How do I apply to renew my VDS policy?

Online Renewal

You can apply to renew your cover for 2026 quickly and simply by logging in to your VDS account before midnight on Wednesday 31 December 2025. 

Each VDS Practice has been allocated a Super User, who can renew, manage and arrange payment for your Practice's VDS cover online.

If your Practice was insured with the VDS on 1 November 2025 and your renewal is completed online by 31 December 2025, you may be eligible for a loyalty discount. This will be shown on your invoice.

Continuity of cover

To ensure continuity of cover into 2026 and qualify for any Mutual Bonus Discount for which you are eligible, it is important that you apply to renew your Policy before midnight on Wednesday 31 December 2025. If you apply after this date, we may have to issue you with a new Proposal Form and any entitlement to the loyalty discount or mutual bonus may be lost. You would also lose continuity of cover for any future civil claims. Find out more about cancelling or not renewing your VDS PI Policy. 

Renew early, pay later

During our annual renewal period, you can apply to renew your Policy any time from 3 November to 31 December 2025, but you do not need to arrange payment for the renewal premium until Wednesday 31 December 2025 at the latest.

Paying by Direct Debit?

If you do, and would like to continue to do so in 2026, please remember that you will have to set up a new Direct Debit mandate for 2026 by selecting this option online in the payment method section, or returning a hard-copy Direct Debit Mandate form. Your Direct Debit arrangement does not automatically roll over into the next year and is taken for the first ten months of each year, January to October.

Three simple steps to apply to renew online:

❶ Log in to My VDS

Super users can log in to their VDS account using their email address and password to renew, manage and make arrangements to pay for their practice's VDS cover online until midnight on Wednesday 31 December 2025.

If you haven't set up an online account, you can register using your email address and create a password. You'll also need your VDS Practice number and VDS Membership number. If you forget your password, use the Forgotten Password option, or, if you haven't received the password reset email within 10 minutes and it isn't in your junk folder, you can contact our Membership team on +44 (0)1565 652737 or by email at admin@thevds.co.uk.

❷ Choose 'Renew Cover for 2026'

Once logged in, click on the 'Renew Cover for 2026' tab. You can manage personnel changes for 2026 as part of the renewal application. If you need to update personnel for 2025, do this before starting the renewal, using the 'Manage 2025 Personnel' tab.

You can access and read your Policy documents from the 'Helpful Documents' section on the renewal application pages.

❸ Complete the 7-stage renewal process

Follow the 7-stage application, which includes adding, amending or removing vets and RVNs. To add a new vet or RVN, you will need their RCVS or VCI number. The application also asks you to review and confirm indemnity limits for each Risk Group and provide details of any claims or potential claims not previously notified to the VDS.

Once you reach the summary page and you have checked that the details are correct and reflect your working arrangements for 2026, tick the declaration, confirm your job title and click 'Submit'. Your application to renew your cover is complete. Once you application is accepted, you can choose how you want to pay for your cover.

Paper Renewal

To receive your loyalty discount, renewals must be made online by 31 December 2025 – see details above in the ‘Online Renewal’ section. If you are unable to renew online and would like to apply for your 2026 insurance using a hard copy Proposal Form, please contact us on +44 (0)1565 652737 or by emailing admin@thevds.co.uk to request one. 

Once you have received the Proposal Form, please check that the information on the form is correct and if anything needs to be changed amend the Proposal Form accordingly. You will then need to ensure that you have answered all the questions on the form before returning it to us, which you can either do by email to admin@thevds.co.uk or by post to our UK head office address in Knutsford. You will need to return your completed and signed paper Proposal Form to arrive with us on or before Wednesday 31 December 2025. If we do not receive your completed and signed Proposal Form by this date, this may result in a gap in cover.

Continuity of cover

To ensure continuity of cover into 2026, it is important that you apply to renew your Policy before midnight on Wednesday 31 December 2025. If you apply after this date, we may have to issue you with a new Proposal Form and you may have a gap in cover. 

Renew early, pay later

You can apply to renew your Policy any time from 3 November to 31 December 2025, but you do not need to make the payment for the renewal premium until Wednesday 31 December 2025 at the latest.

Three simple steps to apply to renew:

❶ Log in to My VDS

You can apply to renew your cover for your 2026 VDS Policy for Representation Costs in Criminal and Disciplinary Proceedings online until midnight on Wednesday 31 December 2025. You can start your application to renew quickly and simply by logging into your VDS account.

If you haven't set up an online account, just go to the VDS log in page. You will need to enter your email address and create a password. You'll also need your VDS Policy number and VDS Membership number. If you don't know these, please contact us using the details below and we can help.

If you forget your password, use the Forgotten Password option, or, if you haven't received the password reset email within 10 minutes and it isn't in your junk folder, you can contact our Membership team on +44 (0)1565 652737 or by email at admin@thevds.co.uk.

❷ Choose 'Renew Cover for 2026'

Once logged in, click on the 'Renew Cover for 2026' tab. You can access and read your Policy documents from the Helpful Documents section on the renewal application pages.

❸ Complete the 4-stage application

Follow the 4-stage online application, which includes reviewing and amending your information as needed, providing details of any potential claims or circumstances which may give rise to a claim in the future, which the VDS have not already been notified of, and reviewing and submitting your application.

Paper Renewal

If you would like to apply to renew using our hard-copy Proposal Form, please contact us on +44 (0)1565 652737 or by emailing admin@thevds.co.uk to request one. 

Once you have received the Proposal Form, please check that the information on the form is correct and if anything needs to be changed amend the Proposal Form accordingly. You will then need to ensure that you have answered all the questions on the form before returning it to us, which you can either do by email to admin@thevds.co.uk or by post to our UK head office address in Knutsford. You will need to return your completed and signed paper Proposal Form to arrive with us on or before Wednesday 31 December 2025.