Pet Microchips in Hungary: Registration, Databases & Tracing

Hungary has a national pet microchip database called PetVetData. Anyone can search it for free using a microchip number, but only authorised Hungarian veterinarians can access private owner information.

If you have found an animal, are moving to Hungary, or just want to check your pet’s registration, this guide explains where to look and what to do if your first search does not give you an answer.

In this guide:

What do Hungarian microchip numbers look like?

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

The official ISO numeric country code for Hungary is 348.

A Hungarian country-coded microchip may therefore begin with 348. The 348 prefix is used in Hungarian animal identification and also appears in current Hungarian pet records.

However, not every dog or cat living in Hungary has a 348 chip.

Manufacturer-coded microchips are also found in Hungarian pets. These start with the digit 9 rather than a country code. Current Hungarian records include animals with manufacturer prefixes such as 941, 972, 981, 985 and others.

Manufacturer-coded numbers can appear in several countries, so they do not prove where the pet was chipped or registered.

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

This is common with:

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

A readable foreign or manufacturer-coded chip can still link to a Hungarian registration. PetVetData specifically recognises that foreign microchip numbers may be registered in the Hungarian system and recommends EUROPETNET when a chip appears to come from abroad.

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 Hungary

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

348123456789012 — Hungarian country-coded microchip
972123456789012 — manufacturer-coded microchip
981123456789012 — manufacturer-coded microchip
040123456789012 — 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 Hungarian microchip?

Start by confirming the complete microchip number.

Ask a veterinarian, shelter or rescue to scan the animal carefully and check all 15 digits. One incorrect digit can send the search in completely the wrong direction.

Then:

Use the free ChipTrace microchip lookup to check available registry, country and manufacturer routes.
Search the number directly in PetVetData.
Search EUROPETNET separately, because Hungary takes part in the network through the Hungarian Veterinary Chamber and PetVetData.
If PetVetData finds the animal, ask a Hungarian veterinarian to help with the next step.
If nothing appears, continue with foreign databases and manufacturer routes rather than stopping after the first negative result.

If PetVetData finds the animal

PetVetData’s public search shows basic information when it finds a record, including the microchip number and animal details.

It does not publicly display the keeper’s private contact details. Only authorised veterinarians can access the more detailed record. Hungarian Veterinary Chamber rules also restrict releasing owner information to third parties.

So do not expect the database to give you someone’s phone number.

Ask a Hungarian veterinarian to help with the trace.

And don’t publish the full microchip number on social media. Keep part of the number private so you can check any ownership claim properly.

What if the microchip is not found?

A negative result does not necessarily mean nobody registered the animal.

First, scan the animal again and confirm every digit.

Then consider the most common possibilities:

Someone entered the number incorrectly. One wrong digit is enough to return no result.
A vet implanted the chip, but nobody completed the registration.
Another country holds the registration.
The chip uses a manufacturer prefix rather than a Hungarian country code.
The animal previously lived abroad.
Someone only recently created or changed the record.

PetVetData tells owners who expect to find a registration to contact their veterinarian when the public search returns nothing.

Keep tracing after a negative result

This is a point where “not found” should not mean you stop searching.

Use ChipTrace to look for country or manufacturer clues. Search EUROPETNET separately and check databases in countries where the animal may previously have lived.

If those searches still produce nothing, the microchip manufacturer or distributor can sometimes provide another route. They may be able to identify the distributor, veterinarian, breeder, shelter or rescue that originally received the chip.

Read our guide to why a microchip may not appear in any database for more tracing options.

Which microchip database does Hungary use?

Hungary’s main practical microchip system is PetVetData, which the Hungarian Veterinary Chamber, or MÁOK, operates.

PetVetData records microchip information and Hungarian EU pet-passport data. Anyone can use the public search to check whether a microchip or passport number appears in the database. Only authorised veterinarians can open the detailed record or change its information.

What is the Ebregiszter?

You may also see Hungarian sources use the names Ebregiszter or ebnyilvántartás.

These refer to Hungary’s statutory national dog register.

If you are an owner or someone who finds a pet, you do not need to learn all the details of the Hungarian database system.

The practical point is much simpler:

PetVetData is the public search route, and Hungarian veterinarians handle the detailed records.

Can EUROPETNET find a Hungarian microchip?

Yes.

EUROPETNET lists the Hungarian Veterinary Chamber – PetVetData as its Hungarian member organisation.

That makes EUROPETNET particularly useful when an animal may have moved between European countries.

However, do not treat a negative EUROPETNET result as proof that no registration exists.

Search PetVetData directly as well.

How does ChipTrace help with Hungarian microchips?

ChipTrace can help both before and after a normal database search.

If you already have the number, ChipTrace can check available international routes and use the number itself to provide country or manufacturer clues.

This becomes particularly useful when:

PetVetData finds nothing
the animal carries a foreign chip
the number begins with a manufacturer prefix
someone adopted the pet from another country
the animal has moved across borders
you do not know which database to try next

PetVetData remains an important Hungarian search route.

ChipTrace does not need to find the registration itself to help with the trace. Sometimes the useful answer is where to look next.

Are microchips required in Hungary?

Dogs

Yes.

Hungarian law says that anyone keeping a dog older than four months must have the dog identified with a microchip.

After implanting a chip, the veterinarian must enter the dog’s information into the national electronic database within 8 days.

Hungarian law also requires owners to keep important dog-registration information up to date.

Cats

Cats follow different rules.

Hungary does not generally require privately owned cats to have a microchip. NÉBIH also confirms that Hungarian law does not generally require rabies vaccination for domestic cats, although it recommends both microchipping and rabies vaccination.

ChipTrace strongly recommends microchipping and registering pet cats as well.

A microchip gives a cat permanent identification, but the number is much more useful when it links to current keeper contact details.

A Hungarian veterinarian can microchip a cat and add it to PetVetData. The Hungarian Veterinary Chamber’s registration form includes dogs, cats and ferrets.

This means cats can have a practical Hungarian tracing route even though registration is not generally compulsory for ordinary domestic cats.

So although Hungarian law does not generally require pet cats to be microchipped, having your cat microchipped and properly registered is very much recommended.

International travel brings separate identification and rabies requirements.

How to register a pet microchip in Hungary

Registering a dog

A veterinarian handles the official registration.

After implanting the chip, the vet must add the dog to the national electronic database within 8 days. Hungarian rules do not charge a separate database fee for registration or later changes to the registered dog’s details.

When your dog gets a microchip:

Ask the vet to scan the dog first.
Check the full microchip number.
Check your name and contact details.
Ask the vet to confirm the PetVetData registration.
Search the number yourself later in the public PetVetData search.

Do not assume that a chip inside the dog automatically means the database record is correct.

The chip and the registration are two different things.

Registering a cat

A Hungarian veterinarian can implant a microchip in your cat and create a PetVetData record when you request registration. The Hungarian Veterinary Chamber’s rules allow PetVetData registration for species other than dogs when the owner requests it.

Even though this registration is generally voluntary for ordinary pet cats, ChipTrace strongly recommends doing it.

Ask the veterinarian to scan the cat first and confirm every digit of the microchip number.

Make sure the PetVetData record contains your current contact information.

You can search the number yourself afterwards using the public PetVetData search.

If the cat already has a foreign registration, keep that record active until you know the Hungarian registration is correct.

A microchip under the skin is only the identification number. The registration is what gives a finder a route back to you.

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 registration linked to a pet’s microchip number.

This can help when:

The pet travels outside Hungary
The animal was first registered in another country
A finder uses an international microchip search
The animal has a foreign or manufacturer-coded chip
The pet moves between countries
You want another tracing route alongside PetVetData

Important: a global registration is only an additional safety net.

For dogs, it does not replace the registration required under Hungarian law.

For cats, it does not replace PetVetData if you want the animal to have a useful Hungarian registration as well.

Keep the same contact details in every active registration.

How to check or update a Hungarian microchip registration

You can search PetVetData yourself if you know your pet’s microchip number.

A successful public search confirms that the database contains a record and shows basic information about the animal.

Ask an authorised Hungarian veterinarian to check or change private details such as your address or telephone number.

Updating a dog’s details

Hungarian rules give dog keepers 8 days to register several important changes through a veterinarian.

These include:

a new keeper
a new owner
a change of keeping address
the animal’s death

The new keeper also has 8 days to arrange the change after taking responsibility for a microchipped dog.

Updating a cat’s registration

If your cat is registered in PetVetData, make sure the contact information remains current.

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

If your cat is also registered in another country or an international database such as Animal-ID, update that registration separately.

Updating one database does not automatically update another.

Buying, adopting or transferring a pet in Hungary

Before taking a pet home, ask for the complete microchip number.

Whenever possible, have a veterinarian, shelter or rescue scan the animal rather than relying only on paperwork.

Check that:

the scanner finds the chip
the scanned number matches the documents
PetVetData contains the number where appropriate
the previous keeper will help transfer or update the record
any passport and vaccination documents belong to the same animal

Dogs

For a microchipped dog, the new keeper must arrange the database change through a veterinarian within 8 days.

Cats

For a cat, ask whether the animal is already registered in PetVetData or another database.

If a registration exists, make sure the keeper details change to you.

If the cat is microchipped but does not have a useful registration, ask a Hungarian veterinarian to add it to PetVetData.

You can also add an international registration as another tracing route.

Even though registration is generally voluntary for ordinary pet cats, leaving a microchip without current keeper details removes much of its value if the cat later goes missing.

Does PetVetData prove ownership?

No.

PetVetData itself warns that the owner information in its database comes from information supplied during registration. The database does not independently establish legal ownership.

Keep purchase agreements, adoption contracts and other transfer documents.

Those documents can become especially important if two people later claim the same animal.

What should you do if your pet goes missing?

Contact your veterinarian quickly.

At the owner’s request, a veterinarian must add a lost or stolen note to the PetVetData record when they first learn about the situation. MÁOK says this update is free.

That note also protects the record. If someone later asks a vet to change the owner details while the animal carries a lost or stolen flag, MÁOK requires the vet to refuse the change until the person can provide credible proof of ownership.

Also:

check that PetVetData contains your current telephone number
check any additional international registration you use
contact local veterinarians
contact shelters and rescue organisations
contact the local municipality when useful
post a clear photograph and the area where the animal disappeared
check local lost-and-found animal groups

Do not publish the complete microchip number publicly.

When your pet returns, ask the veterinarian to update the record again.

Moving to Hungary with a pet

A readable foreign microchip does not automatically need replacing simply because the animal moves to Hungary.

If you move permanently with a dog, arrange a visit to a Hungarian veterinarian after arrival.

Ask the vet to:

scan the existing microchip
compare the number with the passport or other documents
search PetVetData
explain which Hungarian registration steps apply
create or update the appropriate record where necessary

Hungarian law clearly requires dogs over four months old to have a microchip. However, public sources do not give a simple, universal deadline that covers every privately owned dog arriving permanently from another country. Rather than inventing one, ask a Hungarian veterinarian to confirm what applies to your situation.

Moving with a cat

Ask a Hungarian veterinarian to scan your cat after arrival and compare the chip with its travel documents.

Even though Hungarian law does not generally require ordinary pet cats to be microchipped domestically, ChipTrace strongly recommends keeping a microchipped cat properly registered after you move.

Ask the veterinarian to add the cat to PetVetData or check an existing Hungarian record.

This gives the cat a useful local tracing route if it later goes missing.

Keep any foreign registration active until you know the Hungarian record contains the correct microchip number and current contact details.

You can also add an additional international registration such as Animal-ID.

If your cat is not already microchipped, ask a Hungarian veterinarian about having one implanted and then make sure the number is registered.

A microchip identifies the cat. The registration gives a finder a practical route back to you.

Travelling with a pet to or from Hungary

Microchip registration and pet-travel rules overlap, but they are not the same thing.

For normal movement between EU countries, dogs, cats and ferrets need the required identification, valid rabies vaccination and appropriate travel documentation. NÉBIH also states that only a veterinarian may implant the microchip in Hungary.

Hungarian veterinarians can issue EU pet passports and record the relevant passport information in PetVetData.

If you enter Hungary from outside the EU, additional rules may apply depending on the country of origin.

Our Pet Travel: Microchip Checks Before You Go guide explains what to check before travelling.

Always check the current official requirements for your specific journey before leaving.

In short

Hungary gives finders a useful advantage: anyone can search PetVetData publicly using a microchip number.

If you have a chip number, the basic route is:

ChipTrace → PetVetData → EUROPETNET → Hungarian veterinarian → further foreign or manufacturer tracing if necessary.

Hungarian law requires dogs over four months old to have a microchip.

Cats do not have the same general domestic requirement, but both NÉBIH and ChipTrace recommend microchipping pet cats, and PetVetData can register them.

If your cat is microchipped, register the number and keep the contact details current.

An additional global registration can provide another tracing route, especially for pets that travel or have lived in more than one country.

And as always, “not found” does not necessarily mean “not registered anywhere.”

Sometimes that is where the real tracing starts.

Useful Hungarian microchip links

PetVetData – Hungarian Veterinary Chamber
Search the Hungarian microchip and pet-passport database

Hungarian Veterinary Chamber – MÁOK
Find official PetVetData forms and veterinary information

Animal-ID
Create an additional global microchip registration

NÉBIH
Read official Hungarian pet-travel information

Hungarian National Legislation Database
Read the official Hungarian dog microchip and registration rules