the letters show whether you’re a licensed (LVT), registered (RVT) or certified (CVT) veterinary technician:

  • LVT: Alabama, Delaware, Georgia, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New York, North Dakota, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, US Virgin Islands, Virginia, Washington
  • RVT: Arizona, California, Colorado, District of Columbia, Hawaii, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota, West Virginia
  • CVT: Alaska, Arkansas, Idaho, Illinois, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Utah, Wisconsin

The VTNE is optional for licensure in Puerto Rico. Each state’s own requirements come from its board, and that board’s entry in the AAVSB’s look-up links to them.

Find your state’s board →Renewal and continuing education →

How to get a vet tech license, step by step

  1. Check your state’s rules and pathways with its board before you spend money.
  2. Finish your program, or the on-the-job or alternate route your state allows.
  3. Apply for the VTNE, pass it, and let the AAVSB send your score to the jurisdiction you named.
  4. Apply to that state or province for the credential. Passing the exam doesn’t give you one by itself.

If your plans change, use the AAVSB’s Veterinary Application for Uniform Licensure Transfer (VAULT) service to send your score to a different board.

AAVSB: Getting your license ↗VAULT score transfer fees →
Sources: AAVSB and 5 more. Checked November 2026.

Rules and fees can change, so check the official site before your test.

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