Apply for authorisation of premises for retail supply of veterinary medicines by suitably qualified persons (SQPs)

Question

Accepted Answer

A suitably qualified person (SQP) is a person who is permitted to prescribe or supply certain veterinary medicines under the Veterinary Medicines Regulations (VMR).

SQPs can supply veterinary medicines classified POM-VPS (prescription only medicine – veterinarian, pharmacist, suitably qualified person) that they have prescribed or that have been prescribed by a:

veterinary surgeon
pharmacist
another appropriately qualified SQP

SQPs can also supply veterinary medicines classified NFA-VPS (non-food animal – veterinarian, pharmacist, suitably qualified person) from:

premises authorised by us as suitable for the storage and supply by an SQP (SQP retailer premises)
a pharmacy registered with the General Pharmaceutical Council, or with the Pharmaceutical Society of Northern Ireland
a veterinary practice premises (VPP) registered with the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS)

Requirements for SQP retailers

The requirements for SQP retailers are set out in the guidance on:

Application fees

There is an application fee, which you must pay by bank transfer as part of your application.

For SQP retailer premises in Great Britain, there are also ongoing annual fees and associated inspections fees.

The application and annual fees are not refundable or transferable.

For information on fees see:

Supporting evidence

As part of your application, you must upload a plan of the layout of the premises, with the medicine storage area clearly marked.

You must also upload photos showing:

the proposed veterinary medicines retail sales counter area
where sales stock is stored
the storage area for overs (if different to sales area)
a general view of the interior of the premises

Apply for authorisation

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Get help

For help using the application form, or for any other queries, email inspections@vmd.gov.uk

What happens next

We will assess your application form within 10 days of receipt. If you have provided all of the required information we will notify you that we have granted your premises conditional authorisation, which enables you to trade prior to an inspection.

We will then aim to inspect your premises within 3 months of validation of your application.

If the information provided is incomplete or not satisfactory then we will inform you and put your application on hold until we’ve received the appropriate documents.