Privacy and Cookie Policy and Terms of Service

 Vet Home Certs privacy policy and service terms 

Last updated January 12, 2025

This privacy notice for Vet Home Certs Ltd (‘we’, ‘us’, or ‘our’), describes how and why we might collect, store, use, and/or share (‘process’) your information when you use our services (‘Services’), such as when you:

• Visit our website at https://www.vethomecerts.co.uk, or any website of ours that links to this privacy notice
• Engage with us in other related ways, including any sales, marketing, or events

Questions or concerns? Reading this privacy notice will help you understand your privacy rights and choices. If you do not agree with our policies and practices, please do not use our Services. 

These Legal Terms constitute a legally binding agreement made between you, whether personally or on behalf of an entity (‘you’), and Vet Home Certs Ltd, concerning your access to and use of the Services. You agree that by accessing the Services, you have read, understood, and agreed to be bound by all of these Legal Terms. IF YOU DO NOT AGREE WITH ALL OF THESE LEGAL TERMS, THEN YOU ARE EXPRESSLY PROHIBITED FROM USING THE SERVICES AND YOU MUST DISCONTINUE USE IMMEDIATELY.

Supplemental terms and conditions or documents that may be posted on the Services from time to time are hereby expressly incorporated herein by reference. We reserve the right, in our sole discretion, to make changes or modifications to these Legal Terms from time to time. We will alert you about any changes by updating the ‘Last updated’ date of these Legal Terms, and you waive any right to receive specific notice of each change. It is your responsibility to periodically review these Legal Terms to stay informed of updates. You will be subject to, and will be deemed to have been made aware of and to have accepted, the changes in any revised Legal Terms by your continued use of the Services after the date such revised Legal Terms are posted.

The Services are intended for users who are at least 18 years old. Persons under the age of 18 are not permitted to use or register for the Services.

We recommend that you print a copy of these Legal Terms for your records.

Privacy Policy notice

1 Who is responsible for your information

Vet Home Certs Ltd, company number SC786251, is responsible for personal information it uses to manage its website, enquiries, booking administration, certificate preparation and marketing. Our registered office is 36 Inchview Terrace, Edinburgh, EH7 6TQ. Contact team@vethomecerts.co.uk or 07421 176997 about this notice or your data.

An independent vet or veterinary practice may also be responsible for information it uses for professional certification, client records and its own legal obligations. Your booking identifies the relevant provider. Its own privacy notice applies to processing for which it is responsible. The parties’ actual roles are determined by how information is used, not just by the name on the invoice.

2 What information we collect and where it comes from

Your name, contact details, address, booking communications and information needed to identify the owner or authorised person.

Pet name, species, description, date of birth or age, microchip details, vaccination details, relevant health and handling information and supporting veterinary documents.

Travel dates, destinations, relevant journey information and declarations needed for the AHC.

Booking, invoice and payment information, complaints, consent records and marketing preferences.

Technical information needed for website operation and security, such as IP address, device or browser information and server logs. Cookie-based analytics or advertising information is handled as explained in the cookie notice.

We obtain information from you, a person authorised to arrange your booking, the vet or practice involved in your service, and your usual veterinary practice when relevant records are supplied. Payment and technology providers may supply information needed to administer transactions or operate the service.

Pet health information is used for certification and service delivery. Please do not send unnecessary information about a person’s health or other sensitive personal matters. Where such information is genuinely needed, we will explain the purpose and identify the applicable legal conditions before using it.

If you give us another person’s details, you must have authority to do so and direct them to this notice. We use those details for the booking and certification purposes that require them, rather than automatically adding that person to a marketing list.

3 Why we use information and our lawful bases

We use the information needed to quote, arrange and perform your booked service on the basis of taking steps at your request before a contract or performing a contract with you. Information necessary for an AHC must be supplied for the service to proceed. Without it, the vet may be unable to issue a certificate.

We use information to meet legal record-keeping and disclosure requirements where a legal obligation applies. We rely on legitimate interests for proportionate operational administration, security, handling enquiries from authorised persons, maintaining evidence of the service, resolving complaints and defending claims, where those interests are not outweighed by your rights. The interests are providing a reliable certification service and protecting clients, vets and the business.

For eligible VHC AHC marketing under the products and services, we rely on legitimate interests in reminding customers about related services and offers, subject to an upfront opt-out and the right to object. 

Where cookie or similar technology consent is required, we use that consent. Necessary website security and operation are supported by our legitimate interests and the applicable rules for essential technologies.

4 Who receives information

We share relevant information with the vet or practice responsible for your booking, your usual veterinary practice where needed to obtain or verify records, and providers supporting our forms, certificate software, hosting, storage, communications, payments and accounting. These providers receive information needed for their role, subject to appropriate arrangements.

Where required, information may be disclosed to APHA, other competent authorities, regulators, law enforcement bodies, courts, insurers and professional advisers. Certificate and declaration information may be used by the authorities handling your pet(s)’ travel.

If the business is sold or reorganised, relevant information may be shared with advisers or a successor where lawful and subject to appropriate protection. This does not automatically permit unrelated marketing.

5 Email marketing choices

If we collect your email address directly during a sale or a genuine enquiry about VHC’s AHC services, we may email you about our own similar veterinary services, including repeat travel reminders and offers, if the soft opt-in requirements are met. We offer a clear opt-out at the point of collection. If you opt out, we do not send those emails.

If you separately opt in, VHC may also email you about Pet Care Anywhere services. This choice is optional. To opt out please email team@vethomecerts.co.uk

You can unsubscribe using the link in a marketing email or contact us at team@vethomecerts.co.uk. You can opt out of all marketing. We keep the minimum information needed to respect your choice and prevent accidental re-enrolment. We may continue sending messages necessary for an active booking, certificate query or legal obligation.

6 Storage security and overseas processing

We use appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect information and limit access to people and providers who need it for their work. No method of storage or transmission can guarantee complete security.

7 How long information is kept

We retain information for the purposes for which it is needed. For completed AHC services, this includes the certificate and relevant supporting evidence, the applicable competent-authority record requirements, insurance conditions, accounting obligations and the period for relevant complaints or legal claims. We do not retain all information indefinitely solely in case it is useful later.

For enquiries that do not become bookings, we retain information only while it is needed to deal with the enquiry and any related dispute. Marketing details are retained while there is a valid basis to send relevant emails, subject to your choice and our retention review. A limited record of an objection or unsubscribe may be kept longer to ensure the choice is respected.

When information is no longer needed, it is deleted or anonymised. Backup copies are restricted to backup and recovery purposes and expire through the backup cycle. Where a live dispute, investigation or specific obligation justifies longer retention, the relevant records are kept for that reason. You can contact us for details of the retention criteria applicable to your information.

8 Your rights and complaints

Subject to the applicable conditions, you can ask for access to your personal information, correction, deletion, restriction of use or transfer of information supplied under consent or contract. You can object to use based on legitimate interests and you have an unconditional right to object to direct marketing. You can withdraw consent at any time without affecting the lawfulness of its earlier use.

Some records must be retained to meet an obligation or deal with a claim, so deletion is not always available. Pet records may also contain personal information about other people; we will consider their rights when responding.

Contact team@vethomecerts.co.uk to make a request. You do not have to complete a special form. We may need proportionate information to confirm your identity. You can complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office at ico.org.uk or on 0303 123 1113. We would also welcome the opportunity to address a concern directly.

9 Children decisions and notice updates

Our booking service is for people aged 18 or over and we do not direct marketing to children. If unnecessary information about a child is supplied, we will deal with it appropriately rather than treating it as permission to market.

The professional decision about AHC issue is made by an Official Veterinarian. This draft does not authorise a solely automated decision to refuse certification. We will explain any significant new use of your information and obtain consent where required. We update the date of this notice when it changes; an update does not retrospectively broaden your marketing choices.

Cookie notice

Vet Home Certs Ltd uses cookies and similar technologies on vethomecerts.co.uk. These can store or read information on your device to operate the website, remember choices and, where enabled lawfully, measure use or support advertising. This notice should be read with our privacy notice.

Essential and optional technologies

Strictly necessary technologies are used where needed to deliver a service you request, maintain security or remember your cookie preferences. Optional analytics and advertising technologies require the applicable permission or other specific lawful exception. Accepting email marketing does not count as agreeing to website tracking.

You can accept or reject optional categories and change your choice through the website’s cookie settings. Rejecting optional tracking does not prevent an AHC booking. Browser settings can also control cookies, although blocking essential technologies may affect functions you ask to use.

Third parties may serve cookies on your computer or mobile device to serve advertising through our Website. These companies may use information about your visits to this and other websites in order to provide relevant advertisements about goods and services that you may be interested in. They may also employ technology that is used to measure the effectiveness of advertisements. They can accomplish this by using cookies or web beacons to collect information about your visits to this and other sites in order to provide relevant advertisements about goods and services of potential interest to you. The information collected through this process does not enable us or them to identify your name, contact details, or other details that directly identify you unless you choose to provide these.

What are cookies?

Cookies are small data files that are placed on your computer or mobile device when you visit a website. Cookies are widely used by website owners in order to make their websites work, or to work more efficiently, as well as to provide reporting information.

Cookies set by the website owner (in this case, Vet Home Certs Ltd) are called “first-party cookies.” Cookies set by parties other than the website owner are called “third-party cookies.” Third-party cookies enable third-party features or functionality to be provided on or through the website (e.g., advertising, interactive content, and analytics). The parties that set these third-party cookies can recognize your computer both when it visits the website in question and also when it visits certain other websites.

Why do we use cookies?

We use first- and third-party cookies for several reasons. Some cookies are required for technical reasons in order for our Website to operate, and we refer to these as “essential” or “strictly necessary” cookies. Other cookies also enable us to track and target the interests of our users to enhance the experience on our Online Properties. Third parties serve cookies through our Website for advertising, analytics, and other purposes. This is described in more detail below.

How can I control cookies?

You have the right to decide whether to accept or reject cookies. You can exercise your cookie rights by setting your preferences in the Cookie Consent Manager. The Cookie Consent Manager allows you to select which categories of cookies you accept or reject. Essential cookies cannot be rejected as they are strictly necessary to provide you with services.

The Cookie Consent Manager can be found in the notification banner and on our website. If you choose to reject cookies, you may still use our website though your access to some functionality and areas of our website may be restricted. You may also set or amend your web browser controls to accept or refuse cookies.

The specific types of first- and third-party cookies served through our Website and the purposes they perform are described in the table below (please note that the specific cookies served may vary depending on the specific Online Properties you visit):

Analytics and customization cookies:

These cookies collect information that is used either in aggregate form to help us understand how our Website is being used or how effective our marketing campaigns are, or to help us customize our Website for you.

Name: g.gif

Purpose: __________

Provider: pixel.wp.com

Service: __________

Country: United States

Type: pixel_tracker

Expires in: session

Name: ga#

Purpose: Used to distinguish individual users by means of designation of a randomly generated number as client identifier, which allows calculation of visits and sessions

Provider: .vethomecerts.co.uk

Service: Google Analytics View Service Privacy Policy

Country: United States

Type: http_cookie

Expires in: 1 year 1 month 4 days

Name: _ga

Purpose: Records a particular ID used to come up with data about website usage by the user

Provider: .vethomecerts.co.uk 

Service: Google Analytics View Service Privacy Policy

Country: United States

Type: http_cookie

Expires in: 1 year 1 month 4 days

Unclassified cookies:

These are cookies that have not yet been categorized. We are in the process of classifying these cookies with the help of their providers.

Name: _cfuvid

Purpose: __________

Provider: .vethomecerts.co.uk

Service: __________

Country: United States

Type: server_cookie

Expires in: session

Name: wpEmojiSettingsSupports

Purpose: __________

Provider: vethomecerts.co.uk

Service: __________

Country: United States

Type: html_session_storage

Expires in: session

Name: _cfuvid

Purpose: __________

Provider: .www.vethomecerts.co.uk

Service: __________

Country: United States

Type: server_cookie

Expires in: sessionContact and updates

Contact team@vethomecerts.co.uk if you have questions about cookies. We update this notice and the technology list when the website’s use changes. Tracking of marketing-email opens is not enabled by this notice; any such tracking needs its own assessment and information before use.

1 Who we are and who provides your service

Vet Home Certs Ltd is registered in Scotland under company number SC786251. Our registered office is 36 Inchview Terrace, Edinburgh, EH7 6TQ. You can contact us at team@vethomecerts.co.uk or on 07421 176997.

We help arrange and prepare Animal Health Certificates, referred to as AHCs, with Official Veterinarians, when you instruct our teams to do so. You are responsible to identify the travel requirements and are ultimately responsible to obtain the certification you require. Your quotation or booking confirmation will identify the business responsible for the service you are buying, its contact details and the work it will provide. This may be Vet Home Certs Ltd or a named independent vet or veterinary practice.

If VHC acts as an agent or collects payment for another provider, we will explain that before you pay. If separate businesses provide separate parts of the service, the confirmation will identify each part and the business responsible for it. These terms do not transfer responsibility merely because a different business issues the invoice. The Official Veterinarian remains responsible for the professional certification decision.

2 Your booking and the service you are buying

You must be at least 18 to make a booking and have authority to arrange the service for the pet(s) and to provide the information and declarations required.

Submitting a request does not confirm an appointment. Your booking is confirmed when the appointment has been agreed, payment has been received and a confirmation has been sent. We will tell you the agreed price, provider, appointment arrangements and any additional charges before you pay.

The agreed service includes the administration and document preparation described in your booking, the AHC appointment and the Official Veterinarian’s decision on whether certification requirements are met. Where the requirements are met, it includes the issuance of the AHC. Payment does not guarantee that an AHC will be issued, for example the vet may refuse to issue the AHC based on health concerns for your pet.

The terms and price agreed for your booking apply to that booking. Later website updates do not retrospectively change an existing booking. Additional work or changes to your booking must be agreed with you.

These Legal Terms shall remain in full force and effect while you use the Services. WITHOUT LIMITING ANY OTHER PROVISION OF THESE LEGAL TERMS, WE RESERVE THE RIGHT TO, IN OUR SOLE DISCRETION AND WITHOUT NOTICE OR LIABILITY, DENY ACCESS TO AND USE OF THE SERVICES (INCLUDING BLOCKING CERTAIN IP ADDRESSES), TO ANY PERSON FOR ANY REASON OR FOR NO REASON, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION FOR BREACH OF ANY REPRESENTATION, WARRANTY, OR COVENANT CONTAINED IN THESE LEGAL TERMS OR OF ANY APPLICABLE LAW OR REGULATION. WE MAY TERMINATE YOUR USE OR PARTICIPATION IN THE SERVICES OR DELETE ANY CONTENT OR INFORMATION THAT YOU POSTED AT ANY TIME, WITHOUT WARNING, IN OUR SOLE DISCRETION.

3 Information and supporting records

You must provide accurate and complete owner, authorised-person, pet identification, vaccination, relevant health and travel details. You must arrange for the supporting records requested for the booking to be supplied in time.

Tell us promptly if your pet(s)’ health, vaccination information, identification, travelling person, travel date or destination changes. Tell us about relevant signs of illness, recent injuries or procedures, diagnosed conditions and relevant infectious disease exposure.

You are responsible for the accuracy of information you supply. We and the Official Veterinarian must still carry out the checks required of us and use reasonable care and skill. You must check the factual details you are asked to confirm and report any apparent error promptly. Do not alter a signed certificate yourself.

If information or evidence is late, missing or inconsistent, the appointment or certificate may need to be postponed. Further work or a further appointment may be needed. We will explain any additional agreed charge before that work is carried out.

We collect personal information that you voluntarily provide to us when you express an interest in obtaining information about us or our products and Services, when you participate in activities on the Services, or otherwise when you contact us.

Personal Information Provided by You. The personal information that we collect depends on the context of your interactions with us and the Services, the choices you make, and the products and features you use. The personal information we collect may include the following:

• names
• phone numbers
• email addresses
• mailing addresses
• job titles
• pet names

Like many businesses, we also collect information through cookies and similar technologies.

The information we collect includes:

Log and Usage Data. Log and usage data is service-related, diagnostic, usage, and performance information our servers automatically collect when you access or use our Services and which we record in log files. Depending on how you interact with us, this log data may include your IP address, device information, browser type, and settings and information about your activity in the Services (such as the date/time stamps associated with your usage, pages and files viewed, searches, and other actions you take such as which features you use), device event information (such as system activity, error reports (sometimes called ‘crash dumps’), and hardware settings).

Location Data. We collect location data such as information about your device’s location, which can be either precise or imprecise. How much information we collect depends on the type and settings of the device you use to access the Services. For example, we may use GPS and other technologies to collect geolocation data that tells us your current location (based on your IP address). You can opt out of allowing us to collect this information either by refusing access to the information or by disabling your Location setting on your device. However, if you choose to opt out, you may not be able to use certain aspects of the Services.

We process your personal information for a variety of reasons, depending on how you interact with our Services, including:

• To deliver and facilitate delivery of services to the user. We may process your information to provide you with the requested service and inform you of related similar services regarding pet care.
• To respond to user inquiries/offer support to users. We may process your information to respond to your inquiries and solve any potential issues you might have with the requested service.
• To send administrative information to you. We may process your information to send you details about our products and services, changes to our terms and policies, and other similar information.
• To fulfil and manage your orders. We may process your information to fulfil and manage your orders, payments, returns, and exchanges made through the Services.
• To save or protect an individual’s vital interest. We may process your information when necessary to save or protect an individual’s vital interest, such as to prevent harm.

The Services does not offer users to submit or post content. We may provide you with the opportunity to create, submit, post, display, transmit, perform, publish, distribute, or broadcast content and materials to us or on the Services, including but not limited to text, writings, video, audio, photographs, graphics, comments, suggestions, or personal information or other material (collectively, ‘Contributions’). Contributions may be viewable by other users of the Services and through third-party websites. As such, any Contributions you transmit may be treated in accordance with the Services’ Privacy Policy. When you create or make available any Contributions, you thereby represent and warrant that:

• The creation, distribution, transmission, public display, or performance, and the accessing, downloading, or copying of your Contributions do not and will not infringe the proprietary rights, including but not limited to the copyright, patent, trademark, trade secret, or moral rights of any third party.
• You are the creator and owner of or have the necessary licences, rights, consents, releases, and permissions to use and to authorise us, the Services, and other users of the Services to use your Contributions in any manner contemplated by the Services and these Legal Terms.
• You have the written consent, release, and/or permission of each and every identifiable individual person in your Contributions to use the name or likeness of each and every such identifiable individual person to enable inclusion and use of your Contributions in any manner contemplated by the Services and these Legal Terms.
• Your Contributions are not false, inaccurate, or misleading.
• Your Contributions are not unsolicited or unauthorised advertising, promotional materials, pyramid schemes, chain letters, spam, mass mailings, or other forms of solicitation.
• Your Contributions are not obscene, lewd, lascivious, filthy, violent, harassing, libellous, slanderous, or otherwise objectionable (as determined by us).
• Your Contributions do not ridicule, mock, disparage, intimidate, or abuse anyone.
• Your Contributions do not used to harass or threaten (in the legal sense of those terms) any other person and to promote violence against a specific person or class of people.
• Your Contributions do not violate any applicable law, regulation, or rule.
• Your Contributions do not violate the privacy or publicity rights of any third party.
• Your Contributions do not violate any applicable law concerning child pornography, or otherwise intended to protect the health or well-being of minors.
• Your Contributions do not include any offensive comments that are connected to race, national origin, gender, sexual preference, or physical handicap.
• Your Contributions do not otherwise violate, or link to material that violates, any provision of these Legal Terms, or any applicable law or regulation.
• You accept liability for any errors within the Animal Health Certificate that originated from information that you provided to us, in our contact forms and over email.

Any use of the Services in violation of the foregoing violates these Legal Terms and may result in, among other things, termination or suspension of your rights to use the Services.

• PROHIBITED ACTIVITIES

You may not access or use the Services for any purpose other than that for which we make the Services available. The Services may not be used in connection with any commercial endeavours except those that are specifically endorsed or approved by us.

As a user of the Services, you agree not to:

• Systematically retrieve data or other content from the Services to create or compile, directly or indirectly, a collection, compilation, database, or directory without written permission from us.
• Trick, defraud, or mislead us and other users, especially in any attempt to learn sensitive account information such as user passwords.
• Circumvent, disable, or otherwise interfere with security-related features of the Services, including features that prevent or restrict the use or copying of any Content or enforce limitations on the use of the Services and/or the Content contained therein.
• Disparage, tarnish, or otherwise harm, in our opinion, us and/or the Services.
• Use any information obtained from the Services in order to harass, abuse, or harm another person.
• Make improper use of our support services or submit false reports of abuse or misconduct.
• Use the Services in a manner inconsistent with any applicable laws or regulations.
• Engage in unauthorised framing of or linking to the Services.
• Upload or transmit (or attempt to upload or to transmit) viruses, Trojan horses, or other material, including excessive use of capital letters and spamming (continuous posting of repetitive text), that interferes with any party’s uninterrupted use and enjoyment of the Services or modifies, impairs, disrupts, alters, or interferes with the use, features, functions, operation, or maintenance of the Services.
• Engage in any automated use of the system, such as using scripts to send comments or messages, or using any data mining, robots, or similar data gathering and extraction tools.
• Delete the copyright or other proprietary rights notice from any Content.
• Attempt to impersonate another user or person or use the username of another user.
• Upload or transmit (or attempt to upload or to transmit) any material that acts as a passive or active information collection or transmission mechanism, including without limitation, clear graphics interchange formats (‘gifs’), 1×1 pixels, web bugs, cookies, or other similar devices (sometimes referred to as ‘spyware’ or ‘passive collection mechanisms’ or ‘pcms’).
• Interfere with, disrupt, or create an undue burden on the Services or the networks or services connected to the Services.
• Harass, annoy, intimidate, or threaten any of our employees or agents engaged in providing any portion of the Services to you.
• Attempt to bypass any measures of the Services designed to prevent or restrict access to the Services, or any portion of the Services.
• Copy or adapt the Services’ software, including but not limited to Flash, PHP, HTML, JavaScript, or other code.
• Except as permitted by applicable law, decipher, decompile, disassemble, reverse engineer, or otherwise attempt to derive any source code comprising or in any way making up a part of the Services.
• Except as may be the result of standard search engine or Internet browser usage, launch, develop, or distribute any automated system, including without limitation, any spider, robot, cheat utility, scraper, or offline reader that accesses the Services, or to launch any unauthorised script or other software.
• Use a buying agent or purchasing agent to make purchases on the Services.
• Make any unauthorised use of the Services, including collecting usernames and/or email addresses of users by electronic or other means for the purpose of sending unsolicited email, or creating user accounts by automated means or under false pretenses.
• PROHIBITED ACTIVITIES

You may not access or use the Services for any purpose other than that for which we make the Services available. The Services may not be used in connection with any commercial endeavours except those that are specifically endorsed or approved by us.

As a user of the Services, you agree not to:

• Systematically retrieve data or other content from the Services to create or compile, directly or indirectly, a collection, compilation, database, or directory without written permission from us.
• Trick, defraud, or mislead us and other users, especially in any attempt to learn sensitive account information such as user passwords.
• Circumvent, disable, or otherwise interfere with security-related features of the Services, including features that prevent or restrict the use or copying of any Content or enforce limitations on the use of the Services and/or the Content contained therein.
• Disparage, tarnish, or otherwise harm, in our opinion, us and/or the Services.
• Use any information obtained from the Services in order to harass, abuse, or harm another person.
• Make improper use of our support services or submit false reports of abuse or misconduct.
• Use the Services in a manner inconsistent with any applicable laws or regulations.
• Engage in unauthorised framing of or linking to the Services.
• Upload or transmit (or attempt to upload or to transmit) viruses, Trojan horses, or other material, including excessive use of capital letters and spamming (continuous posting of repetitive text), that interferes with any party’s uninterrupted use and enjoyment of the Services or modifies, impairs, disrupts, alters, or interferes with the use, features, functions, operation, or maintenance of the Services.
• Engage in any automated use of the system, such as using scripts to send comments or messages, or using any data mining, robots, or similar data gathering and extraction tools.
• Delete the copyright or other proprietary rights notice from any Content.
• Attempt to impersonate another user or person or use the username of another user.
• Upload or transmit (or attempt to upload or to transmit) any material that acts as a passive or active information collection or transmission mechanism, including without limitation, clear graphics interchange formats (‘gifs’), 1×1 pixels, web bugs, cookies, or other similar devices (sometimes referred to as ‘spyware’ or ‘passive collection mechanisms’ or ‘pcms’).
• Interfere with, disrupt, or create an undue burden on the Services or the networks or services connected to the Services.
• Harass, annoy, intimidate, or threaten any of our employees or agents engaged in providing any portion of the Services to you.
• Attempt to bypass any measures of the Services designed to prevent or restrict access to the Services, or any portion of the Services.
• Copy or adapt the Services’ software, including but not limited to Flash, PHP, HTML, JavaScript, or other code.
• Except as permitted by applicable law, decipher, decompile, disassemble, reverse engineer, or otherwise attempt to derive any source code comprising or in any way making up a part of the Services.
• Except as may be the result of standard search engine or Internet browser usage, launch, develop, or distribute any automated system, including without limitation, any spider, robot, cheat utility, scraper, or offline reader that accesses the Services, or to launch any unauthorised script or other software.
• Use a buying agent or purchasing agent to make purchases on the Services.
• Make any unauthorised use of the Services, including collecting usernames and/or email addresses of users by electronic or other means for the purpose of sending unsolicited email, or creating user accounts by automated means or under false pretenses.

4 Health inspection and certification

At the AHC appointment, the Official Veterinarian will carry out a health inspection of the pet(s), verify their identity and review the supporting evidence needed for certification.

The Official Veterinarian may refuse or postpone issuing an AHC where they cannot lawfully or professionally certify the pet(s). This includes health, welfare or fitness-for-journey concerns; unmet identification or vaccination requirements; missing, inaccurate or inconsistent evidence; or an inability to complete the health inspection and required checks safely.

The vet’s professional judgement is independent. Neither booking nor payment requires the vet to issue a certificate. The reason for refusal or postponement will be explained to you where it is appropriate to do so.

The health inspection is for AHC certification purposes. Diagnosis, treatment and other veterinary services are included only if separately agreed. If further veterinary care is needed, you should arrange it with a separate suitable veterinary provider.

5 Fees and additional work

We accept the following forms of payment: Bank Transfer (From UK bank account)

You agree to provide current, complete, and accurate purchase and account information for all purchases made via the Services. You further agree to promptly update account and payment information, including email address, payment method, and payment card expiration date, so that we can complete your transactions and contact you as needed. Sales tax will be added to the price of purchases as deemed required by us. We may change prices at any time. All payments shall be in Pounds.

You agree to pay all charges at the prices then in effect for your purchases and any applicable shipping fees, and you authorise us to charge your chosen payment provider for any such amounts upon placing your order. We reserve the right to correct any errors or mistakes in pricing, even if we have already requested or received payment.

We reserve the right to refuse any order placed through the Services. We may, in our sole discretion, limit or cancel quantities purchased per person, per household, or per order. These restrictions may include orders placed by or under the same customer account, the same payment method, and/or orders that use the same billing or shipping address. We reserve the right to limit or prohibit orders that, in our sole judgement, appear to be placed by dealers, resellers, or distributors.

Prices are stated in pounds sterling and include VAT where applicable. The payment method and total amount due will be stated before payment. Future price changes do not change the price already agreed for your booking.

The agreed fee pays for the agreed preparation, administration, appointment and certification decision. Where all those services have been completed with reasonable care and skill, the full fee remains payable even if an AHC cannot be issued because the pet(s) do not meet the health, welfare, eligibility or supporting-evidence requirements. There is no refund merely because that completed professional assessment results in a decision not to issue an AHC.

Where the service has not been completed, the cancellation and interruption provisions below apply. Any further health inspection, appointment, new certificate or substantial reworking is a separate service unless your quotation says otherwise.

Additional administrative charges may apply where extra work is needed. The existing charges are £15 per pet with two or more microchips and if an Authorised person is involved with the travel arrangements, and £10 per pet where the AHC needs two rabies vaccination certificates to evidence vaccination continuity. We will explain the relevant charge and obtain your agreement before the extra work.

A £30 administrative charge may apply to changes you request after booking, including changes that require documents to be revised. We will explain the charge before carrying out the change. Charges must be proportionate to the additional work. We do not charge you to correct an error caused by us or the service provider.

Changes may not be possible at short notice. A different appointment or a new certificate may be needed. No optional additional work will be charged without your agreement.

6 Starting work and cancellation

We normally start substantive preparation soon after payment. Once an appointment is confirmed and payment received, only then will the appointment be classed as having been arranged.

All sales are final and the standard policy is that no refund will be issued after an appointment has been arranged.  If you fail to meet us at the agreed location and time we may not be able to complete the service, in this instance a refund would not be available.

7 Appointment attendance and safety

Bring all pet(s) included in the booking and the original supporting documents requested. Attend at the agreed place and time. The owner or authorised person must be able to provide any required declarations and signatures.

Tell us beforehand about handling difficulties, aggressive behaviour or access risks. You must provide safe access and reasonable assistance with safely presenting the pet(s).

The vet may stop or decline an appointment where there is a material safety risk, threatening or abusive behaviour, or an inability to complete the required checks safely. They reserve the right to refuse service.

If you miss the appointment or the service cannot be completed because of circumstances within your control, we will charge for the work undertaken and are not bound to issue the certification at another time as the vet may not be available. 

8 Delays and inability to provide the service

We will use reasonable care and skill to provide the agreed service at the agreed place and time. If the vet is unavailable, travel is disrupted or another event affects delivery, we will contact you as soon as reasonably practicable and explain the available options.

9 Travel responsibilities and errors

You are responsible for telling us your actual travel plans and checking the entry, route, carrier and return requirements for those plans. Follow the validity periods, treatment requirements and instructions applicable to your certificate. Tell us if the journey changes so we can advise whether the booked certificate service remains suitable.

An AHC does not guarantee that a carrier or border authority will admit your pet(s). Their decisions may depend on circumstances beyond the service provider’s control. This does not excuse a failure to prepare or certify the documents with reasonable care and skill.

Report any suspected certificate error promptly so that the provider and vet can consider the permitted correction or replacement. Corrections must follow the applicable certification rules. An admin charge may apply to reworking caused by information you supplied or a later change you request, subject to agreement. 

10 Responsibility for loss

The service provider is responsible for foreseeable loss caused by its breach of contract or failure to use reasonable care and skill. A loss is foreseeable if it was an obvious consequence or both parties knew it might occur when the booking was agreed.

The provider is not responsible for loss caused solely by inaccurate or withheld information, your failure to conduct your own research and follow applicable travel requirements, a later change in your plans that was not communicated, or an independent carrier or authority decision, provided the provider has fulfilled its own obligations. It is ultimately your responsibility to determine the travel arrangements required.

The service is offered for personal pet travel. Business losses from using this consumer service are not covered. These terms do not exclude liability for death or personal injury caused by negligence, fraud or other liability that cannot legally be excluded. Nothing in these terms limits rights that the law does not allow us to limit. The Vets act independently and it is ultimately their personal indemnity insurance responsible for any claims, not Vet Home Certs Ltd.

11 Website use and client documents

Our website content, branding and software belong to us or our licensors. You may use the website for legitimate enquiries and bookings and may download and keep documents supplied for your own use. You must not misuse the website, interfere with its security, introduce harmful code, obtain unauthorised access or copy our software or branding for commercial use without permission.

You must have authority to provide documents and personal information submitted for a booking. Client records and supporting documents are handled under the privacy notice. Sending them to us does not make them public or transfer ownership of them to VHC.

External websites have their own terms and privacy notices. Links are provided for relevant information. We remain responsible for the services and statements for which we are legally responsible.

• INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS

Our intellectual property

We are the owner or the licensee of all intellectual property rights in our Services, including all source code, databases, functionality, software, website designs, audio, video, text, photographs, and graphics in the Services (collectively, the ‘Content’), as well as the trademarks, service marks, and logos contained therein (the ‘Marks’).

Our Content and Marks are protected by copyright and trademark laws (and various other intellectual property rights and unfair competition laws) and treaties in the United States and around the world.

The Content and Marks are provided in or through the Services ‘AS IS’ for your personal, non-commercial use only.

Your use of our Services

Subject to your compliance with these Legal Terms, including the ‘PROHIBITED ACTIVITIES’ section below, we grant you a non-exclusive, non-transferable, revocable licence to:

• access the Services; and
• download or print a copy of any portion of the Content to which you have properly gained access.

solely for your personal, non-commercial use.

Except as set out in this section or elsewhere in our Legal Terms, no part of the Services and no Content or Marks may be copied, reproduced, aggregated, republished, uploaded, posted, publicly displayed, encoded, translated, transmitted, distributed, sold, licensed, or otherwise exploited for any commercial purpose whatsoever, without our express prior written permission.

If you wish to make any use of the Services, Content, or Marks other than as set out in this section or elsewhere in our Legal Terms, please address your request to: vethomecerts@gmail.com. If we ever grant you the permission to post, reproduce, or publicly display any part of our Services or Content, you must identify us as the owners or licensors of the Services, Content, or Marks and ensure that any copyright or proprietary notice appears or is visible on posting, reproducing, or displaying our Content.

We reserve all rights not expressly granted to you in and to the Services, Content, and Marks.

Any breach of these Intellectual Property Rights will constitute a material breach of our Legal Terms and your right to use our Services will terminate immediately.

Your submissions

Please review this section and the ‘PROHIBITED ACTIVITIES’ section carefully prior to using our Services to understand the (a) rights you give us and (b) obligations you have when you post or upload any content through the Services.

Submissions: By directly sending us any question, comment, suggestion, idea, feedback, or other information about the Services (‘Submissions’), you agree to assign to us all intellectual property rights in such Submission. You agree that we shall own this Submission and be entitled to its unrestricted use and dissemination for any lawful purpose, commercial or otherwise, without acknowledgment or compensation to you.

You are responsible for what you post or upload: By sending us Submissions through any part of the Services you:

• confirm that you have read and agree with our ‘PROHIBITED ACTIVITIES’ and will not post, send, publish, upload, or transmit through the Services any Submission that is illegal, harassing, hateful, harmful, defamatory, obscene, bullying, abusive, discriminatory, threatening to any person or group, sexually explicit, false, inaccurate, deceitful, or misleading; to the extent permissible by applicable law, waive any and all moral rights to any such Submission; warrant that any such Submission are original to you or that you have the necessary rights and licences to submit such Submissions and that you have full authority to grant us the above-mentioned rights in relation to your Submissions; and warrant and represent that your Submissions do not constitute confidential information.

You are solely responsible for your Submissions and you expressly agree to reimburse us for any and all losses that we may suffer because of your breach of (a) this section, (b) any third party’s intellectual property rights, or (c) applicable law.

12 Communications and marketing

We use email, telephone and the communication channels agreed for your booking to send confirmations, request records, arrange appointments and provide service information. These necessary service messages are separate from marketing preferences.

VHC may send email reminders and offers about its own similar services where the conditions for the products and services where you have not opted out, or where you have separately consented. This includes marketing communications, to opt out please email team@vethomecerts.co.uk.

Online acceptance and email confirmations can record your booking agreement. Any signatures, declarations and original documents required by the AHC rules must still be provided in the required form.

13 Complaints and applicable law

Please contact VHC at vethomecerts@gmail.com with your booking reference and the issue. We will identify the business responsible and help route your complaint. You can also contact the provider named in your confirmation directly. A complaint about professional certification will be referred to the vet or practice responsible.

If a complaint remains unresolved, we will provide information about a suitable alternative dispute resolution body and state whether the responsible provider is willing or required to use it. 

Informal Negotiations

To expedite resolution and control the cost of any dispute, controversy, or claim related to these Legal Terms (each a ‘Dispute’ and collectively, the ‘Disputes’) brought by either you or us (individually, a ‘Party’ and collectively, the ‘Parties’), the Parties agree to first attempt to negotiate any Dispute (except those Disputes expressly provided below) informally for at least thirty (30) days before initiating arbitration. Such informal negotiations commence upon written notice from one Party to the other Party.

Binding Arbitration

Any dispute arising from the relationships between the Parties to these Legal Terms shall be determined by one arbitrator who will be chosen in accordance with the Arbitration and Internal Rules of the European Court of Arbitration being part of the European Centre of Arbitration having its seat in Strasbourg, which are in force at the time the application for arbitration is filed, and of which adoption of this clause constitutes acceptance. The seat of arbitration shall be the United Kingdom. The language of the proceedings shall be English.

Restrictions

The Parties agree that any arbitration shall be limited to the Dispute between the Parties individually. To the full extent permitted by law, (a) no arbitration shall be joined with any other proceeding; (b) there is no right or authority for any Dispute to be arbitrated on a class-action basis or to utilise class action procedures; and (c) there is no right or authority for any Dispute to be brought in a purported representative capacity on behalf of the general public or any other persons.

Exceptions to Informal Negotiations and Arbitration

The Parties agree that the following Disputes are not subject to the above provisions concerning informal negotiations binding arbitration: (a) any Disputes seeking to enforce or protect, or concerning the validity of, any of the intellectual property rights of a Party; (b) any Dispute related to, or arising from, allegations of theft, piracy, invasion of privacy, or unauthorised use; and (c) any claim for injunctive relief. If this provision is found to be illegal or unenforceable, then neither Party will elect to arbitrate any Dispute falling within that portion of this provision found to be illegal or unenforceable and such Dispute shall be decided by a court of competent jurisdiction within the courts listed for jurisdiction above, and the Parties agree to submit to the personal jurisdiction of that court.

VHC’s contract is governed by Scots law. This does not deprive consumers of mandatory protections or the right to bring a claim in a court available to them under applicable law. Where a separate independent provider contracts with you, its booking confirmation must identify any applicable governing-law provision without removing those protections.

If a provision is unenforceable, the remaining provisions continue so far as legally possible. We may not transfer a booking in a way that materially reduces your contractual protections without your agreement.

These Legal Terms and any policies or operating rules posted by us on the Services or in respect to the Services constitute the entire agreement and understanding between you and us. Our failure to exercise or enforce any right or provision of these Legal Terms shall not operate as a waiver of such right or provision. These Legal Terms operate to the fullest extent permissible by law. We may assign any or all of our rights and obligations to others at any time. We shall not be responsible or liable for any loss, damage, delay, or failure to act caused by any cause beyond our reasonable control. If any provision or part of a provision of these Legal Terms is determined to be unlawful, void, or unenforceable, that provision or part of the provision is deemed severable from these Legal Terms and does not affect the validity and enforceability of any remaining provisions. There is no joint venture, partnership, employment or agency relationship created between you and us as a result of these Legal Terms or use of the Services. You agree that these Legal Terms will not be construed against us by virtue of having drafted them. You hereby waive any and all defences you may have based on the electronic form of these Legal Terms and the lack of signing by the parties hereto to execute these Legal Terms.