You can be fined up to £500 if your dog or cat is not microchipped when they need to be.
By law -
- all dogs are required to be microchipped by 8 weeks old
- from 10 Jun 2024 all cats will be required to be microchipped by 20 weeks old
Your pet’s microchip contains a number, which will show up whenever they are scanned.
You must make sure that your dog or cat is on a government approved register. GOV.uk hold a list of approved registers as well as more information on microchipping.
Keeping information up to date
Once microchipped it is important that ownership details are kept up to date to ensure you are complying with the law and that your pet can be returned if lost.
Once your dog or cat is microchipped, you must update the microchip details through the microchip database operator if there are any changes.
This includes changes to -
- address
- telephone number
- owner
If you do not know the chip number you can visit a local veterinary practice or rescue centre who can scan your pet.
Microchipping of dogs and cats in customer's own home is £18 per animal.