HMRA3050 – The pre-approval visit: Do pre-approval visits have to be completed within certain timescales?

All applications for approval/registration are subject to Charter Standards. Where our policy is to visit the trader prior to approving him, our standard is to process the application within 30 days of receipt. However, if the trader has not provided all the information required to complete the application and you request supplementary information from an applicant then the Charter Standards clock stops until an acceptable response is received.

In most cases there is a very narrow band of time between the application being received by the assurance team and end of the charter standard period.

Officers should strive to keep application process delays to a minimum, but it is crucial that you only recommend approval where the application is by a ‘fit and proper’ person. You must not feel pressured by this standard into making a hasty decision. This process needs to be clearly auditable in order to support any slippages. Officers should:

• Where necessary, request any further background information from the trader when arranging your visit;
• Record any delay on behalf of the trader; and
• Arrange a visit within 7 days of receiving the request.