This guide explains how pet microchip registration works in Portugal, where to check a Portuguese 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 Portuguese microchip numbers look like?
Most modern pet microchips follow the ISO standard and contain 15 digits.
The official ISO numeric country code for Portugal is 620.
A Portuguese country-coded microchip may therefore begin with 620.
However, not every dog or cat living in Portugal has a 620 chip. Many 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 received the microchip in another country before arriving in Portugal.
This is common with:
- Imported dogs and cats
- Pets adopted through foreign rescues
- Animals that moved to Portugal with their families
- Former stray animals that later travelled abroad
- Older animals with manufacturer-coded chips
A veterinarian can still register a readable foreign or manufacturer-coded chip in SIAC.
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 Portugal
Many different microchip numbers may appear in Portugal. These examples show a few possible formats, but many other variations exist.
620123456789012— Portuguese country-coded microchip981123456789012— manufacturer-coded microchip945123456789012— manufacturer-coded microchip724123456789012— 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.
What about an older microchip with letters?
Some older microchips contain letters as well as numbers.
In many cases, a veterinarian can register the existing number in SIAC.
However, some modern scanners cannot read every older chip.
For this reason, a veterinarian may suggest adding a second modern microchip.
If the animal has two chips, the veterinarian should record both numbers in SIAC.
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 Portuguese microchip number?
Follow these quick tracing steps to help reunite the animal with its owner.
- Ask a veterinarian, shelter, official collection centre or animal service to scan the animal and confirm the full microchip number.
- Use ChipTrace to search SIAC through Petmaxx and check other relevant international databases.
- Use the public search on the SIAC website.
- Open EUROPETNET for a separate manual European search.
- Ask a veterinarian, shelter or official collection centre to check SIAC.
- Check databases in countries where the animal may have lived.
- Contact any veterinarian, shelter, rescue or breeder that may be connected to the animal.
Who can contact the owner?
ChipTrace searches SIAC through Petmaxx. It also provides a button or direct link that opens EUROPETNET.
The user completes the EUROPETNET search manually.
A veterinarian, shelter, official collection centre or authorised service can use SIAC to contact the registered owner.
If nobody can reach the owner immediately, you can open a found-animal report with SIAC.
Do not expect to receive the owner’s private details directly.
If nobody can reach the owner, you can post on local social media and leave leaflets 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: some owned cats in Portugal are allowed to roam near their homes. 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.
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, official collection centre or animal service to scan the animal again and confirm every digit. One wrong digit can return no result.
Possible causes and next steps:
- The chip was implanted, but nobody registered it. 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 SIAC record has old contact details. Ask SIAC, a veterinarian, shelter or authorised service to help contact the owner.
- The record may still link to an older Portuguese database name. Ask SIAC whether the record links back to SIRA, SICAFE, SIRAM or RACES.
- 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.
- Use ChipTrace to search SIAC through Petmaxx and check other available databases.
- Use the public search on the SIAC website.
- Open EUROPETNET for a separate manual European search.
- Ask SIAC whether the number may appear under an older Portuguese database name.
- 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, official collection centre, rescue, animal service, municipality or veterinary clinic for advice.
Read our guide to why a microchip may not appear in any database.
Which microchip database is used in Portugal?
Portugal uses one national companion-animal database called SIAC.
In Portuguese, SIAC stands for Sistema de Informação de Animais de Companhia.
It holds the national identification records for:
- Dogs
- Cats
- Ferrets
SIAC brought several older Portuguese databases together.
These included:
- SIRA
- SICAFE
- SIRAM in Madeira
- RACES
Records from these older systems moved into SIAC.
Even so, an older database name may still appear in some international search results.
Is SIAC a public microchip search?
SIAC provides a public search for 15-digit microchip numbers.
The result may confirm whether SIAC has a record for the number.
It should not show the owner’s full private details.
A veterinarian, shelter, official collection centre or authorised service can use the record to contact the owner.
Can EUROPETNET find a Portuguese registration?
Yes. Portugal takes part in EUROPETNET.
The Portuguese member may still appear under the older name SIRA.
Therefore, a manual EUROPETNET search may identify a Portuguese registration.
The result should show which database to contact. It should not show the owner’s private details.
ChipTrace provides a button or direct link that opens EUROPETNET.
The user then completes the search manually.
ChipTrace does not perform the EUROPETNET search itself.
If EUROPETNET gives no result, do not assume that the animal has no SIAC record.
SIAC should still be checked through ChipTrace or the SIAC website.
Read how ChipTrace works for more information about database checks and manual searches.
How does ChipTrace search Portugal?
ChipTrace checks available Portuguese and international database routes where possible.
For Portugal, this includes SIAC through Petmaxx.
In addition, ChipTrace checks 100+ other registries and databases worldwide.
This increases the chance of finding a registration, especially when a pet was imported, adopted through a rescue, moved between countries or has a manufacturer-coded chip.
What can ChipTrace show?
A result may show that SIAC holds the registration.
ChipTrace does not display the owner’s private details.
SIAC, a veterinarian, shelter, official collection centre or another authorised service can use the record to contact the owner.
ChipTrace can also suggest manufacturer or distributor contact routes where available. That may help when no public database result appears.
ChipTrace shows which databases and services it checked. It also shows which manual Portuguese or European routes are still available.
Are microchips required in Portugal?
Yes. Dogs, cats and ferrets must be microchipped and registered in SIAC.
This must normally happen within 120 days of birth.
If the exact date of birth is unknown, a veterinarian can explain when identification is required.
An animal should already be identified before it is sold, adopted or given away.
A veterinarian must implant the microchip and create the first SIAC record.
Therefore, implanting a chip without completing the database record is not enough.
Does a dog also need a local licence?
Yes. Dogs registered in SIAC normally need an annual licence from the owner’s local Junta de Freguesia.
For most dogs, the first SIAC registration acts as the licence for one year.
After that, the owner normally renews the licence each year.
Take the DIAC when visiting the parish council.
Different rules apply to dogs classed as dangerous or potentially dangerous.
Ask the local parish council which documents are needed.
How to register a pet microchip in Portugal
A veterinarian completes the first identification and SIAC registration.
To register a dog, cat or ferret:
- Make an appointment with a Portuguese veterinarian.
- Take the animal and any existing documents.
- Ask the veterinarian to check for an existing microchip.
- If needed, the veterinarian implants a microchip.
- The veterinarian registers the animal and owner in SIAC.
- Check the complete microchip number.
- Check your name, address and contact details.
- Ask for the DIAC in paper or digital form.
Useful documents may include:
- An EU pet passport
- A vaccination record
- An adoption contract
- A purchase invoice or transfer document
- A foreign registration document
- Your identification
- Your Portuguese address and contact details
Do not assume that implanting the chip completes the registration.
Instead, the veterinarian must also create the SIAC record.
What is the DIAC?
DIAC stands for Documento de Identificação do Animal de Companhia.
It is the official identification document for an animal registered in SIAC.
The DIAC includes:
- Information about the animal
- The microchip number
- The registered owner
- Other information held in SIAC
The DIAC may come on paper or in digital form.
Both versions are valid.
Owners with Portuguese digital identification can download it through SIAC Titulares.
When the animal moves within Portugal, the DIAC or pet passport should accompany it.
This document is not the same as an EU pet passport.
The DIAC confirms the Portuguese registration. By contrast, the passport contains identification, rabies vaccination and travel information.
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 Portugal
- The animal was first registered in another country
- A finder uses an international search service
- The SIAC 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 SIAC registration.
Updating Animal-ID does not update SIAC.
Keep the same contact details in every active database.
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, rescue or animal ambulance to scan the animal first.
To check the registration:
- Use ChipTrace to search SIAC through Petmaxx and check other available databases.
- Use the public search on the SIAC website.
- Sign in to SIAC Titulares.
- Open EUROPETNET for a separate manual European check.
- Compare the number with the DIAC and pet passport.
- Check any foreign database where the animal was previously registered.
When checking the record, confirm the registered owner’s name, address, telephone number and email address.
Also check the address where the animal normally lives.
Make sure the animal is not still marked as missing, found, transferred or dead.
A public result may only confirm that the number is registered.
It should not show the owner’s full private details.
How to update a Portuguese microchip registration
Update SIAC whenever important information changes.
Update the record when:
- You move home
- The animal moves to a different address
- 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 dies
Normally, the owner must report a new home address or place where the animal lives within 15 days.
You should also keep telephone and email details current.
Many changes can be made through SIAC Titulares.
You can also use the official SIAC forms.
A veterinarian or local Junta de Freguesia may be able to help.
Ask for an updated DIAC after an important change.
Updating the pet passport alone is not enough.
Instead, the SIAC record must also be changed.
Finally, update any additional international registrations separately.
How to transfer a Portuguese microchip registration
The owner must report a change of owner to SIAC within 15 days.
This applies when an animal is sold, adopted or given away.
Normally, the person currently registered in SIAC should start the transfer.
The transfer can normally be completed:
- Through SIAC Titulares
- Using the official SIAC transfer form
- With help from a veterinarian
- Through the local Junta de Freguesia
Transferring the registration online
The current owner starts the transfer through SIAC Titulares.
Then, the new owner accepts it.
Both people normally need access to Portugal’s digital identification system.
Transferring the registration with documents
The current and new owners can complete and sign the official transfer form.
SIAC may also ask for copies of their identification documents.
After the transfer, the new owner should receive an updated DIAC.
What if the pet is still registered to someone else?
Contact the previous owner, breeder, shelter or rescue first.
Ask them to complete the transfer.
If this is not possible, contact SIAC or speak to a veterinarian.
Useful documents may include:
- An adoption contract
- A purchase invoice
- A signed transfer form
- The DIAC
- The pet passport
- Veterinary records
- Copies of identification documents
- Proof that the animal is now in your care
A SIAC record can show who appears as responsible for the animal. However, it may not settle a legal ownership dispute on its own.
Buying or adopting a pet in Portugal
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.
Also check:
- That the animal is registered in SIAC
- Who is currently listed as the owner
- That you will receive the DIAC
- That you will receive an adoption contract, invoice or transfer document
- Who will complete the SIAC transfer
- Whether a foreign registration also needs to be updated
Do not rely only on the name written in the pet passport.
The SIAC registration must also be transferred.
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 passport or health certificate
- Which foreign database holds the current record
- Who will update the foreign registration
- Who will create the SIAC registration
- Who will transfer the SIAC record to the adopter
- Whether the health and travel documents are complete
A foreign registration does not automatically create a SIAC record.
Keep the foreign registration active until the Portuguese record has been confirmed.
What should you do if your pet goes missing?
Act quickly.
Report the animal as missing in SIAC as soon as possible.
The legal deadline is 15 days.
However, it is better not to wait.
You can report the loss through SIAC Titulares or the official SIAC form.
You should:
- Check that your telephone number and email address are correct.
- Contact local veterinarians.
- Contact shelters and animal welfare groups.
- Contact the official municipal collection centre.
- Contact the PSP or GNR when appropriate.
- 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, official collection centres, rescues, SIAC and trusted organisations helping with the search.
When the animal returns, update SIAC and close every missing-pet report.
Bringing an imported pet to Portugal
A foreign registration does not automatically create a SIAC record.
Normally, the owner must register a dog, cat or ferret in SIAC when the animal will remain in Portugal for at least 120 days.
This applies to animals arriving from another EU country and from outside the EU.
Take the animal to a Portuguese veterinarian with:
- Its EU pet passport or official health certificate
- Its rabies vaccination record
- The microchip certificate, when available
- Your identification
- Your Portuguese address and contact details
- Any foreign registration documents
- An adoption or transfer document, when relevant
The veterinarian checks the existing microchip and documents.
Normally, a readable foreign or manufacturer-coded chip does not need to be replaced.
After checking the documents, the veterinarian can register the existing number in SIAC.
Keep the foreign registration active until the Portuguese record has been confirmed.
Update or transfer the foreign registration afterwards when possible.
Extra rules apply to dogs classed as dangerous or potentially dangerous.
Travelling with a pet to or from Portugal
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 veterinarian 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.
Authorities may still accept a clearly readable tattoo if someone applied it before 3 July 2011.
Bringing a pet to Portugal from outside the European Union
A dog, cat or ferret may need extra documents when it enters Portugal from outside the EU.
Depending on the departure country, requirements may include:
- An EU animal health certificate
- A valid rabies vaccination
- A rabies antibody blood test
- A waiting period
- Entry through an approved travellers’ point
However, the exact rules depend on the country of departure and the type of journey.
Check the latest Portuguese and European Union rules before travelling.
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 Portugal to another country
If you travel from Portugal to another country, the destination country may set its own rules.
For EU travel, the EU pet passport and rabies rules normally apply.
However, 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 Portuguese microchip links
SIAC
Search, register or update a Portuguese pet record
SIAC Titulares
Access owner services and download the DIAC
DGAV companion-animal guidance
Read official identification and registration information
SIAC lost-animal report
Report a dog, cat or ferret as missing
SIAC ownership transfer
Read how to change the registered owner
EUROPETNET
Complete a separate manual European microchip search
Portuguese pet-travel guidance
Check current microchip, rabies and travel rules
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
Animal-ID
Create an additional global microchip registration