Retention fees due by 31 March

It’s heading towards 31 March – the deadline for veterinary surgeons to pay their retention fees.

Please try to pay them in good time – it costs you an extra £35 if the payment is received after 1 April and, worse, vets whose fees remain unpaid after 31 May are removed from the Register and pay significant fees to be restored.

A veterinary surgeon’s registration acts as a licence to practise and those removed from the Register may not practise unless and until they have been restored.

Vets also need to confirm or update their registration details annually as part of renewing their registration. Although the deadline for this is 30 September, you may find it convenient to do this at the same time as making fee payments.

UK- and overseas-practising members need to confirm additionally that they have met the continuing professional development (CPD) requirements.

Renewals can be made either online or via the form included with the annual renewal notice, regardless of how you choose to pay.

Fees can be paid through our website, by cheque, direct debit (which will need to have been set up in advance) or bank transfer.

Particularly relevant if you are making a payment on someone else’s behalf, is to remember to write the vet’s name and Register number on the back of the cheque or as a bank transfer reference. We process over 22,000 registrations every year and need to know to whom each payment relates.

If you have set up a direct debit, we generally aim to take the payment on 31 March. As this will be a Sunday this year, we’ll take the payment as soon as possible afterwards.

To set up a bank transfer (which can be from your bank account online, telephone banking, or a branch, depending what your bank offers) our account details are available by telephoning the Finance Department (020 7202 0723).

We’re sorry, but payments cannot be taken over the phone.

A veterinary surgeon’s registration acts as a licence to practise and those removed from the Register may not practise unless and until they have been restored.