Veterinary Association of Zambia · Data Protection
Privacy Notice: VAZ Online Registration Platform
How the Veterinary Association of Zambia collects, uses, shares and protects your personal data when you register as a veterinary professional, join VAZ, or register an Animal Health Facility on member.vaz.org.zm.
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- We collect only what is needed to register you, keep the statutory register and run your membership.
- Registration is required by the Veterinary and Veterinary Para-Professions Act No. 45 of 2010. Fields marked * must be completed, or your application cannot be processed.
- We share your data with the Veterinary Council of Zambia (VCZ) to decide your application. Your name, index number, category and practising status appear on the public register.
- We never sell your data, and we never give it to sponsors or advertisers.
- At present the platform is hosted by a service provider outside Zambia. We have sought the Data Protection Commissioner’s guidance and are working to store your data in Zambia (Section 7).
- You can see, correct and download your data, withdraw optional consents, and complain to us or to the Data Protection Commissioner.
1. Who we are
The Veterinary Association of Zambia (VAZ) is established under the Veterinary and Veterinary Para-Professions Act No. 45 of 2010. VAZ operates this platform and is responsible for your personal data as a data controller under the Data Protection Act No. 3 of 2021. For the registration of veterinary professionals and the registration and licensing of Animal Health Facilities, VAZ works with the Veterinary Council of Zambia (VCZ), which receives your data to decide applications and issue certificates. VAZ and VCZ are both responsible for protecting it.
Contact: Kwacha House, Room 13, Cairo Road, P.O. Box 32117, Lusaka · secretary@vaz.org.zm · +260 211 238 720.
2. What this notice covers
This notice covers personal data you give us through member.vaz.org.zm: registration and renewal as a veterinary surgeon or veterinary para-professional; VAZ membership; registration and renewal of an Animal Health Facility; payments; and your online account.
3. The personal data we collect
| Type of data | Examples | Why we need it |
|---|---|---|
| Identity | Title, names, date of birth, nationality, NRC or passport number and copy, passport photograph | To confirm who you are and prevent false or duplicate registration |
| Contact | E-mail address, phone number, physical address, city or town, province or country | To communicate with you about your application, registration and membership |
| Qualifications and professional details | Grade 12, degree and other certificates, transcripts, ZAQA certificate, index number, years of experience, specialisation, employer, position, supervising veterinarian’s name and registration number | To assess your eligibility and registration category under Act No. 45 of 2010 |
| Foreign applicants | Work permit, letter of good standing, letter of offer of employment | To confirm eligibility to practise in Zambia |
| Animal Health Facilities | Facility name, address, phone and e-mail; owner’s name, NRC or passport number, phone and e-mail; PACRA registration; staff numbers; responsible veterinary surgeon and index number; lease or ownership documents; floor plan; self-evaluation | To register and license the facility and confirm it is supervised by a registered veterinary surgeon |
| Payments | Payment method, deposit slip, transaction reference | To confirm payment of fees. Card payments are handled by the payment gateway provider; VAZ does not store your card details |
| Account | Login e-mail, password, e-mail verification code, login records | To keep your account secure |
4. Why we use your data, and our legal basis
- To receive, assess and decide applications for registration, practising certificates and facility licences, and to keep the statutory register. Basis: a legal obligation and official authority under Act No. 45 of 2010 (Data Protection Act, s.13(b)(ii) and (iv)).
- To manage VAZ membership, subscriptions and the member services you sign up for. Basis: your membership contract (s.13(b)(i)).
- To process payments and keep financial records. Basis: legal obligation and contract.
- To contact you about renewals, deadlines and changes affecting your registration. Basis: legal obligation.
- To publish your details in the public VAZ directory, or to send you news about CPD, events and opportunities. Basis: your consent only (s.13(a) and s.15). These are optional.
We also ask for your consent when you submit the form, as section 15 of the Act requires. We will not use your data for any purpose that does not fit the purposes above.
5. Do you have to give us this data?
Registration is required by law. Fields marked * are needed to process your application. If you do not provide them, we cannot register you, renew your certificate or license your facility. Under Act No. 45 of 2010, practising without registration or a valid practising certificate is an offence. Fields without * and the optional consents are your choice. Saying no has no effect on your registration.
6. Who we share your data with
- The Veterinary Council of Zambia, to decide applications and issue certificates and licences.
- The public register. Your name, index number, registration category and practising status, and a facility’s name, location, class and responsible veterinary surgeon, are published as the law requires. Your NRC number, date of birth, documents and private contact details are not published.
- Authorised VAZ and VCZ officers and committees, only as far as they need it to do their work.
- Our service providers: the platform developer, the hosting provider, the e-mail service and the payment gateway. They may use your data only on our instructions and must keep it secure.
- Issuing institutions or the Zambia Qualifications Authority, only where we need to check that a document is genuine.
- Courts, regulators or law-enforcement bodies, only where the law requires it.
We never sell your personal data. We never give it to sponsors, partners or advertisers.
7. Where your data is stored
Section 70 of the Data Protection Act requires personal data to be stored on servers in Zambia unless an exception applies. At the date of this notice, the registration platform is hosted by a service provider outside Zambia, and our e-mail service provider is also based outside Zambia. VAZ has sought the guidance of the Data Protection Commissioner under sections 70 and 71 of the Act and is working to have your data stored in Zambia. We will update this notice when that changes.
8. How we protect your data
- The platform uses an encrypted connection (HTTPS). New accounts must verify their e-mail address with a one-time code.
- Only authorised officers can see applications, and only as far as their duties require.
- Our service providers must protect your data and tell us about any security incident without delay.
- If a breach affects your data, we will notify the Data Protection Commissioner within 24 hours and tell you as soon as practicable, as section 49 requires.
- VAZ staff will never ask for your password. Do not share it.
9. How long we keep your data
| Record | How long |
|---|---|
| Register entry (name, index number, category, registration and practising dates) | Permanently, as the statutory register record |
| Supporting documents (ID copy, photograph, certificates, permits) | While you are registered, and for 2 years after your registration lapses or ends |
| Animal Health Facility records | While the facility is licensed, and for 2 years after; the register entry is kept permanently |
| Unsuccessful or abandoned applications | 12 months after the decision or your last activity |
| Payment records and deposit slips | 7 years, for audit and tax purposes |
| Login and security records | 12 months |
| Optional consents (directory, news) | Until you withdraw them |
10. Your rights
Under Part IX of the Data Protection Act you have the right to:
- know whether we hold your data and get a copy of it (s.58). The first copy is free;
- correct inaccurate or incomplete data (s.59). You can correct most details yourself from your profile;
- ask us to erase data we no longer need or hold unlawfully (s.60);
- object to processing, and restrict processing while a dispute is resolved (ss.61, 63);
- receive your data in a common electronic format and move it elsewhere (s.65);
- withdraw any consent at any time (s.15(6)). This does not affect processing before you withdrew;
- not be subject to a decision made solely by a computer (s.62). Every registration decision is made by a person; and
- complain to the Data Protection Commissioner (s.68).
Some rights are limited where the law requires us to keep processing, for example to maintain the statutory register (s.67). If this applies, we will explain it. To use any right, write to secretary@vaz.org.zm. We will respond promptly, and in any case within 30 days.
11. Withdrawing consent or changing your choices
You can switch the optional directory listing and news consents on or off at any time from your profile, or by e-mailing secretary@vaz.org.zm. Withdrawing the consent given at registration does not stop processing that Act No. 45 of 2010 requires. It does mean we will stop any processing that relies on consent alone.
12. Complaints
Please contact us first, so that we can put things right. If you are not satisfied, you may complain to the Office of the Data Protection Commissioner, Ministry of Technology and Science, Lusaka. You may do so at any time, whether or not you have complained to us first.
13. Children
The platform is for adult professionals and facility owners. We do not knowingly collect personal data from anyone under 18.
14. Changes to this notice
We will publish any change on this page with a new version number and date. If a change affects how we use data you have already given us, we will tell you before it takes effect.
15. Contact
Data Protection Officer: Dr. Simakechula Gelly Chikuni, c/o the Secretary, Veterinary Association of Zambia, Kwacha House, Room 13, Cairo Road, P.O. Box 32117, Lusaka. E-mail: secretary@vaz.org.zm. Tel: +260 211 238 720.
This notice is issued under the Data Protection Act No. 3 of 2021, including sections 15, 53 and 58–66. Version 1.0.