Microchipping Registration: What to Do After Your Pet Is Chipped
A chip only works if your details are on a database, and the law puts that job on you. Who should do it, what the record needs and what it costs, all sorted.
Once your pet has been chipped, the next step is registering the chip, and this guide walks you through it. The chip itself only holds a number, and that number does nothing until it’s recorded against your name and phone number on a database. Registering puts the two together, so if your pet is found, they can be traced back to you.
What the law means by "microchipped"
In England, the law only counts your pet as microchipped when both halves are in place: a compliant chip under the skin, and your details recorded on a compliant database. Our guide to which microchip database your pet is on and how to check explains how the two halves fit together.
Battersea Dogs and Cats Home found in its 2026 report that 14% of stray dogs had a chip implanted that had never been registered on any compliant database. So even if you watched the vet put the chip in, it’s worth checking the registration was done rather than assuming it was.
Who registers the chip: you, the vet or the breeder?
In England, the law puts registration on you as the keeper (the person your pet lives with), not the vet. The British Veterinary Association is clear that a vet’s job is to tell you about your obligation, and that making sure your pet is microchipped and registered on a compliant database is your responsibility.
The 2023 regulations in England put the duty on you as the keeper to make sure your pet is both implanted with a chip and recorded on a database. They set no deadline counted from the day the chip goes in, and they place no registration duty on the person who implanted it. GOV.UK addresses the duty to you as the owner: you must make sure your dog or cat is registered on one of the compliant databases.
In practice it varies. The PDSA says the professional who microchips your pet will usually register them by passing your details to the database company, and you’ll receive the registration information by post or email afterwards. Some practices do this and some don’t, and the price you paid for the chip doesn’t tell you which. The question to ask when you book, or at the appointment, is whether registration is included. If nobody registered the chip at the time, it stays unregistered until you do it yourself.
Breeders come into this too. A puppy or kitten is often chipped before you collect them, which means the chip may be registered to the breeder rather than to you. In England, when a cat or dog changes keeper, the new keeper must record their own name, address and phone number on the database. The exception is where the previous keeper has already done it. If you’ve just brought a pet home, don’t leave that to chance.
GOV.UK also says it’s your responsibility to keep your details up to date, for example when you move house. In Scotland the requirements are stricter for dogs: the law there requires keepers to notify the database of any change to the recorded details.
What registration costs
The chip itself is a one-off purchase that lasts for your pet’s lifetime, but the database record behind it is priced separately, and databases charge in different ways. Our fee is a one-off £20 per pet, for the pet’s lifetime. It’s a single payment rather than a subscription. After that, updates are free for as long as you need them: address changes, new phone numbers, adding pets, and transfers of ownership. You can register your pet’s microchip whenever you’re ready.
What goes on the record
In England, the law sets out what a registration must contain. For you, that’s your name, address and phone number. For your pet, it’s the chip number and a description: sex, breed, colour and date of birth as best you know it. For dogs, the record also shows whether you’re the breeder, and the breeder’s licence number if there is one.
If you don’t know your pet’s chip number, it’s on the paperwork from the implant. Our guide to finding your pet’s microchip number covers the other ways to get it.
Common questions
Is there a free pet chip register?
Some compliant databases charge nothing to register, while others charge a one-off fee or run annual plans, so it depends which database your pet is on. Our chip checker shows you which database holds your pet’s record, so you can see its prices directly.
How do I register my pet's chip on Pet Database?
Registering with Pet Database takes four steps and you don’t need a vet. Find your pet’s 15-digit chip number, create your account and add yourself as the owner, add your pet with the chip number and your contact details, then confirm. Your details go live on a Defra-compliant database (Defra is the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) straight away. It works for any UK chip, whoever implanted it and whichever brand it is.
I've just rehomed a pet. Do I need to do anything?
Yes. On Pet Database, the new owner starts the transfer themselves with the chip number.
Take two minutes to check that your pet’s chip is registered and the details on it are current. The chip only works when the record behind it does, and keeping it right is the step that gets your pet home.
