Compulsory microchipping
Legislation related to Animal Health and Welfare is devolved within the UK, therefore there are different regulations for different countries of the UK. Microchipping of dogs over the age of 8 weeks in England, Scotland and Wales has been mandatory since 6th April 2016, and microchipping of owned cats over the age of 20 weeks in England has been mandatory since 10th June 2024. The relevant legislation is as follows:
The Microchipping of Cats and Dogs (England) Regulations 2023 came into effect on 10th June 2024, replacing The Microchipping of Dogs (England) Regulations 2015 to incorporate the additional requirement for all owned cats over the age of 20 weeks to be fitted with a microchip. Defra have confirmed that microchipping is not compulsory for free living cats that live with little or no human interaction or dependency, such as farm, feral or community cats.
As of April 2025, the mandatory microchipping of cats has not been added to any of the other devolved nations’ regulations.
The Microchipping of Dogs (Wales) Regulations 2015
The Microchipping of Dogs (Scotland) Regulations 2016
Microchipping of dogs over the age of 8 weeks has been mandatory in Northern Ireland since 2012. The Dogs (Amendment) Act (Northern Ireland) 2011 requires the microchipping of dogs before a dog licence can be issued. The Act also includes provisions relating to the control of dogs. Further information is available from www.nidirect.gov.uk/dog-licensing-and-microchipping, which states that all dogs in Northern Ireland must be microchipped at 8 weeks old and that dog owners are responsible for ensuring that the contact details held against their dog’s microchip number are accurate. If the details are not accurate, the dog is not considered as microchipped, and the dog licence will not be valid.
Microchipping of dogs over the age of 8 weeks in the Isle of Man has been mandatory since December 2018 under the Dogs Regulations 2018, which mirrors the English legislation.
Details within the BSAVA microchipping advice refer to the regulations in England. Where there are differences in the regulations in the devolved administrations, these are highlighted and shown in the following colours:
Northern Ireland
Scotland
Wales
Other legislation that includes requirements for microchipping
Racing Greyhounds
The Welfare of Racing Greyhounds Regulations 2010Â (condition 4) which applies in England requires that a Greyhound only be permitted to enter a race or trial if it is identified by a microchip that:
- Has a unique number;
- Complies with both ISO standard 11784 and ISO standard 11785 that define the bit content and communication protocol of microchips that adhere to International Standards Organisation standards for microchips
- Is registered on a database in relation to which the operator reasonably believes the requirements set out in Part 2 of this Schedule are met
Pet Travel Regulations
The requirements for both the non-commercial and commercial movements of pet animals susceptible to rabies require that the animal (dog, cat or ferret) is identified by a microchip, and that this should be inserted before rabies vaccination is carried out. Tattoos are only an acceptable method of identification if they were applied before 3rd July 2011 (and are still legible). The Pet Travel Regulations which apply in the UK are The Non-commercial Movement of Pet Animals (Amendment) Order 2014  and The Non-Commercial Movement of Pet Animals (Amendment) Order (Northern Ireland) 2015. These state the requirement for qualifications for any person undertaking the microchipping of pet animals (see Implantation section). It should be noted that with respect to pet travel this requirement applies to dogs, cats and ferrets. However, where the animal has been previously microchipped, the veterinary surgeon does not have any responsibility to check on the qualifications of the implanter or to implant another microchip.
Northern Ireland Pet Travel scheme
Under the Windsor Framework (the agreement with the EU which replaced the old Northern Ireland Protocol), from 4th June 2025 the Northern Ireland Pet Travel scheme allows movement of pet dogs (or assistance dogs), cats and ferrets from Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales) to Northern Ireland with a pet travel document, valid for the lifetime of the pet. The pet must be microchipped with registered details up to date. Documentation is not required to travel from Northern Ireland to GB, however, the pet must be microchipped. For full details, please refer to the Government guidance here.
Pet travel under the scheme is not allowed for the commercial movement of pets, or for owners travelling with more than 5 pets unless for a competition, exhibition or sporting event, in which case written proof of registration for the event, or with an association organising such events is required. Additional requirements for the commercial movement of pets between GB and Northern Ireland can be found here
Tail docking
Animal Welfare legislation in each devolved nation (Section 6 of the Animal Welfare Act 2006 in England and Wales, the Animal Health and Welfare (Scotland) Act 2006) in Scotland and the Welfare of Animals Act (Northern Ireland) 2011 in Northern Ireland) make it an offence to remove the whole or part of a dog’s tail other than for the purpose of medical treatment, subject to the exemption for docking the tails of certain working dogs subject to veterinary certification. All the Acts state that dogs must be no older than 5 days when docked, but the exact requirements for certification differ slightly as outlined below.
The Docking of Working Dogs’ Tails (England) Regulations 2007  and The Docking of Working Dogs’ Tails (Wales) Regulations 2007 specify the certification requirements for veterinary surgeons docking working dogs’ tails in England and Wales, which includes that the dog must be microchipped before it is 3 months old. The regulations specifically state the microchip must be implanted by a veterinary surgeon or a veterinary nurse acting under the supervision of a veterinary surgeon and that the veterinary surgeon who carries out or supervises the microchipping must certify that fact in Part 5 of a certificate in the form prescribed in Schedule 2 of the regulation.
Where a puppy is presented to a veterinary surgeon and is already microchipped with a working microchip, a strict legal interpretation of the regulations requires the veterinary surgeon to insert a second microchip in order to be able to sign the certificate in Schedule 2 and for the dog to be identified in accordance with the regulations. We have been informed that Defra recognises that it is not in the best welfare interests of the dog for a second working microchip to be inserted and will explore the scope for amending the regulations at the earliest opportunity.
In the meantime, we strongly urge any veterinary surgeon undertaking docking of working dogs’ tails to stress that the breeder must have the puppy microchipped by a veterinary surgeon, or veterinary nurse acting under the supervision of a veterinary surgeon, in order to comply with the legislation. If a second microchip has to be inserted for any reason it is important to make this clear in any documentation.
In Scotland, under The Prohibited Procedures on Protected Animals (Exemptions) (Scotland) Amendment Regulations 2017 the certificate must state the microchip of the dam of the puppy docked and the puppy’s microchip if placed. There is currently no template certificate from the Scottish Government for this.
In Northern Ireland under The Welfare of Animals (Docking of Working Dogs’ Tails and Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2012, the dog must be microchipped by the time they are 8 weeks old by a competent person working in the same practice as where the tail docking procedure was performed. The competent person who carries out the microchipping must certify that fact in paragraph 4 of a certificate in the form prescribed in the Schedule in respect of that dog. The dog should only be microchipped after the owner has made a signed and declared statement in paragraph 3 of the certificate. Where a veterinary practice ceases to operate after the docking of a dog’s tail, the owner of the dog may take the dog to a different veterinary practice to have the microchipping procedure carried out and a competent person at that veterinary practice must record the reason in paragraph 4 of the certificate in the form prescribed in the Schedule.
Dangerous Dogs Exemption Scheme UK
There is also a requirement for microchipping under The Dangerous Dogs Exemption Schemes (England and Wales) Order 2015 , the Dangerous Dogs (Compensation and Exemption Schemes) (Scotland) Order 2024 and The Dangerous Dogs (Compensation and Exemption Schemes) Order (Northern Ireland) 2024 which state that a dog that is to be exempted from the prohibition in section 1(3) of the (Dangerous Dogs) Act must be implanted with a microchip, unless already microchipped to the satisfaction of the Agency, by a person who:
- Is a veterinary surgeon or a veterinary nurse acting under the direction of a veterinary surgeon;
- Is a student of veterinary surgery or a student veterinary nurse and in either case is acting under the direction of a veterinary surgeon; or
- Is satisfactorily assessed on a training course approved by the Secretary of State for the purpose of implanting microchips.
Where the animal has been previously microchipped, the veterinary surgeon does not have any responsibility to check on the qualifications of the implanter or to implant another microchip.