Mexico does not have one public national microchip database containing every dog and cat.
A chip may be registered with a private tracing database, veterinary clinic, shelter or rescue.
Some states and cities also have their own pet registers.
Mexico City uses an official local register called RUAC.
Because the systems are separate, a finder may need to check several tracing routes.
Which microchip databases are used in Mexico?
Mexico has several pet identification systems.
There is no single public federal database containing every microchipped pet.
A microchip record may be held by:
- Registro Animal México
- Another private microchip registry
- The veterinary clinic that implanted the chip
- A shelter, rescue or breeder
- A state or municipal pet register
- A database in another country
An animal may appear in one system but not another.
Updating one record does not normally update the others.
Ask the vet, shelter, rescue or breeder where the chip was registered.
What is Registro Animal México?
Registro Animal México is a private Mexican pet registration and tracing service.
Owners can create a pet record online.
The service currently offers free registration.
Its website also provides a public microchip-number search.
A record can include:
- The microchip number
- Information about the animal
- The owner’s contact details
- Photographs
- Veterinary clinic information
- Vaccinations and health information
- A missing-pet alert
Check every digit carefully when creating the record.
One incorrect digit can prevent the chip from being found.
Is Registro Animal México connected internationally?
Yes.
Registro Animal México is connected to WorldPetNet.
Its microchip records can therefore appear through the WorldPetNet search network.
ChipTrace checks Registro Animal México automatically through WorldPetNet.
This can help when a pet travels or is adopted abroad.
However, no international service searches every database.
Keep the original Mexican record active and current.
What is RUAC in Mexico City?
RUAC is the Registro Único de Animales de Compañía.
It is the official pet register for Mexico City.
It is only available to residents of Mexico City.
Residents can register dogs and cats through the RUAC website.
Registration is free.
A Llave CDMX account is required.
Photographs of the animal are also needed.
After registration, the owner can view a digital card in the App CDMX.
Is RUAC a microchip database?
No.
RUAC is mainly a government record linking an animal to its responsible keeper.
It should not be treated as a national public microchip search database.
A pet can have both a RUAC record and a separate microchip registration.
For better protection, use both when relevant:
- RUAC or another required local government register
- A searchable microchip tracing database
Is RUAC registration required?
Mexico City states that RUAC registration is required for resident dogs and cats.
The service is free.
Local procedures and enforcement can change.
Check the official RUAC website for the latest information.
Are microchips required in Mexico?
Mexico does not have one nationwide rule requiring every privately owned dog and cat to have a microchip.
State and municipal rules may be different.
A chip may also be required for:
- International travel
- Moving permanently to another country
- Adoption through some shelters or rescues
- Some breeder or kennel records
- A local identification programme
Even when microchipping is not required, it is strongly recommended.
It gives an animal permanent identification that cannot fall off like a collar tag.
Are cats required to be microchipped?
There is no general nationwide rule requiring every privately owned cat in Mexico to have a microchip.
Local rules may be different.
Microchipping is still useful for indoor cats.
An indoor cat can escape through a door, window or balcony.
A readable microchip may also be required for international travel.
What do Mexican microchip numbers look like?
Modern pet microchips normally contain 15 digits.
Mexico’s ISO country code is:
484
A Mexican country-coded chip may therefore begin with 484.
However, not every pet living in Mexico has a 484 chip.
Many chips use a manufacturer code instead.
Manufacturer-coded microchips usually begin with the number 9.
Some animals were microchipped in another country.
This is common with:
- Pets from the United States or Canada
- Imported dogs and cats
- Pets adopted through international rescues
- Animals that moved to Mexico with their families
- Older pets with manufacturer-coded chips
A readable foreign chip can still be registered in a Mexican database.
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 Mexico?
Take the animal to a vet, shelter or municipal animal service.
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 check:
- Registro Animal México
- WorldPetNet
- Any relevant state or municipal register
- The veterinary clinic connected to the chip
- The shelter, rescue or breeder connected to the animal
- Databases in countries where the pet may have lived
- AAHA when a United States registration may be involved
- ChipTrace for database, country and manufacturer clues
ChipTrace automatically checks Registro Animal México through WorldPetNet.
It may also identify a possible manufacturer or country route when no registration is found.
A public result should not reveal the owner’s private contact details.
The database, vet, shelter or authority may contact the registered owner instead.
Do not publish the complete microchip number online.
Keep part of the number private so that ownership claims can be checked.
Read how ChipTrace works for an explanation of database checks and next-step advice.
What if a Mexican microchip cannot be found?
Ask a vet or shelter to scan the animal again.
One incorrect digit is enough to produce no result.
Then:
- Search Registro Animal México
- Check WorldPetNet
- Check any relevant state or municipal register
- Check AAHA when a United States registration may be involved
- Check the animal’s vaccination, veterinary and adoption records
- Contact the clinic that implanted the chip
- Contact the shelter, rescue, breeder or former owner
- Check databases in countries where the animal has lived
- Contact the chip manufacturer or distributor
- Use ChipTrace for database, country and manufacturer clues
The chip may have been implanted but never registered.
The record may also be held only by a veterinary clinic, shelter or local authority.
It may have been registered in the United States, Canada or 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 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.
Can I add a global microchip registration?
Yes.
An additional global record can provide another route back to the owner.
Animal-ID allows owners to create an additional record using an existing microchip number.
This may help when:
- The pet travels outside Mexico
- The animal is adopted abroad
- A finder uses a different international search service
- The Mexican record is difficult to locate
- The animal has a foreign chip
Registro Animal México is already connected to WorldPetNet.
An additional Animal-ID record is therefore optional.
It is an extra safety net.
It does not replace a Mexican microchip registration or a required local register.
Keep the same contact details in every active database.
How to register a pet microchip in Mexico
- Ask a vet or shelter to scan the animal.
- Write down the complete microchip number.
- Check whether the chip is already registered.
- Find out which database holds the record.
- Create or claim the pet’s registration.
- Add your telephone number and email address.
- Add an emergency contact when possible.
- Check every digit carefully.
- Save the registration confirmation.
- Check whether a local government registration is also needed.
Useful documents may include:
- The microchip certificate
- The vaccination booklet
- Veterinary records
- An adoption contract
- A purchase agreement
- A foreign registration certificate
- Any state or municipal registration
Who implants the microchip?
A vet normally implants the microchip.
Some shelters and animal welfare organisations also arrange microchipping through veterinary professionals.
The animal should be scanned first.
This checks whether a chip is already present.
If a chip is needed, it is implanted under the skin.
The chip is then scanned again.
This confirms that it works and shows the correct number.
Ask for the complete number in writing.
Does the vet register the chip automatically?
Not always.
Some vets create the database record for the owner.
Others provide a certificate or registration link.
Ask the vet:
- Which database will hold the record?
- Has the registration been completed?
- Is the chip number correct?
- Is my telephone number included?
- Is my email address correct?
- How can I update the record later?
Do not assume that implantation means registration is complete.
A chip without a current database record may not lead a finder back to you.
How to register with Registro Animal México
- Open the Registro Animal México website.
- Select the option to register a pet.
- Enter the animal’s information.
- Add the complete microchip number.
- Add the owner’s contact details.
- Add the veterinary clinic when known.
- Upload photographs when requested.
- Check the information carefully.
- Complete the registration.
One incorrect digit can stop the record from matching the scanned chip.
Keep the login and registration confirmation in a safe place.
How to check whether your pet’s chip is registered
Search the chip through:
- Registro Animal México
- WorldPetNet
- Any database named on the chip certificate
- Any relevant state or municipal system
- Databases in countries where the pet has lived
For a pet from the United States, also check the AAHA registry lookup.
A public search may only show which database holds the record.
It should not reveal the owner’s private contact details.
If no record appears, contact the vet or organisation that supplied the chip.
How to update a Mexican microchip registration
Update every active record 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
Private databases and government registers do not normally update each other.
Change each record separately.
How to transfer a Mexican microchip registration
The process depends on the database.
The former owner may need to approve the transfer.
The new owner may need to provide proof that the animal is now in their care.
Useful documents may include:
- An adoption contract
- A purchase agreement
- A signed transfer document
- Veterinary records
- The microchip certificate
Contact the database and follow its instructions.
After the transfer, check your telephone number, email address and postal address.
Update any local government registration separately.
What if the pet is still registered to someone else?
Contact the former owner, shelter, rescue or breeder first.
Ask them to help transfer the record.
If they cannot help, contact the database directly.
Explain how the animal came into your care.
Send any documents the database requests.
A microchip record shows who is listed as the contact.
It may not settle an ownership dispute on its own.
Buying or adopting a pet in Mexico
Ask whether the animal has a microchip before taking it home.
Also ask for:
- The complete microchip number
- The vaccination booklet
- The name of every database holding the record
- Proof of registration
- An adoption or purchase agreement
- Any local registration documents
- Travel documents, when relevant
Ask a vet to scan the chip.
Check that the scanned number matches the documents.
The former owner, shelter, rescue or breeder should help transfer every active record.
What about a pet adopted from a Mexican rescue?
Ask the rescue which records already exist.
Also ask:
- Whether the animal has been scanned
- Who is named in the microchip database
- Which database holds the record
- Who will complete the transfer
- Who will register the pet in its new country
- Whether the rabies and travel documents are complete
A pet adopted abroad may need records in both Mexico and its destination country.
Keep the Mexican record active until the new registration is confirmed.
What should you do if your pet goes missing?
Report the animal as missing in every database where it is registered.
Do this as soon as possible.
Check that your telephone number is current.
Also:
- Contact local veterinary clinics
- Contact shelters and rescue groups
- Contact the municipal animal service
- Check local found-pet pages
- Share a clear photograph
- Include the place and date 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, close every missing-pet report.
Bringing an imported pet to Mexico
A foreign microchip registration does not automatically create a Mexican record.
After arrival, ask a Mexican vet to scan the animal.
Take:
- The animal
- Its vaccination record
- Its veterinary or official health documents
- The microchip certificate, when available
- Your Mexican contact details
- Any foreign database information
A readable foreign chip does not normally need to be replaced.
You can add the existing number to a suitable Mexican database.
Keep the foreign record active until the Mexican registration is confirmed.
Mexico’s entry requirements depend on the animal and its country of origin.
SENASICA may inspect the animal and its documents when it enters Mexico.
Check the latest official SENASICA guidance before travelling.
Travelling with a pet to or from Mexico
Microchip registration and border rules are separate.
The destination country decides which documents are needed.
A pet may need:
- An ISO-compatible microchip
- A valid rabies vaccination
- A veterinary health certificate
- A SENASICA export certificate
- A rabies antibody blood test
- Parasite treatment
- An import permit
Some countries require the chip to be implanted before the rabies vaccination used for travel.
For many destinations, SENASICA issues a Certificado Zoosanitario para Exportación.
The exact requirements depend on the destination.
Check the official destination rules before every journey.
Read the latest SENASICA export guidance.
Travelling from Mexico to the United States
Dogs entering the United States must meet current US entry rules.
The requirements can depend on the dog’s age, travel history, rabies status and country of origin.
A readable microchip and additional forms may be required.
Mexico does not normally require a SENASICA export certificate for an ordinary pet journey to the United States.
However, the owner must still follow the current United States entry rules.
Check official guidance before travelling.
Useful Mexican microchip links
Registro Animal México
Register a pet or search a Mexican microchip
WorldPetNet
Search the network connected to Registro Animal México
Mexico City RUAC
Register a dog or cat living in Mexico City
AAHA registry lookup
Check for a possible United States microchip registration
Animal-ID
Create an additional global microchip registration
SENASICA pet-entry guidance
Read official information about entering Mexico with a pet
SENASICA export guidance
Read official information about travelling abroad from Mexico
SENASICA guidance for the United States
Read Mexico’s guidance for travelling to the United States