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- About extra-mural studies (EMS)
- EMS requirements
- Information for vet students
- Information for EMS providers
- Information for vet schools
- Temporary EMS requirements
- Practice by students - regulations
- Health and safety on EMS placements
- EMS contacts and further guidance
- Extra-mural studies fit for the future
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- Code of Professional Conduct for Veterinary Surgeons
- Code of Professional Conduct for Veterinary Nurses
- Contact the Advice Team
- XL Bully dog ban
- 'Under care' - new guidance
- Advice on Schedule 3
- Controlled Drugs Guidance – A to Z
- Dealing with Difficult Situations webinar recordings
- FAQs – Common medicines pitfalls
- FAQs – Routine veterinary practice and clinical veterinary research
- FAQs – Advertising of practice names
- GDPR – RCVS information and Q&As
Working abroad
Information for RCVS-registered veterinary surgeons who want to work abroad.
On this page:
- Working in the EU
- Letters of good standing
- If you’ll no longer be practising in the UK
- Contact our team
Working in the EU
If you’re an RCVS-registered vet who wants to work in the EU, you should contact the appropriate competent authority in the country you wish to work in.
For a list of EU regulators and professional associations, visit the Federation of veterinarians of Europe (FVE) website.
EU vets looking to work in the UK
If you’re not currently registered with the RCVS and you’re looking to practise in the UK, you’ll need to apply for full registration.
For more information, please visit our applications for veterinary surgeons pages.
EU Directive 2005/36/EC
EU Directive 2005/36/EC allows vets who are qualified in an EU member state to provide services in another member state. Now that the UK has left the EU, this agreement is no longer in place between the UK and EU countries.
Letters of good standing
If you want to register as a vet in another country, you may be asked to provide a letter of good standing. This should come from the competent authority you’re currently registered with – this will be the RCVS if you’re practising in the UK.
About the letter of good standing
A letter of good standing confirms that:
- you are or have been a member of the RCVS,
- you are not the subject of any RCVS disciplinary enquiries, and
- there are no disciplinary findings against you.
How to request a letter of good standing
You can request a letter of good standing via My Account.
There is a fee for requesting a letter of good standing, which is dependent on how urgently you need it.
Once your request and your payment have been received, your letter of good standing will be sent directly to the relevant authority electronically. A copy will be emailed to you within seven working days.
If you have paid the additional fee for an urgent request, this will be carried out within two working days.
If you’ll no longer be practising in the UK
If you plan to stop practising in the UK, please remember to change your registration category accordingly.
Contact our team
For more information about letters of good standing or registration, please contact our Registration Team on 020 7202 0707 or by email at [email protected].