What am I required to disclose to the RCVS?

You are required to disclose any criminal conviction or formal police caution, whether in the UK or abroad, that is not considered minor and excluded from disclosure (for more information on what the RCVS considers minor/excluded see paragraph 15 below.) Convictions include those that result in an absolute or conditional discharge as well as those that result in any other sanction or penalty. Please note that we do not generally consider cautions or convictions to be ‘spent’. This means that all convictions/cautions/adverse findings should be disclosed, unless they are ‘protected’. (view section on What is a 'protected' spent conviction?)

However, those currently registered with the RCVS are not required to disclose a conviction/adverse finding dated before January 2006. This is the date of the conviction/adverse finding. (The date of the incident may be before January 2006 but it is the date of the conviction/adverse finding that is key.)

‘Adverse finding’ means any finding:

• Within veterinary school or university fitness to practise procedures, in the UK or overseas
  (applicants to the Register only);**
• Of any other veterinary regulator overseas; and,
• Of any other healthcare regulator in the UK or overseas

**To clarify, we require disclosure where a panel finds that the case against the student is proven and their fitness to practise is impaired. We do not need to know about cases that do not reach a fitness to practise panel or those that are dismissed by a panel.

Where there has been a conviction, the finding of a court on matters of fact will be accepted; this means that you cannot claim to have been innocent of the original charges by challenging the evidence on which you were found guilty of the offence.

Convictions/adverse findings that have been notified to the RCVS and on which the RCVS has previously reached a formal decision that was notified to you in writing, do not need to be disclosed again.