Moving house with a pet: microchip details and a new vet
Contact the database your pet's microchip is registered with and give them your new address. Then register with a vet near your new home.
- When
- In your first week at the new address
- How long
- About 10 minutes for the microchip, 15 for the vet
- Cost
- Some microchip databases charge a fee to update your details
What you'll need
- Your pet's microchip number
- The name of the database it's registered with
- Your current vet's details
What to do
Find out which database holds the chip
It's on the paperwork from when the chip was fitted. If you've lost it, your vet can scan the chip and tell you the number, and gov.uk lists the approved databases.
Update your address and phone number
Do it on the database's website or by phone. This is the record a vet or dog warden checks if your pet is found.
Register with a local vet
Ask your old vet to send your pet's records across. Keep your own copy of the vaccination record in the meantime.
Keep them in for the first few days
Pets often try to go back to the old house. Keep cats indoors and dogs on a lead until they know the new place.
If you skip this
If the details are out of date and your pet gets lost, nobody can trace it back to you. You're responsible for keeping them current. All dogs, and cats in England, must be microchipped and registered by law, and you can be fined up to £500 if yours isn't.
Where to do it
Questions people ask
- Does my cat need to be microchipped?
- In England, yes: cats must be microchipped and registered by the time they're 20 weeks old. In Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland it's your choice.
- A database emailed asking me to pay. Is it real?
- Be careful. The government warns that an unexpected email from a database asking for money could be a scam. Go to the database's website yourself and don't follow links in the email.
This is one job. There are about twenty more.
Tell us when and where you're moving and get the full list, in the order to do it.
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