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 Get UK customs clearance when importing goods into the UK: step by step

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

    Follow these steps to get your goods for import through UK customs if you’re managing the process yourself.

    Getting customs clearance is complicated. You can hire a transporter or customs agent to make the import declaration and get your goods through UK customs.

    1. Hire someone to deal with customs for you

    Your business must be ready to import the goods before you can get customs clearance.

    1. Find out about importing goods into the UK
    1. Check if you need to make an import declaration

  2. Step 2 Set up your business for making import declarations

    You need an 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 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

    Depending on where you're moving goods, you need to be registered on the right systems and have compatible software to make declarations.

    1. Check what systems and software you need to make declarations

  3. Step 3 Check if you can make the customs process quicker

    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

    If you're importing goods from the EU to England, Scotland or Wales (Great Britain) you might be able to delay making a declaration for up to 6 months.

    1. Check if you can declare your goods later if you're importing goods from the EU

    If you regularly import goods using Common Transit, you can apply to start movements of goods at your own premises.

    1. Check if consignee status is right for your business

  4. Step 4 Register to import goods with restrictions

    You need to register as an importer if you import things like plant or animal products, high-risk food or feed, medicines, textiles, chemicals or firearms.

    Register to import:

  5. Step 5 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:

  6. and Check the labelling, marking and marketing rules

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

  7. Step 6 Arrange for the goods to be inspected

    If you import things like plant or animal products, you need to choose a place where the goods can be inspected. This needs to happen before they’re allowed through the UK border.

    1. Find an inspection point for animals and animal products
    2. Find an inspection point for plants, plant products, seeds and wood
    3. Find an inspection point for high risk food and feed that is not of animal origin
    4. Find an inspection point for endangered species, or products made from endangered plants or animals

    You need to let the inspection point know when the goods are arriving. You might have to pay a fee for the inspection.

  8. Step 7 Submit and manage the import declaration

    1. Find out how to submit import declarations
    2. Find out how to change or cancel an import declaration

    If you're importing goods from the EU to England, Scotland or Wales (Great Britain) you might be able to delay making a declaration for up to 6 months.

    1. Check if you can declare your goods later to make the importing process quicker

  9. Step 8 Pay VAT and duty

    HMRC will tell you how much to pay after you submit the declaration.

    1. Find out how and when to pay VAT and duty

  10. Step 9 Get the goods released if they're held up at the border

    The goods may be held at the border if, for example:

    • you have not paid the right amount of duty or VAT
    • you do not have the right import licences for the goods or business
    • they did not pass inspection
    • they've been combined with a shipment that has been held up

    If this happens you will be told why.

    1. Contact the National Clearance Hub to get help

Also part of