Registrants warned not to miss deadline

With less than four weeks until the General Optical Council full and business registrant retention deadline, there are still more than 10,000 applications outstanding. Each could be subject to a £20 late return penalty, the Council said this week.

Registrants have until March 15 to renew their registration. However, to date the Council has received 10,386 retention applications - with over 50 per cent outstanding.

The £20 late application charge will apply to registrants who return their retention form and £219 fee after March 15, but before March 31.

Registrants who fail to return their forms by March 31 will be struck off.