Last updated: 11 August 2026
Dogs kept in Gibraltar must normally be microchipped and entered in the official Gibraltar dog register.
They must also have a current dog licence and a valid rabies vaccination.
Gibraltar does not use the United Kingdom’s network of Defra-compliant private microchip databases.
Instead, the Licensing Officer keeps a local government dog register for Gibraltar.
This register can include the dog’s microchip number, keeper details, licence information, photograph and DNA profile.
No confirmed public online search exists for the Gibraltar dog register.
Therefore, a Gibraltar veterinarian, the Animal Welfare Centre, the Licensing Officer or another authorised local route may need to check the number.
This guide explains how dog microchip registration works in Gibraltar, what Gibraltar and foreign chip numbers can look like, how the dog register and licence work, and what to do if a microchip is not found.
Use it to choose the right tracing route, understand Gibraltar records, check possible Spanish, UK, EUROPETNET or manufacturer clues, and prepare the documents you may need as a pet owner, finder, adopter or rescuer.
In this guide:
ChipTrace can help you check available databases, identify possible country or manufacturer clues, and decide the next tracing step.
What do Gibraltar microchip numbers look like?
Most modern pet microchips follow the ISO standard and contain 15 digits.
The official ISO numeric country code for Gibraltar is 292.
A Gibraltar country-coded microchip may therefore begin with 292.
However, not every pet living in Gibraltar has a 292 chip. Many animals have manufacturer-coded microchips or chip numbers from other countries.
Manufacturer-coded microchips start with the digit 9. These numbers may appear in several countries, so they do not prove where the pet was chipped or registered.
Many pets in Gibraltar were first microchipped in Spain, the United Kingdom or another country.
This is common with:
- Dogs and cats brought across the border from Spain
- Pets adopted through foreign rescues
- Animals that moved to Gibraltar with their families
- Pets with manufacturer-coded chips
- Animals with older foreign registration records
A readable foreign or manufacturer-coded chip can still identify the animal.
For a dog kept in Gibraltar, that chip can also be used in the Gibraltar dog register when the local registration is completed.
In short, the first digits can give a clue about origin. They do not prove where the animal lives or which register holds its details.
Gibraltar is not covered by the United Kingdom’s country code 826.
Example formats commonly found in Gibraltar
Many different microchip numbers may appear in Gibraltar. These examples show a few possible formats, but many other variations exist.
292123456789012— Gibraltar country-coded microchip981123456789012— manufacturer-coded microchip945123456789012— manufacturer-coded microchip724123456789012— Spanish country-coded microchip826123456789012— UK country-coded microchip
Use the prefix as a clue only, because a manufacturer-coded prefix can appear in more than one country.
Always check the complete number.
Read our guide to pet microchip numbers for more detailed information and practical steps.
What should you do if you find a pet with a Gibraltar microchip number?
Follow these quick tracing steps to help reunite the animal with its owner or keeper.
- Ask a veterinarian, shelter, rescue or the Animal Welfare Centre to scan the animal and confirm the full microchip number.
- Use ChipTrace to check available international databases and possible country or manufacturer clues.
- Ask a Gibraltar veterinarian, the Animal Welfare Centre or the Licensing Officer to check the Gibraltar dog register when the animal is a dog.
- Check whether the animal may have a Spanish, UK or other foreign registration.
- Open EUROPETNET for a separate manual European search.
- Contact any veterinarian, shelter, rescue, breeder or previous organisation that may be connected to the animal.
Who can contact the keeper?
No confirmed public online microchip search exists for the Gibraltar dog register.
Therefore, the local dog register may contain a record even when no public database gives a result.
The Animal Welfare Centre, Licensing Officer, a veterinarian or another authorised local organisation may be able to help trace the registered keeper.
However, the finder should not expect to receive the keeper’s full private details.
Instead, the authorised route can use the record to contact the keeper.
If nobody can reach the keeper, you can post on local social media and leave notices at veterinary clinics, shelters, rescues and nearby shops.
Do not publish the complete microchip number online. Share only part of it so ownership claims can be checked safely.
Remember: do not assume that every outdoor cat is lost.
Before taking action, look for signs that the animal is injured, frightened, displaced, trapped, very young, or unfamiliar with the area.
Read Found a Microchipped Pet? What to Do Next for practical advice and template messages you can send to local shelters and vets.
What if the microchip number is not found in any database?
A missing database result is not always the end of the trace.
Start by asking a veterinarian, shelter, rescue or the Animal Welfare Centre to scan the animal again and confirm every digit. One wrong digit can return no result.
Why the microchip may not appear
Possible causes and next steps:
- The chip was implanted, but nobody registered it correctly. Ask the veterinarian, breeder, shelter or rescue to check their records.
- Someone entered the number incorrectly. Re-scan the animal and search again with the verified number.
- The animal may have a Gibraltar dog registration that is not visible online. Ask the Animal Welfare Centre or Licensing Officer to check the local dog register.
- The animal may still be registered in Spain, the UK or another country. Use ChipTrace for country or manufacturer clues and open the relevant manual route.
- The chip is manufacturer-coded. Use the manufacturer or distributor route when no registry result appears.
- A database may be temporarily unavailable. Repeat the search later and keep manual routes open.
Extra tracing routes to try
- Use ChipTrace again after confirming the number. It can also suggest a likely country, manufacturer or distributor, including contact information where available.
- Ask the Animal Welfare Centre or Licensing Officer to check the non-public Gibraltar dog register.
- Open EUROPETNET for a separate manual search.
- Check Spanish, UK and other foreign databases when the animal may have lived elsewhere.
- Contact the microchip manufacturer or distributor. They may identify the distributor who supplied the chip and the veterinarian, breeder, shelter or rescue that received it.
If online searches give no result
A negative online result does not prove that the animal is unregistered in Gibraltar.
No confirmed public online microchip search exists for the Gibraltar dog register. Therefore, the Animal Welfare Centre, Licensing Officer or another authorised route may need to check a possible local dog record.
ChipTrace may show possible country or manufacturer information. However, this is only a tracing clue, not a registration result.
Manufacturers and distributors normally do not give out the keeper’s private details. Instead, they may identify the distributor that supplied the chip, the veterinarian or organisation that received it, or pass a matched enquiry to the next organisation.
Finding the keeper is not guaranteed, but these extra steps often help. If you still cannot trace the keeper after checking every route, contact a local shelter, rescue, animal welfare organisation, the Animal Welfare Centre, the Licensing Officer or a veterinary clinic for advice.
Read our guide to why a microchip may not appear in any database.
Which microchip records are used in Gibraltar?
The Licensing Officer maintains Gibraltar’s official dog register.
This register applies to dogs.
It does not form part of the UK Defra-compliant database network.
Also, EUROPETNET does not list Gibraltar as a member database.
No equivalent compulsory government microchip register for all pet cats could be confirmed.
Imported dogs and cats may still have active registrations in foreign databases.
However, updating the Gibraltar dog register does not automatically update a Spanish, UK or other foreign registration.
What information is held in the Gibraltar dog register?
The official dog register may record:
- The name and address of the owner or keeper
- The dog registration number
- The dog licence number
- The registration date
- The expiry date of the rabies vaccination certificate
- The pet passport number, when the dog has one
- A photograph of the dog
- The microchip number
- The dog’s DNA profile
The Licensing Officer issues a registration certificate and registration badge.
A separate annual dog licence and licence disc are also issued.
Can the public search the Gibraltar dog register?
No confirmed public online microchip search exists for the Gibraltar dog register.
Therefore, owners and finders should contact the Animal Welfare Centre or Licensing Officer for help.
A veterinarian, shelter or rescue may also be able to pass the number to the correct authority.
The finder should not receive the keeper’s full private details.
Instead, the authority or authorised organisation can contact the registered keeper.
Can EUROPETNET find a Gibraltar registration?
Gibraltar does not currently appear in the EUROPETNET member list.
Therefore, the EUROPETNET search does not cover the Gibraltar dog register.
However, many animals in Gibraltar were previously registered in Spain, the UK or another European country.
For this reason, a manual EUROPETNET search may still find one of those foreign registrations.
ChipTrace may provide a button or direct link that opens EUROPETNET.
After that, the user completes the search manually.
ChipTrace does not perform the EUROPETNET search itself.
If EUROPETNET gives no result, do not assume that the animal is unregistered in Gibraltar.
Instead, contact the Animal Welfare Centre or Licensing Officer when a Gibraltar dog registration is possible.
Read how ChipTrace works for more information about automatic and manual searches.
How does ChipTrace search Gibraltar?
ChipTrace checks available international and national database routes where possible.
At the moment, ChipTrace does not query the local Gibraltar dog register directly.
The official register is not available as a confirmed public online lookup.
Instead, ChipTrace shows which databases it checked and which manual Gibraltar routes remain available.
ChipTrace may still identify a registration held in Spain, the UK or another country.
In addition, ChipTrace may identify country, database, manufacturer or distributor clues from the complete microchip number.
What can ChipTrace show?
ChipTrace may show possible country or manufacturer information.
However, a manufacturer match is not a registration result. It does not prove that the animal came from Gibraltar.
ChipTrace shows which automatic databases were checked. It also shows which manual Gibraltar, Spanish, UK or European routes may still be useful.
ChipTrace does not display private keeper information. A veterinarian, registry, shelter, rescue, animal welfare organisation or official service must contact the keeper.
Are microchips required in Gibraltar?
The rules depend on the animal.
Dogs
Dogs over three months old that are kept in Gibraltar must normally be registered and licensed.
The dog must have a microchip for the registration and licence to remain valid.
It must also have a current rabies vaccination.
In addition, a DNA profile must be entered in the dog register.
A veterinary exemption may be possible when a microchip would harm the dog’s health.
The Animals Act and Animals Rules 2004 contain the main dog registration and licensing requirements.
Cats
Pet cats are not currently covered by the same general compulsory registration and microchipping rule as dogs.
However, microchipping and registration are strongly recommended.
An indoor cat can also escape.
A microchip gives a lost cat permanent identification, but it only helps when the number links to current keeper details.
Cats travelling internationally normally need a readable microchip.
Ferrets
Ferrets are not covered by the same general dog registration and licensing rules.
However, a ferret normally needs a readable microchip for international travel.
Ask a Gibraltar veterinarian which registration options are available.
Who can implant a microchip?
In Gibraltar, a competent person must insert the microchip.
This may be a veterinary surgeon, a veterinary nurse working under a veterinarian’s direction, or a trained person working under a veterinarian’s direction.
The chip must generate a unique number and meet the standards required by Gibraltar law.
When the animal is a registered dog, the Licensing Officer must record the complete number in the dog register.
Implanting and registering are separate steps.
The microchip contains only an identification number. The keeper’s details are stored in the register or database.
A working chip may still be difficult to trace when nobody completed the registration.
How to register a pet microchip in Gibraltar
Dog registration is handled by the Licensing Officer through the local animal welfare system.
To register a dog:
- Ask a veterinarian to scan and confirm the complete microchip number.
- Make sure the microchip meets the required standard.
- Make sure the rabies vaccination is current.
- Arrange the required DNA sample with a Gibraltar veterinary clinic.
- Contact the Animal Welfare Centre or Licensing Officer.
- Complete the dog registration application.
- Provide the dog’s photograph and required documents.
- Pay the current registration and licence fees.
- Collect the registration certificate, badge, licence and licence disc.
- Renew the dog licence when required.
Documents useful for registration
Useful documents may include:
- The microchip certificate
- The rabies vaccination certificate
- The pet passport
- The dog’s veterinary records
- A photograph of the dog
- An import licence or health certificate, when relevant
- An adoption agreement or purchase receipt
- A previous registration certificate
- Foreign microchip registration documents
For this reason, owners and finders should check the current Gibraltar dog registration and licence fees before applying.
Normally, the licence expires on 31 December.
However, it may expire earlier when the dog’s rabies vaccination certificate expires earlier.
When required, the dog must wear its current licence disc.
Does the veterinarian or breeder register the chip automatically?
Not necessarily.
A veterinarian may implant the microchip, give the rabies vaccination and take the DNA sample.
A breeder, shelter or rescue may provide some of the documents.
However, the Licensing Officer completes the official dog registration and licence.
The owner or keeper should confirm that every step has been completed.
Ask:
- Has the dog been entered in the Gibraltar dog register?
- Is the complete microchip number correct?
- Has the DNA profile been added?
- Is the rabies vaccination current?
- Is the annual licence valid?
- Who is currently named as the keeper?
Do not assume that implantation means the registration is complete.
Can I add a global microchip registration?
Yes. A global registration can provide another route back to the owner or keeper.
Animal-ID allows owners to create an additional record using an existing microchip number.
This can help when:
- The pet travels outside Gibraltar
- The animal was first registered in another country
- A finder uses an international search service
- The Gibraltar dog register cannot be searched from abroad
- The animal has a foreign or manufacturer-coded chip
Important: a global registration is only a safety net.
It does not replace entry in the official Gibraltar dog register or the annual dog licence.
Updating Animal-ID does not update the official Gibraltar record.
Keep the same contact details in every active registration.
How to check your pet’s microchip registration
This section is for owners who already know their pet’s microchip number.
If you do not know the microchip number, ask a veterinarian or the Animal Welfare Centre to scan the animal first.
To check the registration:
- Use ChipTrace to search available international databases.
- Contact the Animal Welfare Centre or Licensing Officer to check the Gibraltar dog register.
- Compare the number with the registration certificate and licence.
- Compare it with the pet passport and veterinary records.
- Check any Spanish, UK or other foreign database where the pet was previously registered.
- Confirm that the current rabies vaccination and annual licence are valid.
When checking the record, confirm the registered keeper’s name and address.
Also check that any other contact information held by the authority is current.
The public cannot normally view the keeper’s personal details through an online lookup. This is normal.
How to update a Gibraltar microchip registration
Contact the Animal Welfare Centre or Licensing Officer that holds the official dog record.
Update the registration when:
- You move home
- Your telephone number or email address changes
- The dog moves to a new keeper
- The dog goes missing
- The dog is found again
- The dog leaves Gibraltar permanently
- The dog dies
The registered keeper must notify the Licensing Officer within seven days if the dog dies, is no longer kept in Gibraltar or moves to another keeper.
Updating veterinary records or a pet passport does not update the dog register.
Change every active Gibraltar and foreign registration separately.
Check the record and licence at least once a year.
What happens when you move within Gibraltar?
Update the official dog record with your new address and contact details.
You normally do not need a new microchip.
If the dog stops being kept in Gibraltar, tell the Licensing Officer within seven days.
Return the registration certificate and licence disc to the Licensing Officer when required.
How to transfer a Gibraltar microchip registration
The dog must be re-registered when it moves to a new keeper.
The previous keeper must tell the Licensing Officer within seven days.
The new keeper must re-register the dog and apply for a dog licence within seven days of the transfer.
Ask the previous keeper, breeder, shelter or rescue for:
- The complete microchip number
- The Gibraltar registration certificate
- The current dog licence
- The registration badge and licence disc
- The pet passport
- The rabies vaccination record
- An adoption agreement or purchase receipt
- Information about any foreign registration
Contact the Animal Welfare Centre or Licensing Officer immediately.
Do not assume that the official record will change automatically.
After the transfer, check that your own details and the complete microchip number are correct.
What if the pet is still registered to someone else?
Contact the previous keeper, breeder, shelter or rescue first.
Ask them to notify the Licensing Officer and help complete the transfer.
If this is not possible, contact the Animal Welfare Centre or Licensing Officer directly.
The authority may ask for:
- An adoption agreement
- A purchase receipt
- A signed transfer document
- Veterinary records
- Proof that you tried to contact the previous keeper
- Proof that the animal is now in your care
Do not create false information or a conflicting registration.
A registration shows who is recorded as the keeper. However, it may not settle a legal disagreement about ownership on its own.
Buying or adopting a pet in Gibraltar
Ask for the complete microchip number before taking the animal home.
When possible, ask a veterinarian, shelter or rescue to check the microchip.
Make sure the number matches every document.
Buying or adopting a dog
Also ask for:
- The Gibraltar dog registration certificate, when applicable
- The current dog licence
- The registration badge and licence disc
- The pet passport
- Veterinary and rabies vaccination records
- An adoption agreement or purchase receipt
- Information about the DNA registration
- Information about any foreign microchip registration
A dog over three months old kept in Gibraltar should normally already be microchipped, registered, licensed and vaccinated.
The new keeper must make sure the dog is re-registered and licensed within seven days.
What about a pet adopted from a foreign rescue?
Ask the rescue which registrations already exist.
Also ask:
- Whether the animal has been checked for a microchip
- Who is named in the pet passport or health certificate
- Which foreign database holds the record
- Who will update the foreign registration
- Who will complete the Gibraltar dog registration, when required
- Whether the health and travel documents are complete
A foreign registration does not replace the required Gibraltar dog registration and licence.
Keep the foreign record active until the Gibraltar registration has been confirmed.
What should you do if your pet goes missing?
Act quickly.
First, contact the Animal Welfare Centre and any microchip database as soon as possible.
Then, ask every relevant register or database to mark the animal as missing when this service is available.
Also, check that your telephone number and email address are correct.
Local alerts and contacts
You should:
- Contact local veterinarians.
- Contact shelters and rescue groups.
- Contact the Royal Gibraltar Police when appropriate.
- Check local lost-and-found pet groups.
- Check groups in nearby parts of Spain when the animal may have crossed the border.
- Share a clear photograph and the area where the animal disappeared.
Do not publish the complete microchip number online.
Share only part of the number publicly. Keep the full number for veterinarians, shelters, rescues, authorities, databases and trusted organisations helping with the search.
After the animal returns, close every missing-pet report.
Bringing an imported pet to Gibraltar
A foreign registration does not automatically create an official Gibraltar dog record.
Usually, a readable foreign microchip does not need replacement.
Dogs, cats and ferrets entering Gibraltar must normally have microchip identification.
The veterinarian must implant the microchip before the rabies vaccination used for entry.
After a first valid rabies vaccination, at least 21 days must normally pass before entry.
The animal must also have the correct pet passport or health certificate.
The Environmental Agency’s pet import guidance says that a health certificate showing current vaccinations can be used for pets travelling from the UK.
Pets arriving from some unlisted countries also need a rabies antibody blood test and a waiting period.
Check the current rules before travelling.
Documents useful after arrival
Take:
- The animal
- Its pet passport or official health certificate
- Its rabies vaccination record
- The microchip certificate, when available
- Your Gibraltar address and contact details
- Any foreign registration documents
- An adoption or transfer document, when relevant
Check that the microchip number matches every document.
After arrival, register and license a dog through the Gibraltar animal welfare system when required.
The DNA profile must also be entered in the dog register.
Keep the foreign microchip registration active until the Gibraltar record has been confirmed.
Contact the Environmental Agency before moving a very young animal or when the normal rules cannot be met.
Travelling with a pet to or from Gibraltar
Microchip registration and border rules are separate.
The rules depend on the destination, the country where the pet normally lives and the documents it has.
Travelling between Gibraltar and Spain or another EU country
Gibraltar is a Part 1 listed territory under the European pet travel system.
A valid Gibraltar pet passport can normally be used for travel to Spain and other EU countries.
Dogs, cats and ferrets normally need:
- A readable microchip
- A valid rabies vaccination given after the microchip was implanted
- A valid Gibraltar or EU pet passport
- Any extra treatment required by the destination country
A first rabies vaccination normally becomes valid after at least 21 full days.
The microchip number must match the pet passport exactly.
Check the current EU pet travel rules and the destination country’s requirements before travelling.
Travelling from Gibraltar to Great Britain
Great Britain means England, Scotland and Wales.
Dogs, cats and ferrets normally need:
- A readable microchip
- A valid rabies vaccination
- A valid Gibraltar pet passport or another accepted travel document
- Tapeworm treatment for dogs within the required period
- Travel on an approved route
The tapeworm treatment for a dog must normally be given by a veterinarian between 24 hours and 120 hours before entry.
Check the current Great Britain pet-entry rules before travelling.
Travelling from Great Britain to Gibraltar
Pets travelling from Great Britain must normally have a readable microchip and valid rabies vaccination.
The Gibraltar Environmental Agency says that pets from the UK can use a health certificate showing their current vaccinations.
Check the required certificate with your veterinarian and the Environmental Agency before the journey.
Do not assume that a Great Britain-issued pet passport can be used.
The microchip number must match every travel document exactly.
Useful Gibraltar microchip links
Gibraltar Animals Act
Read the official dog registration, licensing and microchip rules
Gibraltar Animals Rules 2004
Check the dog register, licence, transfer and update requirements
Environmental Agency Gibraltar
Check current requirements for bringing a pet into Gibraltar
EUROPETNET
Complete a separate manual European microchip search
European Commission – travelling with a pet within the EU
Check EU pet travel rules before travelling
Great Britain pet-entry rules
Check current rules for travelling from Gibraltar to Great Britain
Animal-ID
Create an additional global microchip registration