Electronic Certificate of Veterinary Inspection (eCVI)

Benefits of using eCVIs

Use of paper Certificates of Veterinary Inspection (CVIs) require accredited veterinarians to order, store, and track an inventory of these official documents. eCVIs are replacing paper. A significant amount of time is spent transmitting and processing information from each paper CVI. Out of 34 states surveyed in 2017, more than half charge a fee ($0.12 – $7 per certificate) to supply and process the paper forms.

eCVIs meet the State of Minnesota’s paperless goals, increase efficiency and decrease transcription errors during processing. Accredited veterinarians have several eCVI options (outlined below). After one is issued, the completed form can be printed for airline travel and other animal movement scenarios, and/or emailed to the consignor/consignee/carrier of the animals. A copy is also emailed or digitally available to the state of origin and destination. Those eCVIs digitally transmitted are available near real-time upon issuance to animal health officials. Transition to these digital documents improves the Board’s Animal Disease Traceability Program and helps meet its mission of protecting animal health.

Some states waive requirements for import permits when eCVIs are used to move livestock interstate. Please check with the state of destination to see whether this applies in your situation. Effective April 18, 2018, for cattle imported into Minnesota that previously have required an import permit, this requirement is now waived for cattle documented on an electronically issued Certificate of Veterinary Inspection that is available to the Board in the original electronic format within 24 hours of issuance and complies with Minnesota Administrative Rule 1721.0040.

Minnesota-approved eCVI options

The MN eCVI is a free fillable PDF using a digital signature. Accredited veterinarians can complete it using the free version of Adobe Reader on a computer (PC or Apple). After issuance, the form is emailed to the Board. Several states use a tailored version of this eCVI. The MN eCVI is only for use by Minnesota accredited veterinarians. For veterinarians accredited in other states, check with your state animal health officials about the availability of this free eCVI.

Following an initial set up of the form, it can be saved with the clinic and veterinarian’s information pre-filled; templates can be created to save time for consignors each veterinarian sees regularly. A template can be saved under the consignor’s name for quick access in the future. If repetitive information needs to be completed on a template being used, populate those fields in the eCVI, and save that information within the template before beginning to populate fields with information unique to the current document. The next time a CVI needs to be issued, the template MN eCVI can simply be opened, and unique fields completed, digitally signed, saved, and emailed to the Board and your client.

Instructional videos:

  1. How to create an eCVI vet template [click here for video]
  2. How to create consignor/consignee templates [click here for video]
  3. How to create animal lists [click here for video]
  4. How to create a digital signature [click here for video]
  5. How to use the submit button [click here for video]

Contact trace@state.mn.us to receive the latest version of the MN eCVI. First time users need a User Agreement Form, which must be completed with each interested accredited veterinarians’ information and signature. The User Agreement Form is available in two formats, Microsoft Word or a fillable Adobe PDF that can be digitally signed.

VSPS is our third free option. Review the VSPS features and user guide. VSPS is web-based and was developed and is administered by the United States Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. [click here to access the VSPS website]. VSPS requires accredited veterinarians to have level 2 USDA eAuthentication to allow secure access to their web applications and services, including submitting forms electronically. VSPS issued eCVIs are limited for use in the following species: alpaca, bison, bovine, caprine, cervidae, equine, llama, ovine, and porcine.

Some enhanced features include:

  • An animal upload capability that allows an Excel spreadsheet or CSV file of individual animal information to be uploaded with multiple animal identifiers.
  • The capability for a user to create a number of CVI templates and certificate statements and save them to an account for future use.
  • Storage and access to commonly shipped individual animal or group descriptions for one-click data entry on future documents.
  • Rapid addition of lab tests and vaccination information to each individual animal or a group of animals.
  • Online Coggins submission form for Equine Infectious Anemia.
  • Accredited veterinarians and labs can enter and process Coggins forms for multiple horses at one time.
  • A quick-copy auto-fill feature that allows copying of age, breed, sex, test results, and more from one animal to all the following animals with just one click.
  • Storage of an electronic copy of an issued CVI for future reference.
  • It’s free.
  • VSPS/Veterinary Services Process Streamlining – All the steps to create an account and extra information.
  • Register for Level 2 Account.
  • Click here for additional USDA resources.

GlobalVetLINK is a private eCVI provider with a fee based service.

See how GlobalVetLink streamlines digital CVIs, EIAs, EEVCIs and more. GVL training videos provide an overview of the solutions, with tips and tricks for optimizing your certificate creation workflows.

Get an overview of GVL University where all certificates offered are available to practice in a test environment, this gives a great overview of how the system works on the clinic side. Sign up for a GVL U account.

Vet Sentry is another private eCVI provider with a fee based service, which is online. Contact Vet Sentry for details on fees and features.

myVetTech is a private eCVI provider with an online fee based service. Contact myVetTech for details on fees and features.

Learn all about CVIs from our YouTube webinar!

eCVI Options Consistent with NASAHO Standards

The National Association of State Animal Health Officials (NASAHO) has developed a process for the review of eCVI options available from all eCVI providers. The intent of this process is to give accredited veterinarians and state animal health officials throughout the country confidence that eCVIs produced from each provider’s platform are consistent with established national standards for issuance of interstate eCVIs and transmission of electronic data.

The expectation is that the list below will continually expand and eventually include the only options accredited veterinarians may use for the issuance of eCVIs. The previous sections on this webpage of “Minnesota-approved eCVI options” remains valid at this time. Check back for future updates.

Provider Description Date Added
 
Mi-Corporation eCVI for use by any state that purchases Mi-Corp’s software with eCVI feature 09/05/2019
State of Idaho eCVI for use by Idaho accredited veterinarians 10/26/2019
State of Oregon eCVI for use by Oregon accredited veterinarians 01/29/2020
Vet Sentry eCVI for use by accredited veterinarians with an account through private company 02/19/2020
myVetTech eCVI for use by accredited veterinarians with an account through private company 04/21/2020
GlobalVetLink eCVI for use by accredited veterinarians with an account through private company 12/23/2020
State of Texas eCVI for use by Texas accredited veterinarians 07/20/2021
Acclaim Systems VET CVI eCVI for use by accredited veterinarians with an account through private company 10/12/2021

Note: The above providers have agreed to remain consistent with national standards. Each provider will remain on the list until such time as it is determined that the eCVIs produced via the provider’s platform are no longer consistent with the current national standards.