Guidance

Import a medicine for veterinary use into the UK

Apply for an import certificate to import a medicinal product into the UK for veterinary use.

From:
Veterinary Medicines Directorate
Published
1 June 2015
Last updated
7 September 2021 — See all updates

When an import certificate is needed

Our Product Information Database contains a comprehensive list of all veterinary medicines authorised in Great Britain, Northern Ireland or United Kingdom wide.

A suitable veterinary or human medicine authorised in your territory may not always be available to treat a range of animals or diseases. In these cases, veterinary surgeons can use the Cascade to source medicines authorised elsewhere in the world. You will also need to apply for an import certificate to source medicines from NI which are not authorised in GB, and vice versa. See The cascade: prescribing unauthorised medicines for more information.

You must have an import certificate before bringing the medicine in to your territory and you should check the product to be imported is available before you apply.

Import certificate types

There are 3 types of import certificate:

  • Special Import Certificate (SIC) – to import a medicine
  • Wholesale Dealers Import Certificate (WDIC) - for medicines imported and held by a wholesaler to supply SIC holders
  • Research Import Certificate (RIC) - for a product or substance for research licensed under the Animal (Scientific Procedure) Act

Veterinary surgeons

As a veterinary surgeon, you will need a Special Import Certificate (SIC) to import, use or hold any medicine that is not authorised for veterinary use in your UK territory.

You will be fully responsible for ensuring the conditions of the SIC are met and administration of the product is done by you or a person acting in accordance with your instructions.

You must be registered with the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) as you will need to enter your RCVS membership number on application.

Wholesale dealers

As a wholesale dealer, you will need a Wholesale Dealer Import Certificate (WDIC) to hold and supply imported medicines on request to others who hold a valid import certificate for that product.

You must hold a Wholesale Dealer’s Authorisation (WDA) with the appropriate permissions to apply for a Wholesale Dealer’s Import Certificate (WDIC). On applying you will need to provide your WDA or registration number.

Applications will be considered if a valid SIC has been issued, otherwise your application will remain on hold for a maximum 14 days awaiting a SIC approval.

Researchers

A Research Import Certificate (RIC) is needed when a Home Office project licensee holder needs a medicinal product for use in animal research used in accordance with a licensee granted under an Animal (Scientific Procedure) Act (A(SP)A).

You may only apply for a Researcher’s Import Certificate if you are the project license holder and you will need to enter your Home Office Project License number in your application.

How to apply

Apply for an SIC through the VMD’s online Special Imports Scheme.

Once you have provided details about you, you will be asked to identify the product you wish to import and the animals you intend to treat. Products for which we are currently issuing import certificates for will appear in a drop-down menu. Applications for some of these products may need assessment and if this is the case, you will receive an on-screen prompt. Otherwise your certificate will be emailed to you immediately after your application is completed.

If the product, country or species you need is not on this list, we will need to conduct a benefit:risk assessment of your application. The data we need to carry this out varies on a case-by-case basis.

Applications that require assessment

You must demonstrate that there is no suitable authorised veterinary product available in your territory to justify your intended use of the Cascade. Factors such as costs, convenience or withdrawal periods are not acceptable reasons to import alternatives. To help you with this, a list of all authorised veterinary medicines in the UK is available on our Product Information Database.

If an authorised product is unavailable due to a temporary supply issue, and no other suitable alternative product exists in your territory, we will only permit import until the supply issue is resolved or another suitable product becomes available. In such scenarios you should consider the likely quantities needed and purchase appropriately.

In exceptional cases, we may permit a product to be held in stock for emergency use.

Data you need to provide for assessment

You must complete the online application form and provide the Summary of Product Characteristics (SPC) or equivalent product information that is translated to English and the product labels in the native language. During the assessment we may ask for additional product or patient data in support of your application.

Please provide as much information as possible in support of application during the application process.

For a live vaccine, you will also need to provide:

  • full details of the product formulation
  • details of the origin of the strain and whether the strain is considered exotic to the UK. If the strain is not considered exotic to the UK, provide evidence to confirm this
  • information on the genotype of the strain and the relationship between this and other known strains
  • a risk assessment of Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies (TSE) being transmitted from any manufacturing materials of human or animal origin
  • proof of the stability of the attenuation characteristics of the seeds and data confirming there is no risk of reversion to virulence for the vaccine strains
  • details of any extraneous agents testing performed on the product
  • a batch release protocol for a recent batch detailing all the tests conducted on the finished product together with the results of these tests

Raised import risk profile or application refusal

Following assessment, a product may be considered to have a raised import risk profile. This means we will issue a certificate, but it will be restricted to use only in a named individual animal or herd/flock. For this purpose, horses cannot be considered as a group animal. If named animal information has not been provided on initial application, you will be contacted for this during our assessment.

If your application is unsuccessful, we will issue you a letter telling you why.

Controlled drugs

If the product to be imported falls within the scope of the Misuse of Drugs Regulations 2001, you may also need additional approval documentation. Further information on Controlled drugs: import and export licenses is available from the Home Office.

Assessment timescales

Once we receive a valid application, or the next working day if submitted on a weekend or bank holiday, we will email you the outcome within 25 working days.

If we need to request further information or clarification from you then we will suspend the timescale pending your response. We will give you a deadline to respond and if this is not met we will refuse the application and you will need to re-apply.

Situation Timescale
Previously imported SIC products Instantly available or up to 10 working days if further assessment is required
New SIC pharmaceutical products (including applications for emergency stock use and new species) Up to 15 working days
New SIC immunological products:  
Product not previously assessed Up to 25 working days
Applications for emergency stock use and new species Up to 15 working days

Where there is an immediate, clinically life-threatening need, email the VMD at importcert@vmd.gov.uk, mark it as urgent and provide an explanation.

Validity of Certificate

Import certificates are valid for one year from date of issue. You should only apply to import a volume that meets your immediate clinical need for the animals under your care and only up to a maximum of one year’s supply.

Equally if you are a wholesaler importing product owing to a temporary supply issue, we will only permit import until the supply issue is resolved or another suitable product becomes authorised in your territory. In such scenarios you should consider the likely quantities needed and purchase stock appropriately.

If you have product remaining when your certificate expires, you must re-apply for a new certificate to continue to hold and use that product.

Fees

Certificate type Fee
SIC There are no fees
RIC There are no fees
WDIC A fee only applies if 100 or more SICs naming the importing wholesale dealer were issued in the last 12 months. The fee is £760. We will send you an invoice upon issue of the WDIC.

Report a supply problem

You can report a known or foreseen supply problem on our Report a supply problem page.

Contact us

For all enquiries email: importcert@vmd.gov.uk

Updates to this page

Published 1 June 2015
Last updated 7 September 2021 + show all updates

  1. Updated guidance to include revised timescales for new SIC applications for immunological products

  2. Change of policy and process to introduce one type of import certificate to be issued to vets. [News item 18 September explains](https://www.gov.uk/government/news/the-vmd-will-launch-an-updated-online-special-import-application-form-on-7-october-2019)

  3. Notice that the service will be unavailable from 25th to 28th March 2016

  4. First published.

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Contents

Part of Import goods into the UK: step by step

  1. Step 1 Check if you need to follow this process

    Follow these steps if you're moving goods permanently to:

    • England, Wales or Scotland (Great Britain) from a country outside the UK
    • Northern Ireland from a country outside the UK and the EU

    What you need to do is different if you are:

  2. Step 2 Get your business ready to import

    You need an Economic Operators Registration and Identification number (EORI number) that starts with GB to import goods into England, Wales or Scotland. You'll need a new one if you have an EORI number that does not start with GB.

    If you move goods to or from Northern Ireland you may need one that starts with XI.

    1. Get an EORI number

    There are processes that can make clearing customs quicker and easier to manage if you have to make import declarations regularly.

    1. Find out about using simplified declaration procedures
    2. Check if Authorised Economic Operator status is right for you

  3. and Check the business sending you the goods can export to the UK

    The business sending you the goods may need:

    • to make an export declaration in their country
    • licences or certificates to send goods to the UK

    Check whoever is sending the goods is able to export them from their country.

  4. Step 3 Decide who will make customs declarations and transport the goods

    You can hire someone to deal with customs and transport the goods for you, or you can do it yourself.

    Most businesses that import goods use a transporter or customs agent.

    1. Find out how to hire someone to deal with customs for you

  5. Step 4 Find out the commodity code for your goods

    You’ll need to include the commodity code on your import declaration. This will determine the rate of duty you need to pay and if you need an import licence.

    Your customs agent or transporter might be able to help you with this.

    1. Find the right commodity code for your goods

  6. and Work out the value of your goods

    When you make your import declaration, you’ll need to include the value of your goods - this helps work out how much duty and VAT you’ll need to pay.

    1. Work out the value of your goods for customs

  7. Step 5 Find out if you can reduce your Customs Duty

    You may be able to pay less or no Customs Duty if the UK has a trade agreement with the country you're importing from.

    1. Find out if you can pay a lower rate of Customs Duty because of a trade agreement

    You may also be able to reduce the amount of duty you pay based on what the goods are and what you plan to do with them.

    1. Check other ways you can pay a lower rate of Customs Duty

  8. and Find out if you can delay your Customs Duty

    You may be able to delay sending information about goods or paying Customs Duty.

    1. Check if you can delay your Customs Duty

  9. Step 6 Check if you need a licence or certificate for your goods

    There are special rules and you may need to get licences or certificates if you are importing any of the following:

  10. Step 7 Check the labelling, marking and marketing rules

    1. Check the marking, labelling and marketing standards for food, plant seeds and manufactured goods

  11. Step 8 Get your goods through customs

    If you've appointed someone to deal with UK customs for you, they'll make the declaration and get your goods through the UK border.

    1. Make an import declaration yourself and get your goods cleared by UK customs

  12. Step 9 Claim a VAT refund

    If you're VAT registered, you can claim back any VAT you paid on the goods you've imported. You’ll need your Import VAT Certificate (C79).

    1. Find out how to claim a VAT refund

  13. Step 10 If you paid the wrong amount of duty or rejected the goods

    If you paid too much Customs Duty or import VAT or rejected the goods, you can claim a refund or ask for a payment to be waived.

    1. Find out how to claim a refund or make a claim for rejected imports

    If you paid too little Customs Duty or import VAT, report it to HMRC.

    1. Find out how to tell HMRC you’ve underpaid and pay the difference

  14. Step 11 Keep invoices and records

    You must keep records of commercial invoices and any customs paperwork, including your Import VAT Certificate (C79).

    If you imported controlled goods, for example firearms, keep any paperwork that shows who owns them.