Microchipping Companies UK: Who Makes the Chips and Who Runs the Databases
The company that made your pet's chip is rarely the one holding your details. The chip number itself points you to the maker, and a chip checker finds the database.
If you’ve seen company names on your pet’s chip paperwork, you may want to know who sits behind the chip. “Microchipping companies” covers two different things: the manufacturers that make the chips, and the databases that hold your contact details against the chip number.
Who makes microchips
Pet microchips are made by specialist manufacturers, and each chip carries a 15-digit number. The first three digits are either a country code or a manufacturer code, and the International Committee for Animal Recording (ICAR) keeps a public register of them. The register lists manufacturers of chips that conform to the ISO 11784 and 11785 standards, with the code, product type and technology for each device.
Examples of injectable chips on the register include Datamars SA (codes 964, 981 and 988), Allflex (982), Avid (977), Trovan Ltd (956) and Pet ID (958). It’s a register of devices rather than a list of who sells chips in the UK, and it says nothing about any maker’s market share.
How to tell who made your pet's chip
Take the first three digits of your pet’s chip number and look that code up on the ICAR register. It will show the manufacturer and the products they make.
Code 900 is a shared code granted to more than one manufacturer, so the first three digits alone won’t identify the maker. When 900 is granted, ICAR allocates a restricted number range to each manufacturer for their exclusive use, and the register lists the number ranges against each product under that code. If your pet’s chip starts with 900, match the digits after it to a range on the register to find the maker.
The first three digits also don’t tell you a country. Country codes run up to 899 and manufacturer codes from 900 to 998. Manufacturer codes are mostly used for companion animals, so UK pet chips normally carry one in the 900s.
Who runs the databases
When your pet is chipped, the chip number is registered on a database along with your name, address and phone number. That record is what a vet, warden or rescue uses to reach you.
GOV.UK lists 24 databases that meet government standards, including Pet Database, and our guide to how microchip databases work explains what they do. There’s no single national database, so your pet’s record sits on whichever one the chip was registered with.
If you’re still choosing who does the chipping itself, our guide to finding a microchipping service near you covers vets, nurses and trained implanters across the UK.
Finding which database holds your pet's record
Nothing in the chip number tells you which database holds the record, because the chip’s maker and the database are separate organisations. The way to find out is a chip checker. Our chip checker takes the 15-digit number and searches multiple UK databases at once, showing whether the chip is registered and which database holds the record. It’s free to use and you don’t need an account.
Nothing in the chip number tells you which database holds the record, because the maker of the chip and the database are separate organisations. The way to find out is a chip checker. Our chip checker takes the 15 digit number and searches multiple UK databases at once, showing whether the chip is registered and which database holds the record. It's free to use and you don't need an account.
If your pet isn’t registered yet, or the record needs your current details, you can register the microchip with us in a few steps. The chip number is on the paperwork that came with the chip. If you don’t have the paperwork, any vet, dog warden or rescue centre can scan your pet and read it out for you.
