Case: Obtained Veterinary Licences for a Mobile Veterinary Unit and Two Outpatient Clinics in Different Regions of Ukraine

The latest licensing order issued by the State Service of Ukraine on Food Safety and Consumer Protection confirmed the effectiveness of our team’s strategy: three clients of Prikhodko & Partners from different regions of Ukraine officially legalised their veterinary businesses at the same time.

Following the cancellation of veterinary declarations, operating without an official authorisation became a direct threat to the business and a source of serious fines. The licensing authority — the State Service of Ukraine on Food Safety and Consumer Protection — imposes strict requirements on facilities, equipment and staffing. Our clients chose different models for developing their veterinary businesses, and each format required an individual legal approach.

Representatives of three businesses approached our medical and veterinary law specialists for assistance with obtaining a veterinary practice licence.

Client 1: Mobile veterinary unit with retail sales

Format: mobile services for prompt treatment of animals at their place of keeping, combined with the retail sale of veterinary medicines.

This client’s activities focused on providing prompt veterinary services at different locations, primarily for farms, and delivering treatment and preventive care to animals by travelling to farms of different forms of ownership.

A veterinary medicine unit is a facility for a veterinary doctor who provides services for the treatment and prevention of animal diseases at farms of different forms of ownership.

Alongside mobile services, the client’s business model also included the retail sale of veterinary medicines. This format required an individual legal approach to preparing the authorisation documents, as the key objective was to legalise the specialists’ right to officially issue prescriptions for veterinary medicines.

Clients 2 and 3: Traditional veterinary outpatient clinics

Format: two separate establishments in different regions, with different owners, focused on patient consultations, therapeutic treatment, diagnostics and routine vaccination.

To successfully obtain a veterinary practice licence, an establishment must fully comply with the requirements of the State Service of Ukraine on Food Safety and Consumer Protection concerning the zoning and equipment of premises. Legislation strictly distinguishes the requirements for facilities and equipment depending on the selected veterinary business format.

Mandatory structure of a veterinary outpatient clinic

The outpatient format requires clearly regulated premises or designated areas that ensure a safe and continuous treatment process:

• Reception area: a place for registration and coordination of patients.
• Clinical area: consulting rooms for specialists, an examination area, as well as premises for treatment procedures and surgical interventions, including an operating room.
• Diagnostic area: a separate diagnostic room.
• Infection control: a sterilisation room specially equipped for sterilising medical instruments, materials and protective clothing.
• Storage areas: isolated areas for the safe storage of medicines, biological products and instruments, taking into account their physical and chemical properties, as well as a separate area for household equipment.

Specific requirements for veterinary clinics

If you plan to open a full-scale veterinary clinic, in addition to the basic outpatient requirements listed above, the premises must also include an area for inpatient accommodation of sick animals and/or an isolation unit.

Specialised and high-tech rooms

Both veterinary clinics and outpatient facilities may expand their activities by setting up specialised rooms with dedicated medical equipment. The most common are X-ray rooms and ultrasound diagnostic rooms.

Failure of the premises to comply with the approved functional zoning requirements is one of the most common reasons for refusal by the regulator. To avoid bureaucratic problems when preparing the “Information on the Condition of Facilities and Equipment”, the licensing procedure should be entrusted to specialised professionals.

Comprehensive assistance with obtaining a veterinary practice licence from the experts at Prikhodko & Partners ensures a safe start for your business from the first attempt.

Stages of turnkey legal support

Independent attempts to prepare authorisation documents often lead to technical and legal errors, resulting in refusals. To secure the result for all three clients, our lawyers implemented a comprehensive process:

• Legal audit of facilities, equipment and premises: we carried out an urgent review of the existing facilities and equipment of the outpatient clinics and the operating procedures of the mobile unit.
• Review of personnel documentation: we thoroughly checked the qualification documents of the veterinary doctors. The specifics of the form of ownership were taken into account: a legal entity must employ at least one specialist with the relevant education, whereas a sole proprietor must personally have the relevant professional education.
• Preparation of document packages: individual applications and supporting information were prepared for each client, fully reflecting the specific nature of their activities — fixed-location consultations or a mobile unit combined with the sale of veterinary medicines.
• Submission and communication with the regulator: the documents were submitted to the State Service of Ukraine on Food Safety and Consumer Protection with full legal support until a positive decision was issued.

Result: 100% success in a single order

The document packages for all three clients were accepted by the State Service of Ukraine on Food Safety and Consumer Protection without any comments. In the latest licensing order, all three businesses received official licences for the veterinary unit and veterinary outpatient clinics.

The veterinary unit can now lawfully provide mobile services, sell veterinary medicines and legally issue prescriptions for veterinary medicines. The two outpatient clinics can lawfully receive patients at their facilities. The risks of fines from regulatory authorities have been reduced to zero, while animals receive timely and qualified veterinary care.

If you are planning to launch a veterinary consulting room, mobile service or have faced a refusal in Diia when applying for a veterinary licence, do not put your reputation or finances at risk. Prikhodko & Partners handles the full scope of work, ensuring a fast result without bureaucratic obstacles. Contact our specialised professionals for a safe start to your veterinary business.