RCVS fee changes and deadlines from April 2026

Here’s the short version: the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) has updated how vets register and stay on the register, and the changes start on 1 April 2026. The Order of Council approving the update was made on 23 February 2026 and is published on Legislation.gov.uk as Statutory Instrument 2026/175. We’ll walk you through what those dates and definitions mean for you.

For context, the RCVS Council agreed the fee structure on 5 January 2026, sealed it on 8 January, and the Department of Finance added its official seal on 19 February. The Privy Council then approved the package on 23 February under the Veterinary Surgeons Act 1966. That’s the legal chain that brings the rules into force on 1 April 2026.

What actually changes? Fees rise in two steps: about 3% from 1 April 2026 and a further 3% from 1 April 2027. The College has replaced Part 4 of the 2014 Registration Regulations and adjusted several related rules so that fee tables, payment windows and refunds all align with the new timetable.

A key definition is new: ‘year of registration’. It runs from 1 April before your registration date to the following 31 March. If you register on 1 April, the year starts that day; if you register on 31 March, it ends that day. This standard wording helps everyone read the tables the same way.

If you’re applying for the temporary list of the register, your registration fee depends on timing. Apply on or before 31 March 2027 and the amount in column A of Table 2 applies; apply after 31 March 2027 and column B applies. Where your practice is limited to six months or less, the specific six‑month registration fee must be paid.

Temporary registrants then pay an annual retention fee at the start of each retention fee year. If that year begins on or before 31 March 2027, the amount in column A of Table 2 applies; if it begins after 31 March 2027, column B applies. The idea is that the two‑year fee plan flows through cleanly.

For all other registrants, timing matters within each year. In the retention fee year that begins on 1 April 2026, payments received on or before 30 April 2026 attract the amount in column A of Table 3; after 30 April 2026, column B applies. For retention years beginning on or after 1 April 2027, pay on or before 30 April to use column C; pay later and column D applies.

Restoring your name to the register follows the same pattern. If restoration happens in the retention year that begins on 1 April 2026, the amount in column A of Table 3 is due; if restoration is in a retention year that begins on or after 1 April 2027, column C applies. Any reference to 1 October is tied to the specific retention year you are restoring in.

If you choose voluntary removal before 1 October in any year, you are due a 50% refund of the relevant fee. For the year of registration or the retention year that begins on 1 April 2026, look at column A in Table 1 or Table 3. For years beginning on or after 1 April 2027, look at column B of Table 1 or column C of Table 3.

One piece of housekeeping: the 2026 Order revokes the 2025 Order of Council and keeps the 2014 Regulations as the core text, now updated. The note on Legislation.gov.uk says the aim is clarity and compatibility with the two‑year fee structure and that no significant sector impact is expected.

Scenario 1 for students and new graduates: you register on 1 April 2026. Your ‘year of registration’ runs to 31 March 2027. If you are already on the register for 2026/27, make sure RCVS receives your retention payment by 30 April 2026 to be charged the earlier rate for that year.

Scenario 2 for temporary registrants: you secure a six‑month post from July to December 2026. You pay the six‑month temporary registration fee and, if you later choose voluntary removal on 30 September 2026, you should receive a 50% refund of the relevant 2026 fee because it is before 1 October.

What this means for you: set three reminders. 1 April marks new fee years; 30 April is the payment cut‑off that determines which column applies; 1 October is the refund deadline if you plan to step off the register mid‑year. Keep confirmation emails because the rules use the phrase ‘payment is received’. We’ll keep tracking updates from the RCVS and Legislation.gov.uk so you can plan with confidence.