🔖 Dog Microchipping & Registration Laws in Europe
Most European countries require dogs to be microchipped and registered, usually within the first few months of life, and many now include cats. A new EU law on the welfare and traceability of dogs and cats will make microchipping and registration compulsory in every member state over the next few years.
26 Required by national law3 Partly required or being introduced1 Not required nationally
| Country | Status | What the law says | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Austria | Required by national law | Yes. Dogs must be microchipped by 3 months of age (or before changing owner) and registered in the national pet database; breeding cats too. | Official text |
| Belgium | Required by national law | Yes. Belgium has required dogs to be microchipped and registered (DogID) since 1998, before 8 weeks of age or before they are sold or given away. Cats must be registered too (CatID). | Official text |
| Bulgaria | Required by national law | Yes. Dogs must be microchipped and registered. | Official text |
| Croatia | Required by national law | Yes. Dogs must be microchipped and registered; for cats it is voluntary. | Official text |
| Cyprus | Required by national law | Yes. Dogs must be microchipped and registered with the government veterinary service. | Official text |
| Czechia | Required by national law | Yes. Dogs must be microchipped and registered; for cats it is voluntary. | Official text |
| Denmark | Required by national law | Yes. Dogs must be microchipped and registered in the Danish dog register. | Official text |
| Estonia | Partly required or being introduced | Being introduced. A 2026 law makes microchipping compulsory for dogs and cats; until it takes effect, identification is set by local governments. | Official text |
| Finland | Required by national law | Yes. Dogs must be microchipped and registered in the national dog register; for cats it is voluntary. | Official text |
| France | Required by national law | Yes. Dogs, cats and ferrets must be identified (microchip or tattoo) and registered in the national I-CAD database before being sold or given away. | Official text |
| Germany | Partly required or being introduced | Not nationally. Several states (Länder) require dogs to be microchipped and registered, and many municipalities require it with the dog tax — check your state. | Official text |
| Greece | Required by national law | Yes. All dogs and cats must be microchipped and registered in the national pet register. | Official text |
| Hungary | Required by national law | Yes. Dogs must be microchipped and registered; for cats it is voluntary. | Official text |
| Ireland | Required by national law | Yes. Since 2016 every dog must be microchipped and registered by 12 weeks of age, or before it is sold or given away. | Official text |
| Italy | Required by national law | Yes. Dogs must be microchipped and registered in the regional dog registry, which feeds the national one. | Official text |
| Latvia | Required by national law | Yes. Dogs must be microchipped and registered; for cats and ferrets it is voluntary. | Official text |
| Lithuania | Required by national law | Yes. Dogs, cats and ferrets must be microchipped and registered. | Official text |
| Luxembourg | Required by national law | Yes. Dogs and cats must be identified and registered. | Official text |
| Malta | Required by national law | Yes. Dogs must be microchipped and registered; for cats it is voluntary. | Official text |
| Netherlands | Required by national law | Yes. Since 2013 dogs must be microchipped and registered within 7 weeks of birth (or before leaving the breeder). | Official text |
| Norway | Not required nationally | No. Norway has no general requirement to microchip dogs living there — a proposal to make it compulsory was rejected in 2019 — though a microchip is required to bring a dog into the country. | Official text |
| Poland | Partly required or being introduced | Being introduced. A 2026 law (KROPiK) creates a national register and makes microchipping and registration of dogs and cats compulsory after a transition period; until then many municipalities require it. | Official text |
| Portugal | Required by national law | Yes. Dogs, cats and ferrets must be microchipped and registered in the national SIAC database. | Official text |
| Romania | Required by national law | Yes. Dogs must be microchipped and registered. | Official text |
| Slovakia | Required by national law | Yes. Dogs must be microchipped and registered; for cats it is voluntary. | Official text |
| Slovenia | Required by national law | Yes. Dogs must be microchipped and registered; cats only when they travel abroad. | Official text |
| Spain | Required by national law | Yes. Dogs and cats must be microchipped and registered in the registry of their autonomous community. | Official text |
| Sweden | Required by national law | Yes. Dogs must be ID-marked and registered with the Swedish Board of Agriculture, and cats are being added to the same requirement. | Official text |
| Switzerland | Required by national law | Yes. Dogs must be microchipped and registered in the national AMICUS database by 3 months of age (or within 10 days of arriving in Switzerland). | Official text |
| United Kingdom | Required by national law | Yes. Dogs must be microchipped and registered by 8 weeks of age, and since June 2024 cats in England by 20 weeks. Keepers must keep their details up to date. | Official text |
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General information, not legal advice. Laws change and local authorities often add stricter rules. Each row links to its source and was checked on the date shown at the top — confirm with your local authority or a lawyer before relying on it.