Licensing guide · Ontario

How to Become a Veterinarian in Ontario

Last checked 6 sources checkedNOC 31103

Do you need a licence?

Licence required

You must be registered with the College of Veterinarians of Ontario to work as a veterinarian in Ontario or to use a protected title.

Protected titles
veterinarian
Show the source
“All practising veterinarians in Ontario must be licensed by the College. Only licensed members of the College are allowed to call themselves a veterinarian.”

From cvo.org/applicants/licence-types, checked October 10, 2026.

At a glance

Licence status
Licence required See the source
Routes
Annual fees
Not stated by the regulator Check with College of Veterinarians of Ontario

Your roadmap

Every route is listed. Follow the one that matches where you trained.

Trained in Canada

  • 4 steps without a listed fee

  1. Complete and submit the application for licensure to the College.

    Source
    “Pay the appropriate licence fee after you have completed the CVO Jurisprudence Exam and received notification that you have met all licensing requirements.”
    cvo.org/applicants/licensure-requirements

  2. Show that you meet the language proficiency requirement through your education history or an accepted language test.

    Source
    “You must successfully complete an English or French Language test acceptable to the College if your primary and secondary education and veterinary education was conducted in a language other than English or French.”
    cvo.org/applicants/licensure-requirements

  3. Successfully complete the CVO Jurisprudence Exam as part of the licensing requirements.

    Source
    “Applicants seeking a general, restricted, academic or postgraduate and resident licence in Ontario are required to successfully complete the Jurisprudence exam.”
    cvo.org/applicants/licensure-requirements

  4. Pay the licence fee after being notified that all licensing requirements have been met.

    Source
    “The licence fee is payable on notification by the College that your application has been approved.”
    cvo.org/applicants/licensure-requirements

Listed fees for this route

No one-time fees listed by the regulator for these steps Check with College of Veterinarians of Ontario

4 steps without a listed fee, so the total may not be the full cost.

Official page for this route

Licensed in another province

  • Listed one-time fees: $100
  • 2 steps without a listed fee

  1. Complete and submit the licence application form.

    Source
    “1. Complete and submit an application form.”
    cvo.org/applicants/applicants-licensed-in-canada

  2. Provide payment of the application fee.

    Source
    “2. Provide payment of the application fee.”
    cvo.org/applicants/applicants-licensed-in-canada

  3. Submit the required licensure requirement documents, including identification, work authorization, language proof if applicable, criminal record check, letters of professional standing, and proof of employment if applicable.

    Source
    “3. Submit the required licensure requirement documents: Identification, Proof of name change (if applicable), Authorization to work in Ontario, Proof of language proficiency (if applicable), An acceptable criminal record check, Letter(s) of professional standing, Proof of employment, appointment, or program enrollment (if applicable)”
    cvo.org/applicants/applicants-licensed-in-canada

Listed fees for this route

One-time total listed: $100

One-time fees listed for Licensed in another province, by type
Fee typeAmountShare
Application $100 100%
One-time total $100 100%

2 steps without a listed fee, so the total may not be the full cost.

Official page for this route

Trained outside Canada

  • 4 steps without a listed fee

  1. Complete an approved examination or assessment pathway such as the BCSE, NAVLE, CPE or PAVE and arrange for the results to be transferred to the College.

    Source
    “NAVLE: College staff will review the NEB online candidate verification service or you must contact AAVSB to request score transfer to the College.”
    cvo.org/applicants/licensure-requirements

  2. Provide an acceptable language proficiency test score report if your education was not conducted in English or French.

    Source
    “You must provide a language proficiency test score report demonstrating acceptable test results. The results cannot be more than two years old.”
    cvo.org/applicants/licensure-requirements

  3. Successfully complete the CVO Jurisprudence Exam.

    Source
    “Applicants seeking a general, restricted, academic or postgraduate and resident licence in Ontario are required to successfully complete the Jurisprudence exam.”
    cvo.org/applicants/licensure-requirements

  4. Pay the licence fee after being notified that the application has been approved.

    Source
    “The licence fee is payable on notification by the College that your application has been approved.”
    cvo.org/applicants/licensure-requirements

Listed fees for this route

No one-time fees listed by the regulator for these steps Check with College of Veterinarians of Ontario

4 steps without a listed fee, so the total may not be the full cost.

Official page for this route

Other listed fees

The regulator lists these without tying them to one step, so they are not in the route totals above. Check which apply to you.

Requirements

Conditions the regulator sets on top of the roadmap steps.

Police check

Other

  • Applicants must be Canadian citizens or permanent residents, or have authorization to practise veterinary medicine in Canada.

    Source
    “Applicants must be Canadian citizens or permanent residents of Canada OR have received appropriate authorization to engage in the practise of veterinary medicine in Canada as per the Immigration Act.”
    cvo.org/applicants/licensure-requirements

  • Applicants who have ever been licensed as a veterinarian must request letters of professional standing from all regulatory bodies where they were licensed.

    Source
    “If you have ever been licensed or registered as a veterinarian, you must request that a letter of professional standing be sent directly to the College from all regulatory body/bodies where you have been licensed.”
    cvo.org/applicants/licensure-requirements

  • All applicants must demonstrate sufficient language proficiency in either English or French.

    Source
    “All applicants must demonstrate sufficient language proficiency acceptable to the College in either English or French to be eligible for licensure with the College.”
    cvo.org/applicants/registration-committee/licensure-policies/englis...

Already licensed in another province?

Direct transfer

Source
“The Labour Mobility Code ensures that workers who are certified to practise by a regulatory authority in one province or territory will be able to be certified in the same occupation in Ontario without having to complete additional material training, experience, examinations or assessments”
cvo.org/applicants/applicants-licensed-in-canada

Processing time: Not stated by the regulator Check with College of Veterinarians of Ontario

Check a move between two provinces

Credential assessment

Not stated by the regulator Check with College of Veterinarians of Ontario

Exams

  • Jurisprudence Exam

    Source
    “Applicants seeking a General, Restricted, Academic and Post-graduate and Resident Licence in Ontario are required to successfully complete the Jurisprudence Examination.”
    cvo.org/applicants/jurisprudence-exam-information

  • BCSE

    Source
    “BCSE: College staff will review the NEB online candidate verification service or you must contact ECFVG to request score transfer to College.”
    cvo.org/applicants/licensure-requirements

  • NAVLE

    Source
    “NAVLE: College staff will review the NEB online candidate verification service or you must contact AAVSB to request score transfer to the College.”
    cvo.org/applicants/licensure-requirements

  • CPE

    Source
    “CPE: College staff will review the NEB online candidate verification service or you must contact ECFVG to request score transfer to College.”
    cvo.org/applicants/licensure-requirements

  • Program for the Assessment of Veterinary Education Equivalence (PAVE)

    Source
    “Program for the Assessment of Veterinary Education Equivalence (PAVE): you must contact AAVSB to request certificate information transfer to the College.”
    cvo.org/applicants/licensure-requirements

Language tests

No minimum test score stated by the regulator Check with College of Veterinarians of Ontario

Exemptions: Applicants meet the language requirement if their primary and secondary education or their undergraduate veterinary education was conducted in English or French, or if their language proficiency was verified by the CVMA-NEB prior to January 1, 2027.

Source
“Applicants meet the College’s language-proficiency requirement if they provide proof acceptable to the College that: a) their primary and secondary education was conducted in English or French; b) their undergraduate veterinary education was conducted in English or French; or c) their language proficiency was verified and accepted by the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association – National Examining Board (CVMA-NEB) prior to January 1, 2027.”
cvo.org/applicants/registration-committee/licensure-policies/englis...

Compare scores across provinces and professions

Canadian experience

Not stated by the regulator Check with College of Veterinarians of Ontario

Supervised practice

Required

Holders of a short term licence must be supervised by a veterinarian holding a general licence in Ontario without conditions.

Source
“A person holding a short term licence must be supervised by a veterinarian holding a general licence in Ontario without conditions.”
cvo.org/applicants/licence-types

Demand and pay

Job Bank figures for NOC 31103, Veterinarians. Wages for 2023-2024 in Canadian dollars an hour; outlook for 2025-2027.

Job Bank wages and outlook in Ontario and Canada
WhereLowMedianHighOutlook
Ontario $29.81 $60.00 $86.54 Good (4 of 5)
Canada $34.15 $60.00 $84.13 —

Wages by region and job outlook in Ontario

Wages in every province and territory

Veterinarians in other provinces and territories

Regulated in 8 of the other 12 jurisdictions checked so far. The rules differ from one place to the next.

Compare veterinarian licensing across Canada

Sources checked

Pages read on October 10, 2026.

  1. College of Veterinarians of Ontario - College of Veterinarians of Ontario cvo.org/applicants/licence-types · fetched October 10, 2026
  2. College of Veterinarians of Ontario - College of Veterinarians of Ontario cvo.org/applicants/licensure-requirements · fetched October 10, 2026
  3. College of Veterinarians of Ontario - College of Veterinarians of Ontario cvo.org/applicants/applicants-licensed-in-canada · fetched October 10, 2026
  4. College of Veterinarians of Ontario - College of Veterinarians of Ontario cvo.org/veterinary-practice/consultations/by-laws-amendments-licenc... · fetched October 10, 2026
  5. College of Veterinarians of Ontario - College of Veterinarians of Ontario cvo.org/applicants/registration-committee/licensure-policies/englis... · fetched October 10, 2026
  6. College of Veterinarians of Ontario - College of Veterinarians of Ontario cvo.org/applicants/jurisprudence-exam-information · fetched October 10, 2026

Frequently asked questions

2

Do you need a licence to work as a veterinarian in Ontario?

Yes. Registration with the College of Veterinarians of Ontario is required to practise in Ontario, and to use the title veterinarian.

Which exams are required?

Jurisprudence Exam, BCSE, NAVLE, CPE, Program for the Assessment of Veterinary Education Equivalence (PAVE).

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