| England | Wales | Scotland | Northern Ireland | |
| Legislation | The Microchipping of Cats and Dogs (England) Regulations 2023 | The Microchipping of Dogs (Wales) Regulations 2015 | The Microchipping of Dogs (Scotland) Regulations 2016 | Dogs (Amendment) Act (Northern Ireland) 2011 |
| Summary of requirements | All dogs must be microchipped by 8 weeks of age, and all owned cats by 20 weeks of age | All dogs must be microchipped by 8 weeks of age | All dogs must be microchipped by 8 weeks of age | All dogs must be microchipped by 8 weeks of age, before a dog licence is applied for |
| Additional legislation | Greyhounds only permitted to enter race or trial if identified by a microchip.
Puppies who have docked tails must be microchipped by vet or vet nurse by 12 weeks of age
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Puppies who have docked tails must be microchipped by vet or vet nurse by 12 weeks of age
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The certificate of tail docking must state the microchip of the dam of the puppy docked and the puppy’s microchip if placed | Microchip required for travel between GB and NI
Puppies who have docked tails must be microchipped by a competent person working in the same practice where the docking procedure was performed |
| Exemption | A vet can certify that a dog or cat should not be microchipped for reasons relating to the health of the animal using an approved certificate, stating the period for which the dog will be unfit to be microchipped
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A vet can certify that a dog should not be microchipped because it would significantly compromise the dog’s health using an approved certificate stating the period for which the dog will be unfit to be microchipped | A vet can certify that a dog should not be microchipped for reasons of the dog’s health stating the period for which the dog will be unfit to be microchipped. | A vet can certify that a dog should not be microchipped if implantation (or continued implantation) of a microchip in the dog would have an adverse effect on the health of the dog |
| Implantation | See Implantation section for full list of those legally permitted to implant microchips | As for England, except provision 4 allowing for grandfather rights does not apply | As for England | A microchip can be implanted into a dog by a ‘competent person’, defined as a veterinary surgeon or a person who has received instruction on how to implant a microchip |
| England | Wales | Scotland | Northern Ireland | |
| Registration | See registration section for full list of requirements for both dogs and cats
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For dogs only, different to the English requirements in the following:
The email address (if any) of the keeper the most accurate estimate of the dog’s date of birth which the keeper is capable of giving; any distinguishing features of the dog;
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For dogs only, different to the English requirements in the following:
the e-mail address (if any) of the keeper; the most accurate estimate of the dog’s date of birth which the keeper of the dog is capable of giving |
Dog owners are responsible for making sure that the contact details held against their dog’s microchip number are accurate and recorded on a database accessible to Council officers. |
| Adverse reactions | Legal requirement to report adverse reactions | Legal requirement to report adverse reactions | Legal requirement to report adverse reactions within 21 days of identification of reaction | Not required under the legislation, but recommended |
| Offences and penalties | See Offences and penalties section | As for the English regulations | As for the English regulations, except it is also an offence for a keeper of a dog to notify to a database operator any of the details knowing them to be false in ‘a material particular’.
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Keeping a dog without a valid licence, for which the dog must be microchipped and details registered on an accessible database can result in a fixed penalty or prosecution and a fine of up to £1,000. It is also an offence to take possession of a dog before a licence has been obtained for it, with a maximum fine of £1,000. The person who transferred the dog is also guilty of an offence. A dog is only considered to be microchipped if the microchip is implanted in the dog by a person of a prescribed class or description.
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