Pet Microchips in Greece: National Registration and Tracing

This guide explains how pet microchip registration works in Greece, where to check a Greek microchip, and what to do if the number is not found.

In this guide:

If you already have a microchip number, start with ChipTrace. It can help you check possible databases, country clues and manufacturer routes before you contact registries manually.

What do Greek microchip numbers look like?

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

The official ISO numeric country code for Greece is 300.

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

However, pets living in Greece will rarely have a 300 chip. Most pets 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.

Some animals got their microchip in another country before arriving in Greece.

This is common with:

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

A readable foreign or manufacturer-coded chip may still link to a Greek record when a certified veterinarian has entered the animal in EMZS.

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 Greece

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

• 300123456789012 — Greek country-coded microchip
• 990123456789012 — manufacturer-coded microchip
• 963123456789012 — manufacturer-coded microchip
• 826123456789012 — 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 a Greek microchip number?

Follow these quick tracing steps to help reunite the animal with its owner.

1. If you are in Greece and find an animal that appears lost, ask a veterinarian, shelter, rescue or municipal animal service to scan the animal and confirm the full microchip number.
2. Use ChipTrace to check available international routes and 100+ databases worldwide.
3. Ask a certified Greek veterinarian or the local municipality to check whether the animal has an EMZS record.
4. Open EUROPETNET for a separate manual European search, especially if the animal may have lived in another European country.
5. Contact local services. A veterinary clinic, municipality, shelter, rescue or police station can help with the next step.

Remember: Greece has many free-roaming cats and community animals. Do not assume 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.

What happens after a Greek microchip result is found?

A successful check may point to a record in EMZS or another database.

Do not expect to receive the owner’s private details directly. A veterinarian, municipality, shelter, rescue or other authorised organisation may need to contact the registered owner.

If nobody can reach the owner, you can post on local social media and leave leaflets at veterinary clinics, shelters and nearby shops.

Do not publish the complete microchip number online. Share only part of it so ownership claims can be checked safely.

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 municipal animal service to scan the animal again and confirm every digit. One wrong digit can return no result.

Possible causes and next steps:

• A vet implanted the chip, but nobody completed the registration. Ask a veterinarian to check clinic records and EMZS where possible.
• Someone entered the number incorrectly. Re-scan the animal and search again with the verified number.
• The vet or register created the record very recently. Ask the veterinarian or register when the record should appear, then try again later.
• The public cannot search the Greek record directly. Ask a certified veterinarian, municipality or authorised organisation to help.
• Another country may still hold the animal’s registration. 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.

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 a certified Greek veterinarian or municipality to check EMZS.
• Open EUROPETNET for a separate manual European search.
• Check databases in countries where the animal may have lived.
• Contact the microchip manufacturer or distributor. They may identify the distributor who sold the chip and the vet, breeder, shelter or rescue that received it.

You can use the email template ChipTrace creates to contact the manufacturer or distributor when no registration is found.

Manufacturers and distributors normally do not give out the owner’s private details. Instead, they may identify the distributor that supplied the chip, the vet or organisation that received it, or pass a matched enquiry to the next organisation.

Finding the owner is not guaranteed, but these extra steps often help. If you still cannot trace the owner after checking every route, contact a local shelter, rescue, municipality or veterinary clinic for advice.

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

Check a Microchip

Which microchip databases are used in Greece?

Greece records companion animals in the National Companion Animal Register. In Greek, this is Εθνικό Μητρώο Ζώων Συντροφιάς, or EMZS.

EMZS is the official national digital platform for companion animals in Greece.

It records identified owned and stray dogs and cats. It may also include related events such as adoption, fostering, collection, hosting and veterinary actions.

In practice, EMZS is not the same as a public lost-pet search website.

A member of the public may not be able to type in a microchip number and see the owner’s details. Instead, a certified veterinarian, municipality, shelter, rescue or other authorised organisation may need to check the record.

Can the public search EMZS?

Not in the same way as some public microchip lookup websites.

The Greek system protects owner information. For this reason, a public search should not display the owner’s private contact details.

If you find a dog or cat in Greece, ask a veterinarian, municipality, shelter or rescue to scan the animal and help check EMZS.

Pet.gov.gr also warns that claims of private-system interconnection with EMZS can mislead users. Because of this, treat any website that claims to search the Greek national register directly with care.

Can EUROPETNET find a Greek registration?

EUROPETNET can still help with a European manual search.

However, Greece does not currently appear as a member country on the EUROPETNET member-organisation list.

This means a negative EUROPETNET result does not prove that the animal lacks a Greek registration.

ChipTrace may provide a button or link that opens EUROPETNET. ChipTrace does not perform that EUROPETNET search itself. The user completes the manual search.

If EUROPETNET gives no result, re-check ChipTrace and ask a Greek veterinarian, municipality or authorised organisation about EMZS.

How does ChipTrace search Greece?

ChipTrace may not search the Greek national EMZS register directly.

It can still help by checking 100+ other registries and databases worldwide and by showing country, manufacturer or prefix clues.

This is useful when a pet was imported, adopted through a rescue, moved between countries or has a manufacturer-coded chip.

ChipTrace can also suggest manufacturer or distributor contact routes where available. That may help when no public database result appears.

Because Greece keeps EMZS as an official national register, a certified veterinarian, municipality, shelter, rescue or authorised organisation often needs to help with manual checks.

ChipTrace shows which databases and services it checked. It does not reveal the registered owner’s private contact details. An authorised organisation must contact the owner.

Are microchips required in Greece?

Yes.

Owners in Greece must microchip dogs and cats and register them in EMZS.

A certified veterinarian implants the microchip and records the animal in the national register.

This matters because the chip itself only holds an identification number. The owner’s contact details sit in the register.

Without registration, a working chip may still be difficult to trace.

The vet should implant or confirm the chip, and EMZS should link the number to current owner details.

Who can implant and register the microchip?

A certified veterinarian normally implants the microchip.

After implantation, the veterinarian records the chip number and animal details in EMZS.

The veterinarian may also check whether the animal already has a readable chip before implanting a new one.

For a pet owner, the important point is simple: ask the vet to confirm that both steps are complete.

How to register a pet microchip in Greece

Start with a certified veterinarian in Greece.

To register a dog or cat:

1. Ask the veterinarian to scan the animal for an existing chip.
2. Confirm the complete microchip number.
3. If needed, ask the veterinarian to implant a compliant microchip.
4. Ask the veterinarian to enter or update the animal in EMZS.
5. Check that your name, telephone number, email and address are correct.
6. Ask for confirmation that the registration has been completed.
7. Keep the microchip number with your veterinary records and travel documents.

Useful documents may include:

• Your identification document
• Your Greek tax or official identification details, when required
• Proof of address
• The animal’s health booklet or EU pet passport
• Vaccination records
• Adoption or transfer documents
• Any foreign registration documents

The documents can vary by situation. For this reason, ask the veterinarian which documents are needed before the appointment.

Does the vet register the chip automatically?

Do not assume that implantation alone completes the record.

Implanting and registering are different steps.

The microchip only contains a number. The EMZS record links that number to the animal and owner.

Before you leave the clinic, ask:

• Has the animal been entered in EMZS?
• Which name is on the record?
• Are the telephone number and email address correct?
• Does the record show the right status for the animal?
• Do I need a confirmation, code or document?

This small check can prevent a much bigger problem later.

Can I add a global microchip registration?

Yes. A global registration can provide another route back to the owner.

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

This can 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 is difficult to identify from abroad
• The animal has a foreign or manufacturer-coded chip

Important: a global registration is only a safety net. It does not replace the required Greek EMZS registration.

Updating Animal-ID also does not update EMZS. Keep the same contact details in every active record.

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 number, ask a veterinarian, shelter or rescue to scan the animal first.

To check the registration:

• Ask your veterinarian to confirm the microchip number and EMZS record.
• Use ChipTrace to check available international routes and 100+ databases worldwide.
• Open EUROPETNET when a European foreign registration may be involved.
• Compare the microchip number with the health booklet, EU pet passport and adoption papers.
• Check any foreign database where the pet had a record before.

When checking the record, confirm the owner’s name, address, telephone number and email address.

Also check that the pet’s status is correct. The record should not still show the pet as missing, transferred, adopted by someone else or deceased if that information no longer applies.

How to update a Greek microchip registration

Ask a certified veterinarian to update the EMZS record when your details change.

Also update every active foreign or global registration.

Update the record when:

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

In practice, old contact details are one of the main reasons a microchip trace fails.

Updating your vet’s clinic record, health booklet or pet passport may not update the official register automatically.

For that reason, ask the veterinarian to confirm the EMZS record itself.

How to transfer a Greek microchip registration

Update the microchip record when a pet moves to a new owner.

First, ask the previous owner, rescue, shelter or breeder which record exists.

Then ask a certified veterinarian how the EMZS transfer or update should be completed.

The transfer may require:

• The complete microchip number
• The animal’s health booklet or EU pet passport
• An adoption contract
• A purchase agreement or receipt
• Previous owner details
• Your identification and contact details
• Any foreign registration documents

After the transfer, check that EMZS links the animal to the correct name, telephone number, email and address.

What if the pet is still registered to someone else?

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

Ask them to help update the record or provide the documents needed for the change.

If this is not possible, ask a veterinarian, municipality or authorised organisation what evidence they may accept.

They may ask for:

• An adoption contract
• A purchase agreement or invoice
• Veterinary records
• The EU pet passport or health booklet
• Written confirmation from the previous owner or rescue
• Proof that the animal is now in your care

A microchip record can show who appears as the owner or contact. However, it may not settle a legal ownership dispute on its own.

Buying or adopting a pet in Greece

Ask for the complete microchip number before taking the animal home.

When possible, ask a veterinarian, shelter or rescue to scan the animal.

Make sure the scanned number matches every document.

Also ask:

• Whether the animal has an EMZS record
• Who currently appears as the owner or responsible person
• Whether the record will transfer to you
• Whether the animal has a health booklet or EU pet passport
• Whether any foreign registration also needs an update
• Whether the animal appears as adopted, fostered, stray or owned

A Greek microchip record should match the real situation.

If you adopted the pet through a rescue, ask the organisation how it will handle the EMZS record and any foreign records.

What about a pet adopted from a foreign rescue?

Ask the rescue which registrations already exist.

Also ask:

• Which country the animal was chipped in
• Which database first registered the microchip
• Whether the animal has an EU pet passport or health certificate
• Who will update the foreign registration
• Who will create or update the Greek EMZS record
• Which name should appear after adoption

A foreign registration can help, but it does not replace the Greek registration when the animal lives in Greece.

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

What should you do if your pet goes missing?

Act quickly.

Contact your veterinarian and ask them to check or update the EMZS record.

Also contact the local municipality, nearby shelters, rescues and veterinary clinics.

You should:

• Confirm that your telephone number and email address are correct.
• Ask whether the animal can appear as missing in the relevant system.
• Share a recent photograph and the area where the animal disappeared.
• Contact local animal-welfare groups and shelters.
• Check local found-pet posts and social media groups.
• Keep checking foreign or global registrations if the pet was imported.

Do not publish the complete microchip number online.

Share only part of the number publicly. Keep the full number for veterinarians, shelters, rescues, municipalities and trusted organisations helping with the search.

When the animal returns, close every missing-pet report or ask the relevant service to close it.

Bringing an imported pet to Greece

A dog or cat entering Greece must first meet the relevant travel and import rules.

After arrival, ask a Greek veterinarian to scan the animal and check the documents.

Normally, the vet does not need to replace a readable foreign or manufacturer-coded chip.

However, EMZS still needs to link the chip to the correct Greek owner record when the animal will live in Greece.

Take:

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

The veterinarian can check whether EMZS can record the existing chip.

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

Travelling with a pet to or from Greece

Microchip registration and border requirements are separate.

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

• A readable microchip
• A valid rabies vaccination
• An EU pet passport

Normally, the vet must implant the microchip before, or on the same day as, the rabies vaccination used for travel.

After the first rabies vaccination, you normally need to wait at least 21 days before travel.

If the pet travels from outside the EU, other documents may be needed. For example, some journeys require an animal health certificate, a declaration, entry through an approved travellers’ point, or a rabies antibody blood test.

For this reason, always check the current rules before travelling.

Travelling to Greece from outside the European Union

If you are travelling to Greece from outside the European Union with a dog, cat or ferret, check the official European Commission rules before you travel.

Requirements may include identification by microchip, rabies vaccination, an animal health certificate, a declaration, entry through an approved travellers’ point, and a rabies antibody blood test for some departure countries.

Read the official European Commission guidance: Bringing your pet dog, cat or ferret to the EU from a non-EU country.

New EU certificate models from October 2026: For non-commercial movements of dogs, cats or ferrets into the EU from a non-EU country or territory, the new EU animal health certificate model applies from 1 October 2026. Certificates using the previous model remain valid only if they were issued before that date.

For commercial entry, the revised certificate model applies from 17 October 2026. Certificates using the previous model are accepted only if they were issued before that date.

Read the official European Commission guidance for non-commercial pet travel into the EU and commercial entry of dogs, cats and ferrets into the EU.

Travelling from Greece to another country

If you travel from Greece to another country, the destination country may set its own rules.

For EU travel, the EU pet passport and rabies rules normally apply.

For non-EU travel, you may need export documents, a health certificate, official endorsement or extra tests.

Before travelling, ask your veterinarian and check the destination country’s official requirements.

Useful Greek microchip links

Pet.gov.gr – National Companion Animal Register
Open the official Greek companion-animal portal

Pet.gov.gr – electronic identification
Read the official Greek microchip guidance

Pet.gov.gr – what is EMZS?
Read about the National Companion Animal Register

EUROPETNET
Complete a separate manual European microchip search

European Commission – bringing a pet into the EU from a non-EU country
Read the EU rules for dogs, cats and ferrets entering the EU from outside the EU

European Commission – travelling with a pet within the EU
Check EU pet travel rules before travelling