In accordance with Premises Accreditation Scheme (PAS) Regulation 29, a Certificate of Suitability (COS) is non-transferable and shall apply to one veterinary premises only at its registrable address.

In circumstances where it is intended to relocate the premises to a new address, the Certificate of Suitability Holder is required to make a new application.

Accordingly, if you plan to relocate an existing registered veterinary premises to a new address, a new Certificate of Suitability application in respect of the new premises is required. Information on the COS application process and the relevant forms are available here.

Timeline

Please be advised that the process of obtaining premises accreditation can take up to three months. The Practice Premises Committee (PPC) and the Council meet 6-8 times a year on dates predetermined at the start of the year. Premises must be ready at time of inspection. If a second assessment of the premises is deemed necessary at any stage by the Veterinary Council in order for an application to be fairly determined, this assessment will be at the expense of the applicant.

Premises inspections must be carried out well in advance of the PPC meeting date. This is to ensure enough time for the premises inspection report to be prepared and to give applicants a chance to address any minor issues identified. For a list of meeting dates and inspection deadlines, please contact the Executive team by email at pas@vci.ie.

Current Premises Closing

If the practice at the premises current address will be closing, the Certificate of Suitability Holder is required to confirm this by submitting a COS Revocation form. This can be submitted by post to the VCI office or by email to pas@vci.ie.

Should you have any queries regarding this, please don’t hesitate to contact the VCI Executive office by email to pas@vci.ie.