Pet Microchips in Greece: Registration and Tracing

Dogs and cats in Greece must be microchipped and registered in the National Pet Register.

The Greek register is known as EMZS.

A certified vet implants or scans the microchip and creates the official record.

The record links the number to the animal and its owner.

Owners can also use official online services to view records, report a missing pet and begin an ownership transfer.

Which microchip database is used in Greece?

Greece uses one official national system called EMZS.

EMZS stands for Ethniko Mitroo Zoon Syntrofias.

In English, this means the National Pet Register.

You can access official information and services through the Greek Pet Portal.

EMZS can record:

The animal’s identification details
The microchip number
The owner, foster carer or responsible organisation
Veterinary and vaccination information
Birth and identification
Ownership transfers
Loss and recovery
Adoption and fostering
The animal’s death

Certified vets enter and update most professional information.

Authorised municipal staff can also record certain events and update contact details when permitted.

Is EMZS a public microchip search?

EMZS is not a simple open database where anyone can enter a chip number and see the owner’s information.

A vet, municipality, shelter or authorised service can check the official record.

Owners can access services connected to animals registered under their details.

The owner’s private information is not intended to be displayed in an unrestricted public search.

A vet, shelter, municipality or authority can contact the registered owner instead.

Can owners access EMZS themselves?

Yes.

Owners can use several official services with their Taxisnet login.

Available services include:

Viewing the animal’s veterinary file
Reporting a pet as lost
Reporting that the animal has been found
Starting an ownership-transfer declaration
Reporting the animal’s death
Creating a pet identification QR code

If an animal does not appear in your account, ask the vet to check the registration.

Can EUROPETNET find a Greek registration?

EUROPETNET is a separate European microchip search network.

Greece does not currently appear to have its own connected database in the EUROPETNET member list.

An ordinary EMZS registration may therefore not appear there.

However, EUROPETNET may still help when the animal was previously registered in another European country.

ChipTrace may provide a button that opens EUROPETNET.

The search is completed manually on the EUROPETNET website.

A negative result does not prove that the animal is not registered in Greece.

Are microchips required in Greece?

Yes, for owned dogs and cats.

The animal must be electronically identified and entered in EMZS.

The microchip must meet the required technical standards and be readable by a compatible scanner.

The animal should also be correctly registered before it is sold, adopted or transferred to another person.

A microchip without a correct EMZS record is not enough.

The database must contain current owner and contact information.

What do Greek microchip numbers look like?

Modern pet microchips normally contain 15 digits.

Greece’s ISO country code is:

300

A Greek country-coded chip may therefore begin with 300.

However, not every pet living in Greece has a 300 chip.

Many chips use a manufacturer code instead.

Manufacturer-coded microchips usually begin with the number 9.

Other animals were microchipped in another country before arriving in Greece.

This is common with:

Imported dogs and cats
Pets adopted through international rescues
Animals that moved to Greece with their families
Older pets with manufacturer-coded chips

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

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 Greece?

Take the animal to a certified vet, shelter, rescue organisation or municipality.

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 a certified vet or municipality to check EMZS
Check the electronic health record or pet passport, when available
Check the official Greek lost-and-found platform
Contact the veterinary clinic connected to the animal
Contact the shelter, rescue or breeder connected to the animal
Check databases in countries where the pet may have lived
Open EUROPETNET when a foreign European registration may be involved
Use ChipTrace for database, country and manufacturer clues

The authorised organisation can use EMZS to contact the registered owner.

The finder should not expect to receive the owner’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.

Many owned cats in Greece are allowed to roam.

Look for signs that the animal is injured, distressed, far from home or unfamiliar with the area.

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

What if a Greek microchip cannot be found?

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

One incorrect digit is enough to produce no result.

Then:

Ask a certified vet to check EMZS
Check the electronic health booklet
Check the EU pet passport
Check veterinary, adoption and travel records
Contact the clinic that implanted the chip
Contact the former owner, shelter, rescue or breeder
Check databases in countries where the animal has lived
Open EUROPETNET for a manual foreign-database search
Contact the microchip manufacturer or distributor
Use ChipTrace for database, country and manufacturer clues

The chip may have been implanted but entered incorrectly in EMZS.

The record may contain an old telephone number or address.

The animal may also still be registered in another country.

If no database record 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 owner’s private details.

Instead, they may contact the next organisation or the registered owner 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 owner.

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

An extra global registration may help when:

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

This is an extra safety net.

It is separate from EMZS.

Updating Animal-ID does not update the Greek national register.

It does not replace the official EMZS registration.

Keep the same contact details in every active record.

How to register a pet microchip in Greece

Make an appointment with a certified Greek 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 adds the animal and owner to EMZS.
The vet updates the electronic health record.
Check the complete chip number carefully.
Check your name, address, telephone number and email address.
Ask the vet to confirm that the registration is complete.
Ask how to access the animal through the official online services.

Useful documents may include:

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

Who implants and registers the microchip?

A certified vet implants the chip and creates the EMZS record.

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 microchip number
Information about the animal
The owner’s name and identification details
The owner’s address and contact details
Important veterinary information
The passport number, when relevant

Check every digit carefully.

Also check your telephone number, email address and home address.

Does the vet register the chip automatically?

The vet who implants the microchip should also add the animal to EMZS.

However, it is still important to check.

Ask the vet to confirm that:

The EMZS registration is complete
The complete chip number is correct
The animal is listed under your name
Your telephone number is current
Your email address is correct
Your home address is correct
The passport information matches the electronic record

If the animal does not appear in your account, ask the vet to check the registration.

Do not assume that implantation alone means registration is complete.

What is the electronic health booklet?

Animals registered in EMZS have an electronic veterinary file.

It may include:

The microchip number
Information about the animal
Rabies vaccinations
Other vaccinations
Veterinary treatments
Sterilisation information
Passport details

The owner can view information entered by the certified vet.

A vet can also issue or print a health booklet.

The health booklet is not the same as an EU pet passport.

The EU pet passport is mainly used for international travel.

Changing a paper document does not automatically correct the EMZS record.

How to check whether your pet is registered

Check the record by:

Logging in to the official Greek pet services with Taxisnet
Viewing the animal’s electronic veterinary file
Asking a certified vet to check EMZS
Comparing the scanner result with the health booklet
Comparing the number with the EU pet passport, when available

The microchip number must match in every document and record.

If the animal does not appear under your account, contact the vet that created the registration.

How to update a Greek microchip registration

Update EMZS when:

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

Most changes must be reported within ten days.

Loss and recovery have a shorter deadline.

They must be reported within two working days.

Some changes can be made through the official online services.

A certified vet or authorised municipal employee can also help.

Updating the pet passport alone is not enough.

The EMZS record must also be correct.

How to transfer an EMZS registration

The current owner can begin the process by making an online declaration of intention to transfer the animal.

The transfer itself is completed by a certified vet.

The new owner, legal representative or authorised person must attend.

The previous owner must either attend or provide the official transfer declaration.

The new owner may need:

Personal identification
A Greek tax identification number
The animal
The EU pet passport or health booklet
An adoption or purchase agreement
The previous owner’s transfer declaration

The vet scans the microchip and checks the details.

After the transfer, the animal is recorded under the new owner.

Check that:

Your name is correct
Your address is current
Your telephone number is correct
Your email address is active
The animal appears in your account

What if the pet is still registered to someone else?

Contact the former owner, breeder, shelter or rescue first.

Ask them to begin or approve the transfer.

If that is not possible, speak to a certified vet or contact EMZS support.

You may be asked for:

An adoption contract
A purchase agreement or invoice
The EU pet passport
Veterinary records
Written confirmation from the former owner
Your identification details

The vet or authority may need further evidence before changing the record.

A microchip registration shows who is listed in EMZS.

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

Buying or adopting a pet in Greece

Ask whether the animal has a microchip before taking it home.

Also ask for:

The complete microchip number
The EU pet passport or health booklet
Vaccination records
An adoption or purchase agreement
Proof that the animal is registered in EMZS
The name of the person currently recorded as owner
Confirmation of who will arrange the transfer

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

Check that the scanned number matches every document.

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

The EMZS registration must also be transferred.

What about a pet adopted from a foreign rescue?

Ask the rescue who will arrange the Greek registration.

Also ask:

Whether the animal has been scanned
Who is named in the passport or health certificate
Which foreign database holds the record
Who will update the foreign registration
Who will arrange the EMZS registration
Whether the travel and health documents are complete

Ask a Greek vet to scan the chip and check the documents after arrival.

Keep the foreign registration active until EMZS has been confirmed.

What should you do if your pet goes missing?

Report the animal as lost within two working days.

It is better to report the loss immediately.

You can use the official lost-pet declaration with your Taxisnet login.

You can also ask a municipality employee to submit the declaration for you.

Also:

Check that your telephone number and email address are current
Contact local veterinary clinics
Contact shelters and rescue groups
Contact the municipality
Check the official Greek lost-and-found platform
Inform the police when theft may be involved
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, report it as found within two working days.

What is the Greek pet identification QR code?

Owners, foster carers and responsible organisations can create an optional QR identification code through EMZS.

The code can be downloaded, printed and attached to the animal’s collar.

A finder can scan it with a mobile phone.

The QR page can show the animal’s microchip number and provide a faster route to the lost-and-found system.

Depending on the record and settings, it may also help the finder contact the responsible person.

The QR code is an extra safety measure.

It does not replace the implanted microchip or EMZS registration.

Bringing an imported pet to Greece

A foreign database registration does not automatically create an EMZS record.

If the animal will live in Greece, take it to a certified Greek vet.

Take:

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

The vet will scan the existing chip.

A readable foreign chip does not normally need to be replaced.

The vet can explain what is needed to add the animal and owner to EMZS.

Check that the foreign chip number is copied correctly.

Keep the foreign registration active until the Greek record has been confirmed.

Travelling with a pet to or from Greece

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 Greek Ministry of Rural Development and Food guidance and the destination-country rules before travelling.

Useful Greek microchip links

Greek Pet Portal
Open the official EMZS portal and pet services

Gov.gr pet services
View official online services for companion animals

View the veterinary file
Access the animal’s electronic veterinary record

Report a lost pet
Submit an official lost-pet declaration

Declare an intended ownership transfer
Begin the official ownership-transfer process

Create a QR identification code
Create an optional QR code for the pet’s collar

Greek pet-travel information
Read official information about travelling with pets

EUROPETNET
Complete a manual search for a possible foreign registration

Animal-ID
Create an additional global microchip registration