Import a medicine for veterinary use into the UK
Source: gov.uk (2025-10-31)

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

When an import certificate is needed

Our Product Information Database (https://www.gov.uk/check-animal-medicine-licensed) contains a comprehensive list of all veterinary medicines authorised in Great Britain (GB), Northern Ireland (NI) 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. If you are based in GB and intend to source medicines from NI that are not authorised in GB you will also need to apply for an import certificate.

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

Movement from Great Britain to Northern Ireland

Under the Veterinary Medicines Internal Market Scheme (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/veterinary-medicines-internal-market-scheme) (VMIMS), import certificates are not required when sourcing pharmaceutical medicines authorised in GB for use in NI under the cascade.

Vaccines authorised in GB are not eligible to be moved into NI under the VMIMS.

Importation of vaccines into Northern Ireland from outside of the EU (including Great Britain)

You must continue to apply for an import certificate to import, possess or use any vaccines not authorised for veterinary use in NI, whether sourced from the EU or a third country.

Import certificates for vaccines originating from Great Britain or outside of the EU will only be granted if the conditions of Article 110 of Regulation (EU) 2019/6 are met.

Details of the vaccines that are eligible for import in NI in accordance with Article 110 are available on the online Special Imports Scheme (https://www.vmd.defra.gov.uk/sis/default.aspx).

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 GB based veterinary surgeon, you will need a SIC to import, use or hold any medicine that is not authorised for veterinary use in GB.

As a NI based veterinary surgeon, you will need a Special Import Certificate (SIC) to import, use or hold:
- a GB authorised immunological medicine
- any other medicine not authorised for veterinary use in NI
You will not need a a Special Import Certificate (SIC) to import, use or hold:
- a non-immunological GB authorised pharmaceutical medicine moved into NI under the Veterinary Medicines Internal Market Scheme
- An EU medicine permitted to be administered under the Veterinary Medicines Health situation scheme.
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. You do not need a WDIC if the product is being supplied under the VMIMS.

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 (https://www.vmd.defra.gov.uk/sis/default.aspx).

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 (https://www.gov.uk/check-animal-medicine-licensed).

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 (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/controlled-drugs-import-and-export-licences) 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.

Where there is an immediate, clinically life-threatening need, email the VMD at xxx@xxx.xx (mailto:xxx@xxx.xx), 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

Report a supply problem

You can report a known or foreseen supply problem on our Report a supply problem page (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/report-a-supply-problem-with-a-veterinary-medicine).

Contact us

For all enquiries email: xxx@xxx.xx (mailto:xxx@xxx.xx)