What Are the Benefits to You?

Becoming an accredited veterinarian provides many 

benefits, including:

• Enhancing your professional knowledge with up-todate information on animal health and FADs for all 

animals, food security, and regulatory issues;

• Receiving no-cost supplemental training; 

• Working in an official capacity by completing health 

certificates for interstate and international markets;

• Choosing your level of participation (Category I or 

Category II animals), allowing you the flexibility to 

tailor your activity to fit your practice type;

• Offering accredited veterinarian services to your 

clients can increase revenue; 

• Supporting your community by participating in StateFederal agricultural emergency response efforts, if 

desired; and

• Serving as a local resource for USDA information on 

programs and initiatives.

Did You Know?

• In most cases, only accredited veterinarians can 

prepare Certificates of Veterinary Inspection—also 

known as “health papers” or “health certificates”— 

needed for animals to move across State or international 

borders and to participate in fairs and shows; 

• Only accredited veterinarians can perform testing for 

government program diseases, such as brucellosis 

and tuberculosis, as well as perform other disease 

control work for USDA;

• In some States, only accredited veterinarians can give 

rabies vaccines; and 

• In the United States, accredited veterinarians provide 

the front line in defending our country from emerging 

and foreign animal diseases.

Category I animals

All animals except: food and fiber species, horses, birds, farm-raised aquatic animals, all other 

livestock species, and zoo animals that can transmit exotic animal diseases to livestock.

Category II animals

All animals

Win-Win for You and APHIS

APHIS enhanced the NVAP over the past several years to help meet the demands of a global market and 

threats of emerging diseases. These changes promote the mutual respect and professional partnership 

between USDA, APHIS, State animal health officials, and accredited veterinarians.

Be Part of the National Veterinary Accreditation Program

The mission of the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service 

(APHIS) is to protect U.S. agriculture and natural resources. 

As part of this mission, APHIS provides oversight for 

livestock, poultry, and aquatic animal health. While APHIS 

directly employs many veterinarians, we need additional 

veterinarians who can assist the agency with this mission. 

As part of the National Veterinary Accreditation Program 

(NVAP), accredited veterinarians receive additional training 

and are authorized to complete specific tasks and documentation on USDA’s behalf. One important example of 

this is examining a client’s animal(s) and preparing health 

certificates for interstate or international movement.

Why Is NVAP Important?

Accredited veterinarians assist USDA in carrying out 

programs designed to safeguard public and animal health. 

Accredited veterinarians are the eyes and ears in the field, 

and they alert officials to foreign animal diseases (FADs) 

in the United States. During the past decade, most FADs 

have been successfully eradicated thanks to the efforts 

of accredited veterinarians. At the same time, we’ve also 

seen a significant increase in live animal exports, which 

means a greater number of export document requests. 

Accredited veterinarians are vital for the timely and 

accurate completion of these requests. 
How Do You Get Started?

To apply for veterinary accreditation, you must: 

• Be a graduate of a veterinary school;

• Have a license to practice veterinary medicine (or be 

legally able to practice) in the State where you want 

to be accredited;

• Complete and provide your certificate of completion 

for the Initial Accreditation Training course; and 

• Complete an in-person orientation presentation 

within 3 years of the application date—these 

presentations are given by APHIS Directors and 

often include the State Veterinarian or other State 

animal health official.

Note: You must contact the NVAP Coordinator 

for each State in which you wish to perform 

accredited duties. You may also be required to 

attend an additional State-specific orientation 

seminar. Accredited status in one State does 

not automatically indicate accredited status in 

another State. 

What To Expect

When you elect to participate in the NVAP, the supplemental training you’ll receive covers a variety of current 

animal health issues and APHIS disease programs. This 

information is vital to understanding and performing your 

responsibilities as an accredited veterinarian. The scope of 

responsibility of an accredited veterinarian could include 

the following topics, which are found in the National 

Veterinary Accreditation Program Reference Guide.

• Control and Eradication for serious livestock 

diseases—brucellosis, tuberculosis, transmissible 

spongiform encephalopathies (scrapie, bovine 

spongiform encephalopathy, or chronic wasting 

disease), and Johne’s disease

What To Expect (continued)

• Poultry diseases such as avian influenza and exotic 

Newcastle disease (END), also called virulent 

Newcastle disease (vND)

• Horse diseases and programs such as equine 

infectious anemia, equine viral arteritis, and the 

Slaughter Horse Transport Program

• Animal Health Emergency Management information 

such as the current Emergency Response 

Structure, guidelines for notifiable diseases and 

conditions, and the role of the OIE (World Organization for Animal Health) and international standards

• Cleaning and Disinfection for situations involving a 

contagious disease (i.e., cleaning and disinfecting 

pens, vehicles, etc.; safety standards; cleaning 

procedures; and disinfectant regulations, as well as 

guidance on selection and use)

• Disease Surveillance and the current national 

animal health surveillance infrastructure

• Laboratory Submissions, including diagnostic sample 

submission procedures and an overview of 

regulatory requirements

• Animal Movement information, including interstate 

regulations, the process for issuing export 

certificates, and common problems that could affect 

the international movement of animals

• Animal Identification procedures and requirements

For more information, visit: www.aphis.usda.gov or type 

“NVAP” in your search engine. 

USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and 

lender.

Issued April 2010

Revised September 2016

Be Part of the 

National Veterinary 

Accreditation Program

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service

Program Aid No. 2047