Veterinarian

As an internationally trained veterinarian, your country of origin and whether or not you graduated from a college accredited by the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) Council on Education (COE), will impact the steps required to be licensed in Alberta and what licence type you will initially receive.

View accredited veterinary colleges on the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) website.

Graduated From a Veterinary College Accredited by COE

If you have graduated from a veterinary college that is accredited by the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) Council on Education (COE), you are already a step closer to securing your license.

Your next step is to complete your registration with the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association’s (CVMA) National Examining Board (NEB), by submitting the required documents, and then taking the North American Veterinary Licensing Examination (NAVLE) if you haven’t already done so.

Steps To Follow In Completing Your Registration With NEB

Create your profile and complete the registration steps and fee payment using the NEB Candidate Portal

Then follow the guidelines from the document checklist that pertains to you. Click here for the document checklist

If you have already passed some of the exams you will have to get your results transferred to the NEB

Once your complete application has been received, the NEB will assess it and will notify you once you have been approved

After your application has been approved, you will be able to register for the North American Veterinary Licensing Examination (NAVLE)

You are required to pass the North American Veterinary Licensing Examination (NAVLE) within 3 attempts to receive a Certificate of Qualification from the Canadian National Examining Board (NEB)

You are then eligible to apply for a General Practice Registered Veterinarian licence with the ABVMA.

If you require more than 3 attempts to pass the NAVLE, you must also complete the Pre-Surgical Assessment (PSA) and the Clinical Proficiency Examination (CPE) before receiving a Certificate of Qualification from the Canadian National Examining Board (NEB).

You can refer to the veterinarian licensing flowchart on the ABVMA website for additional information.

For more information on fees, checklists and processes for completing your registration with NEB, go to the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association’s (CVMA) National Examining Board (NEB) information platform.

Graduated From a Veterinary College NOT Accredited By COE

If you have graduated from a veterinary college that is not accredited by the American Veterinary Association (AVMA) Council on Education (COE), you will complete your registration with the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association’s (CVMA) National Examining Board (NEB) by submitting the required documents and then take additional examinations to receive a Certificate of Qualification from the Canadian National Examining Board (NEB). These examinations include:

Visit the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association (CVMA) website here to gain more information on the examination requirements.

You can also refer to the veterinarian licensing flowchart on the ABVMA website for information on license categories while in the process of completing the NEB examination series.