Can I buy pet medicines from China?
Possibly, but start with your UK vet rather than an overseas order. Ask them to check the exact product’s authorisation and whether treatment under the cascade is justified. The prescribing vet must apply for any required Special Import Certificate before import. Factory information can be gathered by Cambridge China Bridge.
Start with your vet before ordering
Send your vet the supplier’s listing, packaging photographs, medicine name, active ingredients, strength and dosage form. Explain which pet needs treatment and why you are considering that product. Ask the vet to assess the treatment choice before paying or arranging delivery. For purchases for yourself, see our guide to ordering medicines for personal use.
Where a suitable authorised medicine is unavailable, vets may consider alternatives through the cascade, the prescribing framework for such situations. This is a clinical decision. VMD guidance says cost or convenience is not an acceptable reason to import an alternative.
Check the exact product and authorised territory
Ask your vet to check the VMD Product Information Database, which lists veterinary medicines authorised in Great Britain, Northern Ireland or throughout the UK. Record the territory covering where your pet will be treated. Compare the proposed pack with the product information rather than relying on a familiar brand name.
Ask the supplier for clear label photographs and details of the manufacturer, ingredients, strength, storage conditions and expiry. Give these to your vet. A matching ingredient name alone is a poor basis for choosing treatment or deciding that the proposed pack matches an authorised product.
Confirm the route for your destination
For a vet based in Great Britain, a Special Import Certificate is required to import, use or hold a medicine not authorised for veterinary use there. Where an import certificate is required, it must be obtained before the medicine enters the territory. Make your own purchasing checkpoint earlier: agree the route before placing the order.
If treatment is in Northern Ireland, ask your vet to confirm the Northern Ireland route. Its cascade has different steps. For non-food-producing pets, the later route for a non-immunological medicine authorised outside the EU requires authorisation for the same species and indication, with a Special Import Certificate where the product is not authorised in Northern Ireland.
Agree who applies and who imports
Only eligible veterinary surgeons can apply for a Special Import Certificate. The application must be made by the prescribing vet for animals under their care. As the owner, ask your vet to arrange any required application and identify the proposed importer. A sourcing agent’s supplier checks cannot replace that application.
A wholesaler supplying imported medicines to UK vets needs a Wholesale Dealer Import Certificate and a Wholesale Dealer Authorisation to apply. A Research Import Certificate is restricted to Home Office project licence holders; it is not the application route for an ordinary pet owner. Ask the vet which supply arrangement fits your case.
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Prepare the file and hold dispatch
For applications requiring assessment, VMD requires the Summary of Product Characteristics or equivalent product information translated into English, plus labels in the original language. Ask the supplier for these documents and check that they describe the proposed product. Agree storage, transport, recipient and dispatch instructions with the vet and importer.
Use our import restrictions guide for the wider control checks and our customs documents guide for shipping paperwork. Keep the medicine approval alongside that file. Cambridge China Bridge’s own staff in China can help gather supplier information; ask the vet and importer to confirm the required permission before releasing the shipment.
Frequently asked questions
Can I order Chinese pet medicine because it is cheaper?
Ask your UK vet first. VMD guidance says cost or convenience is not an acceptable reason to import an alternative through the cascade.
Who applies for a veterinary Special Import Certificate?
The prescribing veterinary surgeon must apply for medicines to treat animals under their care. Only eligible veterinary surgeons can apply.
How do I check whether a pet medicine is UK authorised?
Ask your vet to check the exact product in the VMD Product Information Database and confirm whether its authorisation covers Great Britain, Northern Ireland or the whole UK.
Can the supplier ship while VMD approval is pending?
Agree that dispatch waits until the vet and importer confirm the permission.