How to start a mobile vet practice in the UK

You can start a mobile vet practice in the UK without renting a building. If you only examine animals and write prescriptions, you do not need registered premises. If you supply medicines, the RCVS requires your vehicle to be linked to a registered fixed premises, which can be your home address. You also need indemnity that covers home visits and a written arrangement for 24-hour emergency cover.

This guide walks through the twelve steps in order. Each step links to a detailed guide where there is one.

Step 1: Choose your model

How you handle medicines decides most of what follows. There are three workable models:

Our guide to do you need registered premises quotes the RCVS wording for each case.

Step 2: Register with the RCVS and understand inspection

You must hold current RCVS registration as a practising veterinary surgeon. If you supply medicines, register your fixed premises with the RCVS; registered premises are inspected by the Veterinary Medicines Directorate. The RCVS Practice Standards Scheme is voluntary, so you can start without it.

Step 3: Arrange 24-hour emergency cover

This is the step most mobile vets overlook. RCVS guidance says vets in practice must take steps to provide 24-hour emergency first aid and pain relief to animals under their care. You do not have to provide it yourself, but:

• agree the arrangement with another practice or an out-of-hours provider before you need it, and confirm the terms in writing
• give clients full details at the start: phone number, location, hours and likely initial costs
• do not assume other local practices will cover for you; the RCVS says that is unacceptable

Step 4: Get indemnity and insurance

You need professional indemnity that covers civil claims for work done as a self-employed vet in clients' homes, not only on registered premises. Your car insurance must also cover business use. Our guide to indemnity for self-employed vets lists the questions to ask before your first visit.

Step 5: Set up the business and tax

• Structure: most start as a sole trader; a limited company can suit higher earnings. An accountant can advise on which fits.
• Tax: register with HMRC for Self Assessment and set money aside for income tax and National Insurance.
• VAT: registration is compulsory once taxable turnover passes the VAT threshold, currently £90,000.
• Data protection: most businesses that hold client records must pay the ICO data protection fee. The lowest tier has been £52 a year since 17 February 2025.

Step 6: Plan medicines and controlled drugs

If you carry controlled drugs, the RCVS expects a locked receptacle fixed inside the vehicle and kept out of sight, and a separate controlled drugs register for the vehicle if drugs stay in it between visits. Our guide to controlled drugs on home visits sets out the full rules, including the RCVS position that a vet should not send a veterinary nurse to carry out a home euthanasia with a controlled drug.

Step 7: Put together your kit

A typical home visit kit covers examination, sampling and the treatments you expect to give:

• stethoscope, thermometer, otoscope and ophthalmoscope, portable scales
• blood, urine and skin sampling kits, with a plan for getting samples to a laboratory
• a temperature-controlled bag for vaccines, with a way to record temperatures
• a muzzle, towels and a non-slip mat for safe handling
• sharps and clinical waste containers, and a contract for their disposal
• a way to keep clinical records and take payment on the spot

Step 8: Records, consent and data

• keep clinical records for every visit, as you would in a clinic, in a system you can access from the road
• use written consent forms for procedures and for euthanasia, signed before you start
• hold client data securely and pay the ICO data protection fee (Step 5)
• agree with a laboratory how samples reach them and how results reach you, including courier collection
• contract a licensed carrier for sharps and clinical waste, and a pet crematorium for aftercare if you offer end-of-life visits

Step 9: Working safely on your own

Home visits mean working alone in unfamiliar homes. Share your daily schedule with someone, agree check-in times, and keep your phone charged. RCVS guidance says vets are entitled to decline a visit where they have overriding personal safety concerns, and should explain this to the owner and record the advice given.

Step 10: Set your prices

UK home visit practices publish routine consultation prices of roughly £80 to £225, and home euthanasia from about £250 to £485, according to our review of published UK home visit prices. The Competition and Markets Authority's 2026 final decision requires practices to publish prices for standard services, so publish yours clearly from the start. To see how home visit income compares with employment, read what UK vets earn.

Step 11: Decide your area and hours

Set a radius you can cover with reasonable travel times, and block out the days you will work. RCVS guidance expects clients to travel only reasonable distances for emergency care, which matters when you agree your out-of-hours arrangement for that area.

What to budget for

Running costs depend on your model, so get quotes for each before you start. The usual items are:

• professional indemnity and vehicle insurance with business use
• examination and sampling equipment, and a vaccine cool bag
• medicines stock, if you supply medicines
• laboratory fees and sample courier costs
• clinical waste and sharps disposal contract
• practice software for records, booking and payments
• the ICO data protection fee (£52 a year at the lowest tier) and your RCVS registration
• an accountant, if you use one

Step 12: Find your first clients

• tell local practices without a home visit service; many are glad to refer elderly or anxious patients
• list your service where owners search locally, with your prices and area
• consider home visit work through a platform, where owners book you directly and you set your own fee

If you want steady income while you build up, you can combine home visits with locum shifts; see locum or home visits.