What Details Do You Need to Register a Pet Microchip?

What the database asks for

About you: full name, address with postcode, phone number and email. About your pet: name, species, breed, sex, colour or markings, and date of birth if you know it. And the chip number itself, which is 15 digits long.

Add a second phone number if the database lets you. If your mobile is lost or off, someone else in the house can still be reached.

Which database it is on

There are several databases that meet government requirements, and a chip is registered on one of them. Whoever implanted the chip, or the breeder or rescue you got your pet from, should tell you which. If they haven't, ask. You need to know where the record is to keep it current.

The mistakes that stop a pet getting home

A mobile number that is no longer in use. A typo in the postcode or house number. A breeder or previous owner still listed as keeper because the transfer was never done. An email address nobody checks. None of these show up until the day the chip is scanned.

Read the record back slowly once it is set up, and get someone else to check it too.

When you have to update it

In England, keepers of dogs and cats must update the database when their details change: moving house, a new phone number, or the pet going to a new owner. Some databases charge for changes or transfers, so check the cost with yours.