Pet Microchips in Austria: Registration, Databases & Tracing

Austria’s official national pet database is called the Heimtierdatenbank. All dogs and breeding cats that must be identified by law need to be registered there. Private Austrian microchip databases can also help trace pets.

In this guide:

What do Austrian microchip numbers look like?

Most modern pet microchips follow the ISO standard and contain 15 digits.

The official ISO numeric country code for Austria is 040.

An Austrian country-coded microchip may therefore begin with 040. The 040 prefix is used on Austrian pet microchips and appears in current Austrian microchip registrations.

However, not every dog or cat living in Austria has a 040 chip.

Austria has also used manufacturer-coded microchips. These start with the digit 9 rather than a country code. Austrian microchip database ANIMALDATA, for example, documents manufacturer prefixes such as 972 for Planet-ID and 968 for AEG chips that were distributed in Austria.

Older Austrian registrations can therefore contain manufacturer-coded chips, and manufacturer-coded numbers are still found in Austrian pets today.

Some animals also received their microchip in another country before arriving in Austria.

This is common with:

Imported dogs and cats
Pets adopted through foreign rescues
Animals that moved to Austria with their families
Former stray animals that later travelled abroad
Older animals with manufacturer-coded chips

A readable foreign or manufacturer-coded chip can still link to an Austrian registration. Dogs brought to Austria can keep a suitable existing microchip and must be registered in the Austrian Heimtierdatenbank after arrival.

In short, the first digits can give a clue about origin. They do not prove where the animal lives or which database holds the registration.

Example formats commonly found in Austria

Many different microchip numbers may appear in Austria. These examples show a few possible formats, but many other variations exist.

040123456789012 — Austrian country-coded microchip
972123456789012 — manufacturer-coded microchip
968123456789012 — manufacturer-coded microchip
276123456789012 — foreign country-coded microchip

A manufacturer-coded prefix can appear in more than one country. For this reason, use the prefix as a clue only.

Read our guide to pet microchip numbers for more detailed information and practical steps.

What should you do if you find a pet with an Austrian microchip?

Start by confirming the complete microchip number.

Ask a veterinarian, shelter or rescue to scan the animal carefully and check every digit.

Then:

Use the free ChipTrace microchip lookup to check which registries, countries, or manufacturers might have information.
Search the official Heimtierdatenbank.
Search PetMaxx, which includes several Austrian private databases.
Search EUROPETNET, where ANIMALDATA.COM represents Austria.
Check an Austrian private database directly if your information points to one.
If you do not find anything, try searching foreign databases or contact the microchip manufacturer or distributor.

The Heimtierdatenbank public search currently provides separate microchip searches for dogs and cats.

What if the Heimtierdatenbank finds the animal?

A positive result confirms that the microchip appears in Austria’s official system.

If the public search doesn’t give you enough information to reunite the animal with its keeper, ask an Austrian veterinarian, shelter, or relevant authority to help with the next step.

Do not post the full microchip number online. Keep part of it private to help confirm ownership later.

What if the microchip is not found?

If the Heimtierdatenbank search is negative, it does not always mean the animal isn’t registered.

First, scan the animal again and confirm every digit.

Then consider the most common possibilities:

someone entered the number incorrectly
the animal has a private Austrian registration
the pet has a foreign registration
the chip uses a manufacturer prefix rather than 040
the animal previously lived in another country
information from a private database has not yet reached the Heimtierdatenbank
an older private registration is missing information required for the official database

Austria’s own government guidance warns that a dog registered in a private database is not automatically guaranteed to appear in the Heimtierdatenbank. Private services may need additional information before they can transfer the record, and the official guidance says that transfer can take up to a week.

Keep tracing after a negative result

This is where Austria’s private registries become useful.

The Austrian government names Animaldata, Petcard, PawID and IFTA among the private databases that can connect with the Heimtierdatenbank.

PetMaxx currently includes Austrian databases such as ANIMALDATA.COM, Petcard and PawID, so it provides a useful additional search when the official database gives no answer.

ANIMALDATA.COM also has its own online tracing system and participates in both PetMaxx and EUROPETNET.

If those searches still find nothing, check any country where the animal may have previously lived, and contact the microchip manufacturer or distributor.

A negative search still gives you information.

It does not mean you have to stop searching.

Which microchip database does Austria use?

Austria’s official nationwide system is the Heimtierdatenbank.

All dogs kept in Austria must be identified and registered there. Austria also requires breeding cats to be microchipped and registered.

The official public search lets anyone enter a microchip number and search for dogs or cats separately.

Why are there private Austrian databases too?

Private pet databases existed before Austria introduced compulsory national dog registration in 2010.

Services such as Animaldata, Petcard, PawID and IFTA continue to operate and can provide additional lost-pet and tracing services. Several have interfaces that can forward the required information to the Heimtierdatenbank.

However, the two registrations are not identical.

A private record may exist without a complete official Heimtierdatenbank record.

That is why Austria’s official guidance recommends checking the national database after registration.

Is Austria in EUROPETNET?

Yes.

EUROPETNET currently lists ANIMALDATA.COM, VÖK Fortbildungs GmbH as its Austrian member organisation.

That makes EUROPETNET useful when an Austrian animal may have travelled or when a foreign finder scans an Austrian-registered pet.

How does ChipTrace help with Austrian microchips?

Austria’s official public lookup is helpful, but you may need to check more than one database.

ChipTrace helps you move between the official Austrian route, private registries, and international searches.

This becomes particularly useful when:

the Heimtierdatenbank finds nothing
the animal may have a private Austrian registration
the chip begins with a manufacturer prefix
the pet came from another country
an Austrian private database may hold an older record
you do not know which database to try next

PetMaxx and EUROPETNET add useful international routes, while the microchip number itself can provide country or manufacturer clues.

The goal is not simply to search one database.

You should keep searching until you have checked all possible options.

Are microchips required in Austria?

Dogs

Yes.

All dogs kept in Austria must have an electronically readable microchip.

Puppies must receive their microchip no later than three months of age and always before their first transfer to another keeper. If a dog already has a functioning microchip when it enters Austria, Austrian law does not require another chip simply because it came from abroad. These requirements are set out in §24a of Austria’s Animal Welfare Act.

The keeper must register the dog within one month after microchipping, entering Austria or taking over an already microchipped dog. The registration must happen before the dog is transferred again.

Cats

Regular pet cats that are privately owned do not have the same general microchip requirement.

Austria does, however, require cats used or intended for breeding to have a microchip and registration in the Heimtierdatenbank.

A kitten intended for breeding must receive its microchip before its permanent canine teeth develop.

The keeper must register a breeding cat within one month after microchipping or taking over an already microchipped breeding cat.

The Heimtierdatenbank also lets you search for cat microchips, so it is a good idea to check a found cat even if it is not a breeding cat.

How to register a dog microchip in Austria

When a veterinarian performs a dog’s first identification, Austrian law requires the veterinarian to register the dog directly in the Heimtierdatenbank or through an existing electronic registry.

Owners also have other routes for relevant registrations and changes, including the government system, authorities and approved registration points. Private registries can also forward the information to the official system where the required details are complete.

When your dog gets a microchip:

Ask the veterinarian to scan and confirm the complete number.
Make sure your name and contact information are correct.
Confirm that the official Heimtierdatenbank registration is complete.
Ask for the registration number.
Later, search the microchip yourself in the Heimtierdatenbank.

Austria’s official guidance says the registration number confirms the official report succeeded.

Do not assume that having a record in a private database means the official registration is finished.

How to check or update an Austrian microchip registration

You can search the public Heimtierdatenbank yourself using the microchip number.

For your own dog, Austria also provides access through its government digital services, including ID Austria.

Keep the registered details current.

Austria’s official system records information such as the keeper’s contact details, the date a dog changes hands and the animal’s death.

If your dog also has an Animaldata, Petcard, PawID or other private registration, check that record separately.

Do not expect that updating one database will automatically update the others.

Buying, adopting or transferring a dog in Austria

Before taking a dog home, have someone scan the microchip.

Check that:

the scanner reads the chip
the number matches the documents
the dog appears in the Heimtierdatenbank
any private database record can also be updated
the pet passport belongs to the same animal
the keeper details will be changed

A new keeper of an already chipped dog must arrange the required registration within one month after taking over the animal, and always before transferring it again.

If someone tells you the dog is registered with a private database, check the Heimtierdatenbank as well.

Austria specifically warns that private registration alone does not guarantee that the official record is complete.

Do dogs also need local registration?

Yes, but this is separate from the Heimtierdatenbank.

Austria also has local rules concerning the Hundeabgabe, or dog tax. Owners generally register dogs with the relevant municipality or local authority, but rules and deadlines vary by federal state and municipality.

Local registration does not replace the national Heimtierdatenbank registration. Austria clearly warns that registering with a city or regional dog register is not enough.

So:

Heimtierdatenbank = national microchip registration.

Local dog registration = municipal or regional requirements, including dog tax.

Depending on where you live, you may need to do both.

What should you do if your pet goes missing?

Start by checking the microchip registration and making sure the contact details are correct.

Search the Heimtierdatenbank and any private registry where you registered the animal.

If you use Animaldata, Petcard, PawID or another service, make sure its information is current as well.

Also contact:

local veterinarians
animal shelters and rescue organisations
the municipality or relevant local authority
local lost-and-found animal groups

Because Animaldata participates in PetMaxx and EUROPETNET, an Animaldata registration can also provide an international tracing route if the animal crosses a border.

Do not share the full microchip number in public.

Keep part of the number private so you can use it to check ownership claims.

Moving to Austria with a pet

Austria has a particularly clear rule for dog owners.

Moving with a dog

A dog with a functioning foreign microchip does not need a replacement chip simply because it moves to Austria.

However, the keeper must register the dog in the Heimtierdatenbank within one month after entry into Austria. The Austrian government’s dog-registration guidance confirms this deadline.

After arrival:

Ask an Austrian veterinarian to scan the chip.
Compare the number with the pet passport or other documents.
Search the Heimtierdatenbank.
Complete the Austrian registration within one month.
Keep the foreign database registration active until you are sure the Austrian record is correct.

You should also check local dog-registration and dog-tax requirements for the municipality where you live, because these rules vary across Austria.

Moving with a cat

Ordinary pet cats do not have Austria’s general domestic microchip-and-registration requirement.

Breeding cats do.

If you move with a cat, ask an Austrian veterinarian to scan the chip and compare it with the travel documents. You can also search the Heimtierdatenbank and international databases if you need to trace an existing registration.

Travelling with a pet to or from Austria

Microchip registration and international travel rules are related, but they are not the same.

Dogs, cats and ferrets travelling between EU countries need the identification, rabies vaccination and travel documentation required for the journey.

An Austrian Heimtierdatenbank registration does not replace the documents required for international travel.

Likewise, having a valid EU pet passport does not replace Austria’s domestic Heimtierdatenbank requirement for a dog kept in Austria.

Our Pet Travel: Microchip Checks Before You Go guide explains the practical microchip checks to make before travelling.

Always check the current official rules for your exact journey before departure.

In short

Austria’s official public microchip search through the Heimtierdatenbank is very good, but private databases are still important. The practical route is:

ChipTrace → Heimtierdatenbank → PetMaxx → Austrian private registries → EUROPETNET → foreign databases → manufacturer or distributor if necessary.

Dogs must be microchipped and registered nationally. Breeding cats also have compulsory identification and registration rules, while ordinary pet cats do not have the same general domestic requirement.

And one particularly important Austrian lesson:

A private database registration does not automatically prove that the official Heimtierdatenbank registration is complete.

If you don’t find anything with the first search, keep looking.