Veterinary surgeon

If you have a Degree in Veterinary Medicine from a university in an EU/EES-country or Switzerland, you have to submit the following documents during the application process:

• A copy of your evidence of formal qualifications of veterinary surgeons (diploma). The evidence of formal qualifications should correspond to the list of approved evidence of formal qualifications of veterinary surgeons (see below).
• If a member state issue an additional certificate complementing the diploma according to the list, you are required to submit this as well.
• A ”letter of good standing”, a certificate from a competent authority showing that you have no disciplinary sanctions in your profession as a veterinary surgeon. This should not be older than three months. If your veterinary surgeons diploma was issued more recent than three months ago, the letter of good standing is not necessary.
• A copy of your passport in case you are not a registered citizen in Sweden.
• A proof that you have satisfying knowledge of the Swedish language. Danish and Norwegian are considered equated to the Swedish language.

You apply by using our internet service.

• E-service: Application for a licens or approval of animal health staff

Please note that information you fill in is not saved in the form. This means that if you do not complete the application process during one session you will have to re-enter all the data and upload the required documents again.

The evidence of formal qualifications (diploma) should have the same name as in the Professional Qualifications Directive (2005/36/EC). You can find the latest consolidated version of the Annex V via this link:

• Directive 2005/36/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 7 September 2005 on the recognition of professional qualifications (eul-lex-europa.eu)

Search for ”Evidence of formal qualifications of veterinary surgeons” to find the right chapter.

Certificates for Swedish language

There are no specific requirements regarding what a proof of satisfying knowledge of the Swedish language is. That is assessed in each individual case. Below are examples of what such proof can be:

• A certificate of successful completion of a course in Swedish of at least level B1 according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages or equivalent.
• A certificate of successful completion of course D in Swedish for immigrants (SFI) or similar education.
• A proof of at least one year's previous professional experience in Sweden where the working language has been Swedish. Work experience outside of animal health care counts.
• A copy of a certificate confirming that you have studied in Swedish. The education should cover at least one year. There is no requirement what subject was studied as long as the classes were given in Swedish.
• A certificate of pass in Swedish for university studies (Tisus).
• Grades in Swedish from a Swedish upper secondary school education.

If you have a Swedish upper secondary education but your veterinary degree is from another country than Sweden you must still prove your Swedish knowledge according to the above.

Exemptions from Swedish language

If you consider that you have specific reasons why you do not need sufficient knowledge of the Swedish language, you can apply for an exemption from that requirement while applying for a license.

There is no specific form to fill out when applying for an exemption. You can write an application that you upload instead of the certificate of knowledge in Swedish. We will then consider if your special reasons are sufficient to give you an exemption. Your application for exemption from the requirement for the necessary knowledge in Swedish must include:

• A description of your special reasons for not being able to communicate with animal owners in Swedish, reading and writing your veterinary medical journals in Swedish and reading and understanding the Swedish legislation concerning animal health professionals.
• A description of how you and your future employer together plan to ensure that you can communicate with animal owners.
• A description of how you and your future employer together plan to ensure that your journals will be kept in Swedish.
• How you will learn about the Swedish animal health care legislation.

Your future employer must certify that this plan will be implemented as described in the application.

Temporary provision of services

If you have a veterinary license from and are legally established in an EU/EES-country or Switzerland to work as a veterinarian, you can work temporarily in Sweden on your foreign qualifications. That means that you don´t need to apply for a Swedish veterinary license if you are only going to work here temporarily.

When you work here temporarily you are still part of the animal health staff and therefore subject to Swedish legislation.

Before the first time you intend to work in Sweden, you must notify the Swedish Board of Agriculture.

You need to send us the following documents with your notice:

• a letter including your contact information and workplace in Sweden.
• a certificate showing that you are legally established in a Member State to exercise the profession and that, at the time of issuance of the certificate, there was no ban, even temporarily, for you to practice as a veterinarian. This certificate must be issued by the competent authority of the Member State where you are established and should not be older than three months. You can submit either the original or a readable copy.
• evidence of your professional qualifications (i.e. a copy of your diploma).
• a copy of your passport.
  

Your temporary practice period will start from the date you notify us and last for 12 months. After 12 months you need to apply for a Swedish veterinary license or notify us again.

If you return to Sweden at a later date in order to work temporarily as a veterinarian, you need to notify the Swedish Board of Agriculture once a year, using our internet service, "Anmälan om tillfällig yrkesutövning som veterinär".

• E-service: Anmälan om tillfällig yrkesutövning som veterinär (in Swedish)

In order to obtain a Swedish veterinary licence, your veterinary education must be at university level, cover at least five years and lead to you being allowed to practice the veterinary profession in the country where you have completed your education. In addition to your veterinary education, you need additional knowledge and experience to obtain a licence in Sweden. See the information below.

Swedish language

To be able to obtain a Swedish veterinary licence, you need to have the necessary knowledge of the Swedish language for the profession. There is no possibility to get an exemption from this. You do not need to have sufficient knowledge of Swedish to take the online training in Swedish statutes, to take the proficiency test or to receive a special permit, but to be able to obtain a licence you need to demonstrate Swedish language skills. Proof that you have the necessary knowledge of the Swedish language for the profession may, for example, be one of the following:

• A certificate of successful completion of a course in Swedish of at least level B1 according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages or equivalent.
• A certificate of successful completion of course D in Swedish for immigrants (SFI) or similar education.
• A proof of at least one year's previous professional experience in Sweden where the working language has been Swedish. This means that work experience outside of animal health care also counts.
• A copy of a certificate confirming that you have studied in Swedish. The education should cover at least one year. There is no requirement what subject was studied as long as the classes were given in Swedish.
• A certificate of pass in Swedish for university studies (Tisus).
• Grades in Swedish from a Swedish upper secondary school education.

How to receive a license

If you have a veterinary degree from a third country (i.e. a country outside the EU/EES or Switzerland), you can obtain a veterinary licence in one of the following ways.

If you have further education or research experience and long work experience

You can get a Swedish veterinary licence if, in addition to your veterinary education, you have

• additional education or research experience in clinical veterinary medicine of at least two years,
• at least eight years' experience as a clinical veterinarian,
• necessary knowledge of the Swedish language, and
• successfully completed the Swedish Board of Agriculture’s online training in Swedish legislation.

If you have a veterinary education accredited by EAEVE or AVBC

If your veterinary education was accredited by the European Association of Establishments for Veterinary Education (EAEVE) or the Australasian Veterinary Boards Council (AVBC), you can obtain a veterinary licence if you

• successfully complete the Swedish Board of Agriculture’s online training in Swedish legislation,
• carry out an adjustment period during the time and to the extent decided by the Board of Agriculture, and
• demonstrates that you have the necessary knowledge of the Swedish language for the profession. Please note that it is only after you have completed your adjustment period that you need to show knowledge of the Swedish language.

If you lack the sufficient additional experience or an accredited education

If you have a veterinary education from a third country, but do not meet any of the above requirements, you can choose one of the following two options:

1. Pass a two-year supplementary education for veterinarians from third countries (KUV) at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) in Uppsala. After you have received a decision from us, you need to apply to be admitted to the programme. You can find more information here:

• Supplementary education for veterinarians (slu.se)

2. Pass a proficiency test of veterinary knowledge, online training and go through an adjustment period. That means that you need to:

• Conduct the proficiency test for foreign veterinarians at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) in Uppsala. The test is divided into a theoretical and a practical part. You can take the test in Swedish or English. The test is held once every semester and will be held for the first time in spring 2026. The test is subject to a fee. You can find more information about the test at slu.se.
• Contact the Board of Agriculture in order to obtain a decision to carry out an adjustment period. The adjustment period will be set to the amount of time and scope, decided by the Board of Agriculture in each individual case.
• Successfully complete the Swedish Board of Agriculture’s online training in Swedish legislation.
• Prove that you have the necessary knowledge of the Swedish language for the profession. Please note that it is only after you have completed your adjustment period that you need to show knowledge of the Swedish language.

Adjustment period

During the adjustment period, you will work as a clinically active veterinarian on a special permit. You have the same duties and rights as a licensed veterinarian, with the difference that you must work as an employee in an animal health care practice where there is at least one other licensed veterinarian. You are personally responsible for finding a place to work during your adjustment period.

The adjustment period is usually one year, but differences in work experience and training can make the adjustment period longer or shorter. The adjustment period will be decided by the Swedish Board of Agriculture.

Completed additional training, proficiency test or adaptation period

Once you have met the requirements set out in your decision, you need to notify the Swedish Board of Agriculture so that we can proceed with your application process. Send the certificates that prove that you meet the requirements straight to:

• veterinarfragor@jordbruksverket.se.

Do not use our e-service and no not pay again for your application.

Rejection of your application

Your application for a Swedish veterinary license will be rejected if your education

• is not a university education
• does not cover at least five years
• does not lead to a Degree in Veterinary Medicine in the country where your studied.

How to apply for a veterinary license

If you have a Degree in Veterinary Medicine from a university in a third country outside of EU/EES or Switzerland, you need to submit the following documents during the application process:

• A copy of your diploma including an official document where all courses taken during the education are stated. This is usually called a “Diploma Supplement”. The diploma and supplement should be in the official language of your country.
• A translation, made by an authorised translator, of the diploma and the supplement to either Swedish or English.

• Certificates of experience of academic research or additional education in clinical veterinary medicin, if any.
• A copy of your passport if you do not log in with e-ID.
• A proof that you have satisfying knowledge of the Swedish language. You only need to submit documentation showing that you have the necessary knowledge of the Swedish language when you have sufficient documentation to obtain a licence. You do not need to submit certificates proving sufficient knowledge of the Swedish language when applying if you do not have further education or research experience and long work experience as described above. Danish and Norwegian are considered equated to the Swedish language.

You apply by using our internet service.

• E-service: Application for a licence or approval of animal health staff

Apply through our internet service

Please note that information you fill in is not saved in the form. This means that if you do not complete the application process during one session you will have to re-enter all the data and upload the required documents again. Therefore, it is important that you have printed, filled out and scanned in your letter of permission before starting the application.