Annual Renewal of Active Licenses & Certificates
All licenses and certificates issued for veterinarians, veterinary technicians, animal euthanasia technicians and equine dentists expire annually on September 30th. All licenses and certificates not properly renewed between July 1 to September 30 – with all Continuing Education hours and required fees paid in full – will be expired beginning on October 1st. Expired licenses can still be renewed; however, renewing an expired license will result in late fees being incurred in addition to possible disciplinary action taken and civil fines levied by the Board.
If your license or certificate was issued after May 1st, 2026, you are NOT required to renew your license in the Summer ’26 renewal cycle which opens July 1st, 2026.
All renewals must be completed through the LBVM License Portal – paper renewal applications are no longer available. A renewal is considered complete only when all of the following has been submitted: (1) a completed online renewal application; (2) payment of all appropriate renewal fees; (3) submission of all acceptable Certificates of Completion for approved CE activity; and (4) payment of any late fees due, if applicable.
How to Renew Your License or Certificate:
Step 1. Report Your CE Activity
DVMs, RVTs, and CAETs are able to enter continuing education activity into the LBVM License Portal in real-time throughout the year! No need to wait until the renewal cycle opens on July 1st! The earlier you get your CE activity entered into the portal, the sooner the Board can review your activity and documentation for completeness.
To enter you CE activity into the LBVM License Portal, you must:
- log into LBVM License Portal;
- click on the “Continuing Education” menu option;
- click “View” for the Open CE Period (with the ending date of 09/30/2026);
- click “+ Add New Records” at the bottom of the page;
- enter the details for your CE activity;
- upload the Certificate of Completion for the CE activity; and
- click “Save & Back” to complete the entry.
- Repeat the process above for any other CE activity you need to report.
The total number of CE hours required annually are as follows, with at least 50% of the hours being completed in-person. [View definition for in-person activity.]
- DVMs – 20 hours total; RVTs – 10 hours total; CAETs – 6 hours total
The Proof of Attendance Forms MUST include all of the following details:
- Licensee’s First & Last Name
- Title of the Activity
- Name of Sponsor
- Specific Date of Completion
- Total Hours Earned
- Specific Delivery Method (i.e. – in person or online as defined by Board rules)
How to Enter Conference Attendance
Presentations from a conference should not be entered as individual activities, but rather as one entry for the conference as a whole. Simply enter Conference Name for the Activity Title and the total number of hours earned from the conference.
How to Record Multiple Activities Together
To record multiple individual CE activities in one entry:
- enter “Various” for the Activity Provider and the Activity Title;
- enter the total number of hours earned for all of the activities being submitted;
- scan all of the Proof of Attendance Forms as one file to be uploaded.
If recording multiple activities as one entry, please do not mix delivery methods. For example, include all In-Person activities in one batch entry, and all Online activities in another batch entry.
Step 2. Update Your Profile Details
All licensees must update your details in the LBVM License Portal (under the “Profile” menu section), including:
- Personal information (contact details, etc)
- Employment history
- Education history
- Licenses held in other jurisdictions
Note: All of the details above should be kept up-to-date throughout the year, not just during the three-month renewal cycle!
Step 3. Complete the Renewal Application
Once all of your CE activity is entered, you are ready to complete the renewal application on/after July 1st as instructed below:
- log into LBVM License Portal;
- click on the “License Renewal” menu option;
- click “Start Renewal”; then,
- follow the instructions in each step of the renewal application, clicking “Save & Continue” to move forward;
- on the last step, make payment and submit the renewal!
The final step of the renewal process is the payment of fees. In the Applicant Fee Payment section of the application, all required fees – including the renewal fee and late CE or late renewal fees (if applicable) – will be automatically added to your account.
You will receive an email notification once your renewal is approved by the Board.
Step 4. Payment of Fees
Payment can be made online via credit/debit card (Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover), via ACH payment or via paper check once all renewal information is entered and submitted.
Any invoices for additional fees required – such as back payments for inactive renewals (if applicable) will be under “Invoices & Receipts”.
Renewal Fees
- DVM – Active – $250
- DVM Faculty – Active – $100
- RVT – $30
- CAET – $50
- RED – $125
- DVM – Inactive-Retired – $125
- DVM – Inactive-Disabled – $125
Late Renewal Fees
The following late renewal fees are assessed in addition to the normal renewal fees for all renewals not submitted by midnight (central time) on September 30:
- DVMs – $150
- RVTs – $20
- CAETs – $25
Continuing Education Late Fees
For DVMs only – If any CE hours are completed after the June 30th CE period deadline, a late CE fee of $25 will be automatically assessed.
When is a Renewal Considered “Complete”?
Rules 305, 811, and 1213 state that an application for renewal is considered complete only after all of the following conditions are fully met:
- application for renewal must be received by September 30 of the year of application for renewal;
- full payment of renewal fee must be received;
- all satisfactory documentation of compliance with continuing education requirements in accordance with Chapter 4 must be received; and
- if applicable, full payment of late continuing education fee and any other disciplinary fines must be received.
Therefore, if the Board emails you stating that your CE certificate(s) are incomplete or have insufficient details and this is not rectified by September 30th, then your renewal application is considered incomplete and on October 1, the following will occur: 1) your license will expire and you will not be able to continue practicing, 2) you will owe the late renewal fee, and 3) your license will remain in an expired status until all satisfactory CE documentation and the late renewal fee is received and reviewed.
Practicing With An Expired License or Certificate
The Louisiana Veterinary Practice Act provides that any person who practices veterinary medicine in Louisiana after the expiration of his license or certificate is guilty of the illegal practice of veterinary medicine, whether the failure to timely renew is willful or by neglect.
LA Revised Statute 37:1525. Section 1531 (3) of the Practice Act authorizes the Board to levy civil penalties against any person found to have practiced veterinary medicine “without the benefit of a currently valid license … “.
The practice of veterinary medicine with a currently expired license or certificate is illegal and can subject the licensee to disciplinary action far beyond the payment of the late renewal fee.