This guide explains how pet microchip registration works in Romania, where to check a Romanian 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 Romanian microchip numbers look like?
Most modern pet microchips follow the ISO standard and contain 15 digits.
The official ISO numeric country code for Romania is 642.
A Romanian country-coded microchip may therefore begin with 642.
However, not every dog or cat living in Romania has a 642 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 Romania.
This is common with:
- Imported dogs and cats
- Pets adopted through foreign rescues
- Animals that moved to Romania with their families
- Former stray animals that later travelled abroad
- Older animals with manufacturer-coded chips
An authorised veterinarian can still register a readable foreign or manufacturer-coded chip in Romania.
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 Romania
Many different microchip numbers may appear in Romania. These examples show a few possible formats, but many other variations exist.
642123456789012— Romanian country-coded microchip981123456789012— manufacturer-coded microchip945123456789012— manufacturer-coded microchip616123456789012— 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 Romanian microchip number?
Follow these quick tracing steps to help reunite the animal with its owner.
- Ask a veterinarian, shelter, rescue or animal service to scan the animal and confirm the full microchip number.
- Use ChipTrace to check available international databases and possible country or manufacturer clues.
- Enter the number in the public RomPetID RECS search when the animal is a dog.
- Ask an authorised Romanian veterinarian to check the complete RECS record.
- Check RomPetID’s missing-animal notices and found-animal notices.
- Open EUROPETNET when a foreign European registration may be involved.
- 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?
The public RECS search may confirm whether a dog appears in the register.
However, it should not show all of the owner’s private details.
Instead, an authorised veterinarian, shelter, rescue or authority can use the record to contact the registered owner.
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 notices 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: 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, rescue 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 correctly. 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 animal is a dog, but the public RECS search does not show it. Ask an authorised Romanian veterinarian to check the complete RECS system.
- The owner’s contact details are old or private. Ask the veterinarian, shelter or authority to help contact the owner.
- 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.
- Search the public RomPetID RECS page when the animal is a dog.
- Ask an authorised Romanian veterinarian to check the complete RECS system.
- 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 veterinarian, 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 veterinarian 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, animal service, authority or veterinary clinic for advice.
Read our guide to why a microchip may not appear in any database.
Which microchip database is used in Romania?
Romania uses RECS for owned dogs.
RECS stands for Registrul de Evidență al Câinilor cu Stăpân.
In English, this means the Register of Owned Dogs.
RECS is managed through the RomPetID portal.
A RECS record may include:
- The microchip number
- Information about the dog
- The registered owner’s details
- Vaccination information
- A change of owner
- A missing or stolen status
- The dog’s recovery or death
An authorised veterinarian normally creates and updates the record.
What is RomPetID?
RomPetID is Romania’s pet identification portal.
It provides access to RECS and other pet-register sections.
The website includes sections for:
- Owned dogs
- Owned cats
- Owned ferrets
- Some exotic pets
- Missing and found animals
However, the national legal rules described in this guide mainly concern owned dogs.
Can the public search RECS?
RomPetID provides a public form where users can enter a dog’s microchip number.
The search does not require the user to sign in.
For example, it may confirm that the dog appears in RECS and show limited information from the record.
However, it does not give the public access to the complete RECS file.
Authorised veterinarians and other approved users can check more information and update the record.
If you find a registered dog, contact a veterinarian, shelter or local animal service.
They can check the full record and help contact the registered owner.
Can EUROPETNET find a Romanian registration?
Romania does not currently have a database listed in EUROPETNET.
Therefore, an ordinary RECS registration may not appear in an EUROPETNET search.
However, EUROPETNET may still help when the animal was registered in another European country.
ChipTrace may provide 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 dog is unregistered in Romania.
RECS should still be checked separately.
Read how ChipTrace works for more information about database checks and manual searches.
How does ChipTrace search Romania?
ChipTrace checks available Romanian and international database routes where possible.
At the moment, ChipTrace does not complete the RECS search automatically.
Instead, ChipTrace provides guidance and direct links to the public RomPetID RECS search.
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?
ChipTrace may identify country, database, manufacturer or distributor clues from the complete microchip number.
ChipTrace does not treat a manufacturer match as a registration result. Also, it does not prove the animal’s country of origin.
ChipTrace shows which automatic databases were checked. It also shows which manual Romanian or European routes are still available.
ChipTrace does not display private owner information. A veterinarian, registry, shelter, rescue or authorised organisation must contact the owner.
Are microchips required in Romania?
Dogs
Yes. Owned dogs must be microchipped and registered in RECS.
Normally, an authorised veterinarian must identify and register a new puppy within 90 days of birth.
Also, the puppy must already have identification before it is:
- Sold
- Adopted
- Given to another person
- Taken into a public place
A dog should not move to a new owner without a microchip, RECS registration and a correctly completed health booklet.
The owner must also keep the rabies vaccination current.
Cats
Romania does not apply the same national microchip rule to every privately owned cat.
However, microchipping and registration are strongly recommended.
A microchip gives a lost cat permanent identification.
It only helps when the number links to current owner details.
RomPetID includes a section for owned cats.
Ask a veterinarian whether your cat can be added.
Cats travelling internationally normally need a readable microchip.
Who can implant and register a dog’s microchip?
An authorised veterinarian implants the microchip and creates the RECS registration.
The veterinarian first checks whether the dog already has a readable chip.
If a new chip is needed, the veterinarian implants it and confirms the number.
Then, the veterinarian records the dog and owner information in RECS.
The chip number must also be written correctly in the health booklet.
Do not assume that implanting the chip completes the registration.
Instead, the veterinarian must also create the RECS record.
How to register a dog microchip in Romania
An authorised Romanian veterinarian completes the identification and registration.
To register a dog:
- Make an appointment with an authorised Romanian veterinarian.
- Take the dog and any existing documents.
- Ask the veterinarian to check for an existing microchip.
- If needed, the veterinarian implants a microchip.
- The veterinarian adds the dog and owner to RECS.
- The veterinarian adds the microchip details to the health booklet.
- Check the complete microchip number.
- Check your name, address and telephone number.
- Ask the veterinarian to confirm that the RECS registration is active.
Useful documents may include:
- The Romanian health booklet
- An EU pet passport
- A vaccination record
- A microchip certificate
- An adoption contract
- A purchase agreement
- A foreign registration document
Does the veterinarian register the chip automatically?
The veterinarian who implants the chip should also register the dog in RECS.
However, it is still important to check.
Ask the veterinarian to confirm that:
- The RECS registration is complete
- The complete microchip number is correct
- The dog appears under your name
- Your address is correct
- Your telephone number is current
- The health booklet matches the RECS record
A chip without a correct RECS record may not lead a finder back to you.
What is the Romanian health booklet?
Dogs in Romania normally have a health booklet.
It is called a carnet de sănătate.
The booklet may include:
- The microchip number
- The owner’s details
- A description of the dog
- Vaccinations
- Parasite treatments
- Other veterinary information
Check that the number in the booklet matches the RECS record.
The health booklet is not the same as RECS.
Updating the booklet does not automatically update the electronic database.
Also, the health booklet is not the same as an EU pet passport.
By contrast, owners mainly use the EU pet passport for international travel.
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 Romania
- The animal is adopted abroad
- A finder uses an international search service
- The RECS record is difficult to check from another country
- The animal has a foreign or manufacturer-coded chip
Important: a global registration is only a safety net.
It does not replace RECS for a dog living in Romania.
Updating Animal-ID does not update RECS.
Keep the same contact details in every active registration.
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 a dog’s registration:
- Enter the number in the public RomPetID RECS search.
- Ask an authorised veterinarian to check the complete RECS record.
- Use ChipTrace to check available international databases.
- Compare the number with the health booklet.
- Compare the number with the EU pet passport, when available.
- Check any foreign database where the animal was previously registered.
When checking the record, confirm the registered owner’s name, address and telephone number.
Also check that the dog’s status is correct. It should not still show a missing, stolen, transferred or dead status if that information no longer applies.
If the public search does not find the dog, contact the veterinarian who created the registration.
How to update a Romanian microchip registration
Ask an authorised veterinarian to update RECS when important information changes.
Update the record when:
- You move home
- Your telephone number changes
- The dog moves to a new owner
- The dog goes missing
- The dog is stolen
- The dog is found again
- The dog moves abroad
- The dog dies
Normally, owners must report sales, purchases, transfers, loss, theft and death within seven days.
Do not wait when a dog is missing or stolen.
Updating the health booklet alone is not enough.
Instead, ask the veterinarian to confirm that RECS has also been updated.
Finally, update any additional international registrations separately.
How to transfer a RECS registration
The RECS record must change when a dog moves to a new owner.
The owner must normally report the change within seven days.
The new owner should contact an authorised veterinarian.
Take:
- The dog
- The health booklet
- The EU pet passport, when available
- An adoption or purchase agreement
- A signed transfer document
- Your identification
- Details of the previous owner
The veterinarian checks the microchip and updates RECS.
After that, check your name, address and telephone number.
What if the dog is still registered to someone else?
Contact the previous owner, breeder, shelter or rescue first.
Ask them to help complete the transfer.
If this is not possible, speak to an authorised veterinarian.
Take documents showing how the dog came into your care.
These may include:
- An adoption contract
- A purchase agreement
- A signed transfer document
- The health booklet
- The EU pet passport
- Veterinary records
- Proof that the dog is now in your care
The veterinarian or authority may ask for more evidence before changing the record.
A RECS entry can show who appears as responsible for the dog. However, it may not settle a legal ownership dispute on its own.
Buying or adopting a pet in Romania
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.
Buying or adopting a dog
Also ask for:
- The Romanian health booklet
- The EU pet passport, when available
- Vaccination records
- An adoption contract or purchase agreement
- Proof that the dog is registered in RECS
- Confirmation of who will arrange the transfer
The previous owner, breeder, shelter or rescue should help complete the RECS transfer.
Buying or adopting a cat
Ask whether the cat has a microchip.
If it does, ask which database holds the registration.
Ask a veterinarian to check the number and compare it with the documents.
Make sure any active registration changes to your name.
What about a pet adopted from a Romanian rescue?
Ask the rescue which records already exist.
Also ask:
- Whether the animal has been checked for a microchip
- Who is named in the health booklet or passport
- Whether the dog is registered in RECS
- Who will complete the ownership transfer
- Who will register the animal in its new country
- Whether the rabies and travel documents are complete
In some cases, a dog adopted abroad may need active records in Romania and in its destination country.
Keep the Romanian registration active until the new record has been confirmed.
What should you do if your pet goes missing?
Act quickly.
Contact an authorised veterinarian as soon as possible.
Ask for the dog to be marked as missing in RECS.
Do not wait until the seven-day reporting deadline.
Check that your telephone number is correct.
You should:
- Contact local veterinarians.
- Contact shelters and rescue groups.
- Contact the local stray-dog service.
- Check RomPetID’s missing-animal notices.
- Contact 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.
Share only part of the number publicly. Keep the full number for veterinarians, shelters, rescues, authorities, databases and trusted organisations helping with the search.
After the animal returns, ask the veterinarian to update the RECS record.
Bringing an imported pet to Romania
A foreign database registration does not automatically create a Romanian RECS record.
If a dog will live in Romania, take it to an authorised Romanian veterinarian.
Take:
- The animal
- Its EU pet passport or official health certificate
- Its rabies vaccination record
- The microchip certificate, when available
- Your identification
- Your Romanian address and telephone number
- 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 add the dog and its new owner to RECS.
Check that the foreign microchip number was copied correctly.
Keep the foreign registration active until the Romanian record has been confirmed.
Update or transfer the foreign registration afterwards when possible.
Travelling with a pet to or from Romania
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 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 applied before 3 July 2011.
Bringing a pet to Romania from outside the European Union
A dog, cat or ferret may need extra documents when it enters Romania 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 Romanian 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 Romania to another country
If you travel from Romania 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 Romanian microchip links
RomPetID
Open Romania’s pet identification portal
RECS microchip search
Check whether an owned dog appears in RECS
Dog-owner guidance
Read the main Romanian identification and reporting rules
RomPetID missing animals
Check Romanian missing-animal notices
EUROPETNET
Complete a separate manual search for a possible foreign registration
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