Pet Microchips in France: I-CAD and Tracing

Dogs, cats and ferrets in France are registered in I-CAD, the national identification database.

A vet normally implants the microchip and creates the first registration.

The record links the identification number to the person responsible for the animal.

I-CAD is connected to EUROPETNET, which provides an additional European tracing route.

Keeping the contact details current can help a vet, shelter, pound or local authority reunite a lost pet with its family.

Which microchip database is used in France?

France uses one national identification register called I-CAD.

I-CAD is the official national file for identified:

Dogs
Cats
Ferrets

An I-CAD record can include:

The microchip or tattoo number
Information about the animal
The registered keeper’s details
The identifying vet or authorised professional
Loss, theft and recovery information
A change of keeper
Temporary contact details
The animal’s death

Keepers can manage many services through their private I-CAD account.

Is I-CAD a public microchip search?

I-CAD does not provide an unrestricted public search that reveals the keeper’s details.

Vets, shelters, pounds, police, gendarmerie and authorised local services can check the complete record.

A member of the public can use I-CAD’s identification-check service or report a found animal.

The keeper’s private details should not be displayed openly.

I-CAD or an authorised organisation contacts the registered keeper instead.

Can owners access I-CAD themselves?

Yes.

Keepers can create or access a private I-CAD account.

Online services can include:

Viewing the animal’s identification record
Downloading the identification card
Changing an address
Updating a telephone number or email address
Adding temporary contact details
Reporting loss, theft or recovery
Starting or completing a change of keeper
Reporting the animal’s death

If the animal does not appear in your account, contact I-CAD or the vet that created the registration.

Does EUROPETNET check I-CAD?

Yes.

EUROPETNET is a separate European microchip search network.

I-CAD is the connected EUROPETNET member database for France.

A manual EUROPETNET search can therefore identify an I-CAD registration.

The result normally identifies I-CAD as the organisation that should be contacted.

It does not display the registered keeper’s private contact details.

ChipTrace provides a button that opens the EUROPETNET search page.

The user then enters the chip number and completes the search manually on the EUROPETNET website.

A negative EUROPETNET result does not prove that the animal has no I-CAD record.

The number may have been entered incorrectly, the connection may be temporarily unavailable or the French record may need to be checked directly by I-CAD.

Are microchips required in France?

Dogs, cats and ferrets must be officially identified in France.

Microchipping is now the normal method.

A readable tattoo may still be valid in some situations.

In general:

Dogs must be identified before they reach four months of age
Cats must be identified before they reach seven months of age
Dogs and cats must be identified before sale, adoption or transfer, whatever their age
Ferrets born after 1 November 2021 must be identified from seven months of age
A ferret must also be identified before it is sold or given away

The identification must be entered in I-CAD.

A chip that has been implanted but not registered correctly does not complete the identification process.

What do French microchip numbers look like?

Modern pet microchips normally contain 15 digits.

France’s ISO country code is:

250

A French country-coded chip may therefore begin with 250.

However, not every animal living in France has a 250 chip.

Many chips use a manufacturer code instead.

Manufacturer-coded microchips usually begin with the number 9.

Other animals were microchipped abroad before arriving in France.

This is common with:

Imported dogs and cats
Pets adopted through international rescues
Animals that moved to France with their families
Older animals with another chip format

A readable foreign or manufacturer-coded chip can still be registered in I-CAD.

The first digits are only a clue.

They do not prove where the animal lives or where its registration is held.

Read our guide to pet microchip numbers for more information.

What should you do if you find a microchipped pet in France?

Take the animal to a vet, shelter, local pound, police station, gendarmerie or municipal service.

Ask them to scan the animal carefully.

Write down the complete microchip number.

It can be useful to scan more than once and across the shoulders and body.

A chip may have moved from its original position.

Then:

Ask an authorised service to check I-CAD directly
Use the I-CAD identification-check service
Search EUROPETNET and complete a manual search
Check the I-CAD identification card, when available
Check the EU pet passport and veterinary records
Contact the veterinary clinic connected to the chip
Contact the shelter, rescue or breeder connected to the animal
Check databases in countries where the pet may have lived
Use ChipTrace for country and manufacturer clues

Because I-CAD is connected to EUROPETNET, a manual EUROPETNET search may identify the French registration.

I-CAD or an authorised organisation can then contact the registered keeper.

The finder should not expect to receive the keeper’s private details directly.

Do not publish the complete microchip number online.

Keep part of it private so that ownership claims can be checked.

Do not assume that every outdoor cat is lost.

Some owned cats in France are allowed to roam near their homes.

Read how ChipTrace works for an explanation of database checks, manual searches and next-step advice.

What if a French microchip cannot be found?

Ask a vet, shelter or local authority to scan the animal again.

One incorrect digit is enough to produce no result.

Then:

Ask an authorised organisation to check I-CAD directly
Use the official I-CAD identification-check service
Open EUROPETNET omplete a manual search
Check the I-CAD identification card
Check the EU pet passport
Check veterinary, vaccination and adoption records
Contact the clinic that implanted the chip
Contact the former keeper, shelter, rescue or breeder
Check databases in countries where the animal has lived
Contact the microchip manufacturer or distributor
Use ChipTrace for country and manufacturer clues

I-CAD is connected to EUROPETNET, but a negative EUROPETNET search is not final.

The chip may have been implanted but not entered correctly in I-CAD.

The registration may contain an incorrect digit or old contact details.

The animal may also remain registered abroad.

If no database result is found, the manufacturer or distributor may provide another trace-back route.

The manufacturer may be able to identify the distributor or supplier that received the chip.

The supplier may then identify the veterinary clinic, breeder, shelter or rescue that received it.

That organisation may know where the chip was implanted or registered.

They will not normally give the finder the keeper’s private details.

Instead, they may contact the next organisation or the registered keeper directly.

Trace-back is not guaranteed.

Records may be old, incomplete or unavailable.

A missing result does not prove that the animal has no family.

Read our guide to why a microchip may not appear in any database.

Check a Microchip

Can I add a global microchip registration?

Yes.

An additional international record can provide another route back to the keeper.

Animal-ID allows owners to create an additional record using an existing microchip number.

An extra record may help when:

The pet travels outside France
The animal was first registered in another country
A finder uses an international search service
The I-CAD record cannot be checked easily from abroad
The animal has a foreign or manufacturer-coded chip

This is an extra safety net.

It does not replace I-CAD registration.

Updating Animal-ID does not update I-CAD.

Keep the same contact details in every active database.

How to register a pet microchip in France

Make an appointment with a French vet.
Take the animal and any existing documents.
Ask the vet to scan the animal for an existing chip.
If needed, the vet implants a microchip.
The vet creates the first I-CAD registration.
Check the complete chip number carefully.
Check your name, address, telephone number and email address.
Ask the vet to confirm that the record has been submitted.
Create or access your I-CAD account.
Download and keep the identification card.

Useful documents may include:

An EU pet passport
A vaccination record
A microchip certificate
An adoption contract
A purchase agreement or invoice
A veterinary certificate
A foreign registration certificate

Who implants and registers the microchip?

A vet normally implants the chip and completes the first I-CAD registration.

The vet scans the animal first.

This checks whether a chip is already present.

If a chip is needed, the vet implants it under the skin.

The chip is then scanned again.

This confirms that it works and shows the correct number.

The vet then records:

The complete identification number
Information about the animal
The keeper’s name
The keeper’s address and contact details
The date and method of identification
The identifying vet’s details

Check the information carefully before leaving the clinic.

One wrong digit or an old telephone number can make tracing much harder.

Does the vet register the chip automatically?

The vet who implants the chip should submit the first registration to I-CAD.

However, it is still important to check that the process was completed.

Ask the vet to confirm that:

The I-CAD registration has been submitted
The complete chip number is correct
The animal appears under your name
Your address is correct
Your telephone number is current
Your email address is correct

Do not assume that implantation alone means registration is complete.

A chip without a correct I-CAD record may not lead a finder back to you.

What is the I-CAD identification card?

The identification card confirms that the animal is registered in I-CAD.

It shows information about the animal and registered keeper.

The card is often available digitally through the keeper’s I-CAD account.

Keep a copy with the animal’s other documents.

The identification card is not the same as an EU pet passport.

The I-CAD card confirms the French registration.

The EU pet passport records identification, rabies vaccination and other information used for travel.

How to check whether your pet is registered

Check the record by:

Logging in to your I-CAD account
Downloading the identification card
Asking a vet to scan the animal
Comparing the scanner result with the I-CAD card
Comparing the number with the EU pet passport
Opening EUROPETNET and completing a manual search

Because I-CAD is France’s EUROPETNET member, the manual EUROPETNET search may identify the I-CAD record.

The number must match in every database, record and document.

If the animal does not appear in your account, contact the vet that created the registration or I-CAD.

How to update an I-CAD registration

Update the record when:

You move home
Your telephone number changes
Your email address changes
The animal moves to a new keeper
The animal goes missing
The animal is found again
The animal is stolen
The animal moves abroad
The animal dies

Many changes can be made through the private I-CAD account.

You can also add temporary contact details when travelling or staying elsewhere.

Updating the EU pet passport is not enough.

The I-CAD record must also be changed.

How to transfer an I-CAD registration

The person currently registered in I-CAD normally starts the transfer.

A private keeper can usually complete the process through the online account.

A breeder, shelter, rescue or other professional can use its professional account.

The original identification document may also be used.

The new keeper should then:

Check that the transfer has been completed
Create or access an I-CAD account
Check the animal’s details
Check the complete identification number
Download the new identification card
Update the telephone number and email address

An ordinary online transfer is normally free when the required identification documents are available.

What if the pet is still registered to someone else?

Contact the previous keeper, breeder, shelter or rescue first.

Ask them to complete the I-CAD transfer.

If that is not possible, contact I-CAD or speak to a vet.

You may be asked for:

An adoption contract
A purchase agreement or invoice
The identification card
The EU pet passport
Veterinary records
Written confirmation from the previous keeper

I-CAD may allow the keeper details to be regularised when the normal transfer cannot be completed.

The exact documents depend on the situation.

An I-CAD record shows who is listed as the keeper.

It may not settle a legal ownership dispute on its own.

Buying or adopting a pet in France

Ask whether the animal has been identified before taking it home.

You should receive:

The complete microchip or tattoo number
Proof of sale, adoption or transfer
A veterinary certificate for a dog or cat
The I-CAD identification information
The relevant health documents
An EU pet passport, when available

Ask a vet, shelter or rescue to scan the animal.

Check that the scanned number matches every document.

The person transferring the animal should also begin the change of keeper in I-CAD.

Do not rely only on the name written in the passport.

The I-CAD registration must also be transferred.

What is the certificate of commitment and knowledge?

People acquiring certain pets in France may need to sign a certificate of commitment and knowledge.

This applies to dogs, cats, ferrets and rabbits in relevant transfers.

The document explains the animal’s needs and the responsibilities of keeping it.

It must normally be signed at least seven days before the animal is handed over.

The breeder, shelter, rescue or seller should explain whether the certificate is required.

What about a pet adopted from a foreign rescue?

Ask the rescue who will arrange the French registration.

Also ask:

Whether the animal has been scanned
Who is named in the passport or health certificate
Which foreign database holds the current record
Who will update the foreign registration
Who will start the I-CAD import process
Who will complete the transfer to the adopter
Whether all health and transport documents are complete

A foreign database record does not replace I-CAD when the animal will live in France.

The organisation bringing the animal into France should make the process clear before adoption.

What should you do if your pet goes missing?

Report the animal as lost in I-CAD as soon as possible.

Do not wait to see whether it returns on its own.

Check that your telephone number and email address are correct.

Also:

Contact local veterinary clinics
Contact shelters and animal welfare organisations
Contact the local pound
Contact the town hall
Inform the police or gendarmerie when appropriate
Share a clear photograph and the area where the animal disappeared

Do not publish the complete microchip number online.

Keep part of it private so that ownership claims can be checked.

When the animal returns, mark it as found again in I-CAD.

Bringing an imported pet to France

A foreign registration does not automatically create an I-CAD record.

If a dog, cat or ferret will remain in France for more than three months, it must normally be registered in I-CAD.

The keeper should take the animal to a French vet shortly after arrival.

I-CAD guidance says the import-registration request should be started within the first days after arrival.

Take:

The animal
Its EU pet passport or official health certificate
Its rabies vaccination record
The microchip certificate, when available
Your identification
Your French address and contact details
Any foreign registration documents

The vet scans the existing chip and starts the import or intra-EU registration process.

A readable foreign or manufacturer-coded chip does not normally need to be replaced.

I-CAD may ask for supporting documents when the health or travel file is incomplete.

Some parts of the process can be completed online after the vet starts the application.

Keep the foreign registration active until I-CAD has been confirmed.

Travelling with a pet to or from France

Microchip registration and border rules are separate.

For most journeys within the EU, dogs, cats and ferrets need:

A readable ISO-compatible microchip
A valid rabies vaccination
An EU pet passport

The microchip normally needs to be implanted before, or on the same day as, the rabies vaccination used for travel.

A clearly readable tattoo may still be accepted when it was applied before 3 July 2011.

Pets arriving from some countries outside the EU may also need:

An EU animal health certificate
A rabies antibody titre test
Entry through an approved travellers’ point
Customs or veterinary checks

The exact requirements depend on the country of departure and type of journey.

Check the latest French Ministry of Agriculture guidance and the destination-country rules before travelling.

Useful French microchip links

I-CAD
Open the French national identification database

Check an animal’s identification
Check identification and official registration information

Report a found animal
Read I-CAD guidance for a found dog, cat or ferret

Report a missing animal
Read I-CAD guidance for a lost pet

Change of keeper guidance
Read the I-CAD transfer procedure

Importing a pet into France
Read the I-CAD import-registration guidance

French Ministry of Agriculture
Read official pet ownership and travel information

Service-Public.fr
Read the official rules for keeping a dog or cat in France

EUROPETNET
Complete a manual search that includes connected I-CAD records

EUROPETNET country list
View I-CAD as the connected member database for France

Animal-ID
Create an additional global microchip registration