# UK cat microchip



## Lala080 (Sep 20, 2015)

Hi, I'm moving to Spain in the next few weeks and have been in touch with petlog regarding my cats microchip - will I be able to register his existing microchip with a company over there or will I need to get him chipped again?
Thanks very much.


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## xicoalc (Apr 20, 2010)

All very simple, go to your vet over here and take any paperwork you have for the chip. They will just scan the chip to get the number and then register them over here. My vet charged me 10 euros. Be prepared to wait... and wait... and wait for the new cards to come through... can take months but the alta will be done instantly so nothing to worry about. The vet can sort it all and its really cheap!


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## ccm472 (Jan 6, 2016)

You could also notify the UK microchip register of your Spanish tel no. That way if your cat is found you will be notified very quickly.
A holidaying French couple lost their dog in Murcia, after 3 weeks it turned up in a dog rescue centre. Their vet scanned the animal, and then contacted French chipping company but did not speak French himself so I got involved. Long story, short : dog owner drove back from Lyon, and went home with his pet 3 days later. Happy faces all round.😀


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## xicoalc (Apr 20, 2010)

ccm472 said:


> You could also notify the UK microchip register of your Spanish tel no. That way if your cat is found you will be notified very quickly.
> A holidaying French couple lost their dog in Murcia, after 3 weeks it turned up in a dog rescue centre. Their vet scanned the animal, and then contacted French chipping company but did not speak French himself so I got involved. Long story, short : dog owner drove back from Lyon, and went home with his pet 3 days later. Happy faces all round.😀


Do remember though that the system in Spain is different to the UK. (I am unsure how France works). In the UK if you take an animal to a vet they can scan a chip and see the details of the owner with the number but in Spain the vet has no access to the details, they have to contact the colegio who store owner information so whilst I do completely agree this is a good move, it is absolutely no substitute to registering the chip number with the Spanish system on arrival


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

xicoalc said:


> All very simple, go to your vet over here and take any paperwork you have for the chip. They will just scan the chip to get the number and then register them over here. My vet charged me 10 euros. Be prepared to wait... and wait... and wait for the new cards to come through... can take months but the alta will be done instantly so nothing to worry about. The vet can sort it all and its really cheap!


Cards? What cards? Something to do with the UK?
I've never had a card for my dog's chip here.


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## Maureen47 (Mar 27, 2014)

Pesky Wesky said:


> Cards? What cards? Something to do with the UK?
> I've never had a card for my dog's chip here.


I was sent plastic card like a bank card in the post when I changed the chip details with the vet in Spain , this is in the Valencia region.


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## xicoalc (Apr 20, 2010)

Pesky Wesky said:


> Cards? What cards? Something to do with the UK?
> I've never had a card for my dog's chip here.


I have a plastic, credit-card style card for each one with all their details, my details and so on. They come through post a few months after you register. Again , Valencia region


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

xicoalc said:


> I have a plastic, credit-card style card for each one with all their details, my details and so on. They come through post a few months after you register. Again , Valencia region


So... I've looked through all the dog papers and I found a card for our previous dog and paperwork from the dog shelter where we got our present dog, stating the number of the chip, but no card for her, so I think they don't issue a card here any more, but "dog things" vary a lot here. For example chipping dogs has been law in the comunidad de Madrid since 1993 and the vets who chip dogs also have to have a machine for reading the chips.
COLVEMA - Colegio Oficial de Veterinarios de Madrid
I'll ask the vet about the card. I suppose it could be useful, but when she was lost for 5 days she was returned to us because the chip was read and that was in another area of Spain to where we live, and no card was asked for.

Further reading makes me think that all vets have the means to read chips because before giving a rabies shot (suerly all vets can do that?) they have to check that the dog is chipped and that the info is correct, so at least in the Madrid area all dogs have to be chipped, all vets can read the chips and all dogs have to be vaccinated against rabies
Actualidad - En mayo arranca la campaña de vacunación contra la rabia para perros y gatos

Also the anti rabies shot is obligatory for dogs, but only recommended for cats

You can check that your dogs chip is registered and with the correct info here
REIAC - Red EspaÃ±ola de IdentificaciÃ³n de Animales de CompaÃ±Ã­a


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## Lala080 (Sep 20, 2015)

Thank you everyone - another query ticked off my long list!


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## leemaboy (Jan 2, 2015)

Just a bit of extra info for you...

Your cat will require a pet passport before you can bring it to Spain.

The requirements for the passport are that the cat is chipped, it has all vaccinations up to date and has received a rabies jab. Jab probably costs £25-£35 in addition to the passport cost (around £30)

About the rabies jab... It is considered ineffective for 4 weeks after being given, so the pet passport remains invalid until 4 weeks after the rabies jab is given. You can't travel with the cat until the passport is valid.

The chip: As other members have said, you can take the cat to a Spanish vet with any paperwork you have and they will scan the cat to make sure the chip number in the cat matches the paperwork and then they register the chip number with the Spanish database. They'll probably charge you a fee for that. It is worth updating your UK chip company (PetLog or whoever) with a Spanish landline/mobile number - they'll probably charge you to update your details too!

Most vets have a chip reader - I am not a vet, but even I own a chip reader - you can buy them on Amazon! However, not all vets (UK or Spanish) can issue pet passports. They have to be on their country's approved list of travel permit issuing vets!

Why do I own a reader? Because I seem to attract cats. Random furry friends come into my houses and presume I will feed them and that I'm happy for them to stay. If they belong to somebody, it's only right that I don't encourage them to stay and that I return them! Also - sometimes when travelling with pets you can apparently be asked to prove they are chipped.


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