How to become a vet tech in Minnesota

Last checked October 25, 2026 against the sources listed below. Information, not legal advice: confirm with the board before you apply or take on a task.

Minnesota licenses veterinary technicians. Since July 1, 2026, the Minnesota Board of Veterinary Medicine issues the Licensed Veterinary Technician (LVT) license, and only licensees may use the title "veterinary technician" or "LVT". A license is also needed to work at the LVT level, such as supervising unlicensed staff or giving ongoing care under remote supervision; unlicensed employees may still assist, but only under direct supervision. Most applicants need an accredited degree, a passing VTNE score, the Minnesota jurisprudence exam and a background check, and experienced staff have an alternative route for applications submitted before July 1, 2031.

Minnesota vet tech credential at a glance

Item	Minnesota
Title	Licensed Veterinary Technician (LVT)
Issued by	Minnesota Board of Veterinary Medicine (state agency). Minnesota Veterinary Medical Association (MVMA) certification does not convert directly to a state license.
Type	State license, in effect since July 1, 2026
Required to work as a tech	Yes, with conditions A license is needed to use the title "veterinary technician" or "LVT", to supervise unlicensed staff, and to give ongoing care under remote supervision. Unlicensed employees may still assist under direct supervision.
Education	AVMA- or CVMA-accredited veterinary technology program. For applications submitted before July 1, 2031, MVMA-certified techs or people with 4,160 hours of practice in the last five years may use an alternative route.
Exams	VTNE (scores sent to the board through AAVSB/VIVA) and the Minnesota Veterinary Technician Jurisprudence Examination, which is open resource and untimed. The board's page does not list the VTNE for the 4,160-hour route.
Renewal and CE	Two-year license. At least 16 CE hours per period, at least 12 in a medical category, no carryover. The board says it checks CE through random audits.
Moving from another state	Apply under the traditional pathway: accredited degree (or PAVE certificate), valid license in good standing, good-standing letters from jurisdictions in the past 10 years, VTNE scores through VIVA, jurisprudence exam, background check.

How to get your LVT in Minnesota

Pick your pathway. New graduates and techs from other states use the traditional pathway. MVMA-certified techs and experienced non-credentialed staff may use the temporary alternative pathway, which the law opens to applications submitted before July 1, 2031.
Set up a profile on the board's online portal and apply under your full legal name. Upload proof of education or, on the experience route, your resume. Include military discharge papers if they apply to you.
Traditional pathway: have AAVSB send your VTNE score through the VIVA portal. The board does not accept scores sent by the applicant. MVMA-certified techs on the alternative route have their education and VTNE results sent by the MVMA.
Alternative pathway: the law requires affidavits from at least two licensed veterinarians and three adults who are not related to you. The board's page lists notarized affidavits for the experience route. MVMA-certified techs should check with the board whether they need them too.
If you have held a license or registration anywhere else, ask each board to send a letter of good standing to the Minnesota board.
Pay the fees online. Listed by the Minnesota Board of Veterinary Medicine as of October 2026: application $75, jurisprudence exam $75, initial two-year license $100, criminal background check $35, for $285 in total. Fees are non-refundable.
Complete the criminal background check. Instructions arrive by email after you apply and pay, and fingerprints collected earlier cannot be reused.
Pass the Minnesota Veterinary Technician Jurisprudence Examination. It is open resource, untimed, and can be taken up to five times, with a fee for each attempt.

What a credentialed tech can do, and what an assistant can do

Minnesota has no task-by-task skills list for LVTs or assistants. The law sets the line by supervision level and by what is reserved for veterinarians. The board tells employers not to assign unlicensed staff "tasks that require an LVT" but does not list those tasks. The rows below are the ones the statute and rules address.

Task	Credentialed tech	Veterinary assistant
Diagnosis, prognosis, surgery, prescribing	No Reserved for veterinarians.	No Reserved for veterinarians.
Administer medication	Yes, with conditions Under a veterinarian's direct or remote supervision. The LVT must make sure prescription drugs are given properly.	Yes, with conditions Only under direct supervision, with a veterinarian or LVT in the immediate area.
Ongoing care while the veterinarian is away but reachable by phone (remote supervision)	Yes, with conditions The veterinarian must know the animal through an exam or visits and must have given written or oral instructions.	No, except general nursing tasks the veterinarian ordered for inpatients when no veterinarian is on the premises, and common livestock management practices.
Supervise unlicensed staff	Yes, with conditions An LVT in the immediate area can provide direct supervision. The veterinarian stays responsible for the care.	No
Emergency stabilization	Yes, with conditions Under direct or remote supervision of a licensed veterinarian, with the client's consent, when immediate access to a veterinarian is delayed.	Yes, with conditions Same conditions: direct or remote supervision, client consent, and immediate access to a veterinarian delayed.
Emergency teletriage (including poison control)	Yes, with conditions Under direct or remote supervision of a licensed veterinarian, when immediate action is necessary.	Yes, with conditions Same conditions: direct or remote supervision, when immediate action is necessary.
Dispense drugs to clients	Yes, with conditions Must store and dispense under state pharmacy law (section 151.35).	Not addressed The law defines dispensing as done by a pharmacist or a person licensed by the board.

The law also lets the board discipline an LVT who permits "the practice of veterinary medicine or veterinary technology by an unlicensed individual", but it does not say which tasks count. The board's current supervision rule, written before LVT licensure, says a supervising veterinarian must be on the premises; rules the board proposed in June 2026 would apply that to unlicensed employees only.

Veterinary assistants in Minnesota

We found no state permit or registration for veterinary assistants. Unlicensed employees may give medication and help with care only under direct supervision, meaning a veterinarian or LVT is in the immediate area and within sight or hearing. The law lists a few exceptions: general nursing tasks a veterinarian ordered for inpatients when no veterinarian is on the premises, common livestock management practices under remote supervision, and lifesaving aid in an emergency. A veterinarian may not let unlicensed staff perform surgery, diagnose, give a prognosis or prescribe. Since July 1, 2026, unlicensed staff, including former MVMA-certified techs who did not get a state license, cannot call themselves a veterinary technician. The board tells clinics to update titles on badges, websites and bios.

Renewal and continuing education

The LVT license runs for two years. Each period you need at least 16 hours of continuing education, with at least 12 hours in a medical category, and extra hours do not carry over. The board says no more than 4 hours may be in practice management and that live or recorded courses both count. The 2026 law says renewing techs must provide documentation of their CE hours. The board says, as of October 2026, that it does not require proof with the renewal and instead audits a random percentage of licensees, so keep your records. The board can also order extra CE as part of a disciplinary case.

Recent changes

2024: The legislature created state licensure for veterinary technicians (Laws 2024, chapter 127, article 20, signed May 24, 2024), effective July 1, 2026.
July 1, 2026: Licensure and title protection began. The board now issues LVT licenses, and MVMA certification no longer serves as the state credential.
2026 law: Laws 2026, chapter 53 (H.F. 3718), signed April 29, 2026, added the 16-hour CE rule, record-keeping, pharmacy and humane-care duties, and discipline grounds for LVTs. It also dropped reference affidavits from the standard application, added LVTs to those who may supervise other clinic employees, and added an LVT seat on the board.
Proposed rules: In June 2026 the board published proposed rules for LVTs. As written, they would also protect terms such as "vet tech", "technician" and "tech", bar techs from using "veterinary nurse" or "vet nurse", and set renewal and CE procedures. We found no notice that they have been adopted.
"Veterinary nurse": No veterinary nurse title was created. Minnesota's Nurse Practice Act makes it unlawful to use the professional title "nurse" without a nursing license. The veterinary statutes do not mention "veterinary nurse".
Deadline ahead: The alternative pathway for experienced staff and MVMA-certified techs is open only to applications submitted before July 1, 2031.

FAQ

I was a CVT through the MVMA. Am I automatically an LVT?

No. The board says MVMA certification does not convert directly to a state license. You still apply, pay the fees, complete the background check and pass the jurisprudence exam, and the MVMA sends your education and VTNE results to the board.

Can I become an LVT without going to vet tech school?

Only through the temporary alternative pathway, which accepts applications submitted before July 1, 2031. It requires at least 4,160 hours of veterinary technology practice in the last five years, plus affidavits from two licensed veterinarians and three unrelated adults. The standard route requires an accredited program and a passing VTNE score.

Can unlicensed staff still work in a Minnesota clinic?

Minnesota law lets unlicensed employees give medication and assist, but only under direct supervision of a veterinarian or LVT, plus a few listed exceptions. They cannot use the veterinary technician title or supervise others. Outside the listed exceptions (commonly accepted livestock management practices under remote supervision, and emergency stabilization or teletriage under the conditions above), they cannot give ongoing care under remote supervision. The board tells employers not to assign them tasks that require an LVT.

Can I call myself a veterinary nurse in Minnesota?

The veterinary statutes do not address it, but Minnesota's Nurse Practice Act makes it unlawful to use the title "nurse" without a nursing license. An April 2025 FAQ from the Minnesota Veterinary Medical Association and the Minnesota Association of Veterinary Technicians says LVTs and assistants may not use "veterinary nurse", and the board's proposed rules would bar it. The titles the statute protects are "veterinary technician" and "LVT".

I am licensed in another state. How do I transfer?

Apply to the Minnesota board under the traditional pathway. Have your VTNE score sent through AAVSB's VIVA portal, ask every board that licensed you in the past 10 years to send a letter of good standing, and pass the Minnesota jurisprudence exam and background check.

Sources

Rules change and boards apply them case by case. If your situation is unusual, ask the Minnesota Board of Veterinary Medicine directly.

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