Pet Microchips in Russia: Databases, Registration and Tracing

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Russia does not have one public national microchip database containing every pet.

Several private databases are used for tracing microchipped animals.

Regional authorities may also keep their own registration records.

The main public tracing services include Animal-ID.RU, RussiaPet.Net and AnimalFace.

Because the systems are separate, a finder may need to check several routes.

Which microchip databases are used in Russia?

Russia has several databases for microchipped animals.

The main services and record holders include:

An animal may appear in one system but not another.

Updating one database does not normally update the others.

Ask the vet, shelter, rescue or breeder where the chip was registered.

What is Animal-ID.RU?

Animal-ID.RU is a large Russian database of microchipped animals.

It has operated since 2004.

The website provides a public microchip-number search.

The original record is normally created by a veterinary clinic or another participating organisation.

The owner may then connect the animal to an online account and add more information.

An owner may be able to add:

  • Contact information
  • Photographs
  • Identifying features
  • Missing or stolen status

The professional information entered when the animal was first registered may need to be changed by the original clinic or organisation.

What is RussiaPet.Net?

RussiaPet.Net is another Russian animal identification database.

It stores information about animals identified by a microchip or tattoo.

A search may help identify the organisation holding the registration.

RussiaPet.Net is also connected to international tracing services.

Ask the vet or chip supplier whether this was the database used when the chip was implanted.

What is AnimalFace?

AnimalFace is a Russian microchip registration and search service.

It has operated since 2012.

The service covers Russia and other countries in the region.

It also provides a search across international databases.

An AnimalFace record may include:

  • The microchip number
  • Information about the animal
  • The owner’s contact details
  • Vaccination information
  • A photograph
  • Missing or found information

Registration and additional services may involve a fee.

Can EUROPETNET find a Russian registration?

EUROPETNET is a separate European microchip search network.

It includes a Russian member database.

An EUROPETNET result may identify the Russian organisation linked to the chip.

However, EUROPETNET does not contain every Russian registration.

The search must be completed manually on the EUROPETNET website.

A negative result does not prove that the animal is unregistered.

Are microchips required in Russia?

Russia does not have one nationwide rule requiring every privately owned dog and cat to have a microchip.

However, regional authorities can introduce their own identification and registration rules.

Requirements can therefore differ between regions.

Some areas require dogs to be registered.

Some may also include cats or other animals.

The accepted identification method and deadline can vary.

Ask a state veterinary clinic or regional authority what is required where the animal lives.

A microchip may also be needed for:

  • International travel
  • Moving permanently to another country
  • Regional animal registration
  • Adoption through some shelters or rescues
  • Some breeder or kennel records

Even when a chip is not required locally, it provides useful permanent identification.

However, it only helps when the number is linked to a current record.

Are cats required to be microchipped?

There is no general nationwide rule requiring every privately owned cat in Russia to have a microchip.

Regional rules may be different.

Microchipping is still strongly recommended.

An indoor cat can escape through a door, window or balcony.

Cats travelling internationally will normally need a readable ISO-compatible microchip.

What do Russian microchip numbers look like?

Modern pet microchips normally contain 15 digits.

Russia’s ISO country code is:

643

A Russian country-coded chip may therefore begin with 643.

However, not every pet living in Russia has a 643 chip.

Many chips use a manufacturer code instead.

Manufacturer-coded microchips usually begin with the number 9.

Other animals were microchipped in another country before arriving in Russia.

This is common with:

  • Imported dogs and cats
  • Pets adopted through international rescues
  • Animals that moved to Russia with their families
  • Older animals with manufacturer-coded chips

A readable foreign or manufacturer-coded chip can still be registered in a Russian 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 Russia?

Take the animal to a veterinary clinic, shelter or rescue organisation.

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:

  • Animal-ID.RU
  • RussiaPet.Net
  • AnimalFace
  • EUROPETNET
  • Regional government or veterinary records
  • 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
  • ChipTrace for database, country and manufacturer clues

ChipTrace checks available connected routes and shows which databases were checked.

It may also provide buttons for searches that must be completed manually on another website.

A public result should not reveal the owner’s full private contact details.

The database, veterinary clinic, shelter or rescue may contact the registered owner instead.

Do not publish the complete microchip number online.

Keep part of it private so that ownership claims can be checked.

Read how ChipTrace works for an explanation of automatic checks, manual searches and next-step advice.

What if a Russian 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 Animal-ID.RU
  • Search RussiaPet.Net
  • Search AnimalFace
  • Open EUROPETNET and complete a manual search
  • Check the Russian veterinary passport
  • Check vaccination, adoption and travel records
  • Contact the clinic that implanted the chip
  • Contact the breeder, shelter, rescue or former owner
  • Ask about regional veterinary records
  • Check databases in countries where the animal has lived
  • Contact the microchip manufacturer or distributor
  • Use ChipTrace for database, country and manufacturer clues

The chip may have been implanted but never registered online.

The record may only exist in a veterinary clinic or regional government system.

The registration may contain an incorrect number.

The animal may also be registered in another country.

If no database result 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.

Check a Microchip

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 international record using an existing microchip number.

This service is separate from the Russian Animal-ID.RU database.

An additional global registration may help when:

  • The pet travels outside Russia
  • The animal is adopted abroad
  • A finder uses an international search service
  • The Russian registration is difficult to locate
  • The animal has a foreign or manufacturer-coded chip

This is an extra safety net.

It does not replace a Russian database or any regional registration.

Keep the same contact details in every active record.

How to register a pet microchip in Russia

  1. Make an appointment with a veterinary clinic.
  2. Take the animal and any documents you already have.
  3. Ask the vet to scan the animal.
  4. If needed, have a microchip implanted.
  5. Write down the complete microchip number.
  6. Ask whether regional registration is required.
  7. Ask which tracing database the clinic uses.
  8. Create or confirm the database registration.
  9. Add your current telephone number and email address.
  10. Keep proof of registration with the animal’s documents.

Useful documents may include:

  • A Russian veterinary passport
  • An international veterinary certificate
  • A vaccination record
  • A microchip certificate
  • An adoption contract
  • A purchase agreement
  • A foreign registration certificate

Who implants the microchip?

A veterinary professional normally implants the microchip.

The animal should be scanned first.

This checks whether a chip is already present.

If a chip is needed, the vet implants it under the skin.

The chip is then scanned again.

This confirms that it works and shows the correct number.

Ask the vet to write the complete number in:

  • The veterinary passport
  • The vaccination record
  • The clinic record
  • The chosen microchip database

Does the vet register the chip automatically?

Not always.

The vet may implant the chip but leave the online registration to the owner.

In other cases, the clinic creates the first database record.

Ask the vet:

  • Which database will hold the record?
  • Has the registration been completed?
  • Is the microchip number correct?
  • Is my telephone number included?
  • Is my email address correct?
  • Can I receive proof of registration?
  • How can the record be updated later?

Do not assume that implantation and registration are the same thing.

A chip without current contact details may not lead a finder back to you.

What is the Russian veterinary passport?

A veterinary passport records the animal’s identification and health information.

It may include:

  • The owner’s details
  • A description of the animal
  • The microchip number
  • The date of implantation
  • Rabies vaccination
  • Other vaccinations
  • Parasite treatments

Check that the chip number in the passport matches the scanner.

A veterinary passport is not a live microchip database.

Changing the passport does not automatically update an online registration.

How to check whether your pet’s chip is registered

Search the number through:

  • Animal-ID.RU
  • RussiaPet.Net
  • AnimalFace
  • EUROPETNET
  • The database named on the microchip certificate
  • Databases in countries where the pet has lived

A public search may only identify the organisation holding the record.

It should not reveal the owner’s private details.

If no result appears, contact the veterinary clinic or organisation that supplied the chip.

How to update a Russian 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

A regional record and a private tracing database may need separate updates.

Changing the veterinary passport is not enough on its own.

Check every active database separately.

How to transfer a Russian microchip registration

The process depends on the database holding the record.

The former owner may need to start or approve the transfer.

The new owner may need to create an account or provide supporting documents.

You may need:

  • The veterinary passport
  • An adoption contract
  • A purchase agreement
  • A signed transfer document
  • Permission from the former owner
  • Your identification

Contact every database holding an active registration.

If the animal is also in a regional government register, update that record separately.

How to transfer an AnimalFace registration

The existing owner may need to remove the animal from their AnimalFace account.

The new owner can then create an account and add the microchip number.

AnimalFace may request further information when the chip is still linked to another account.

Keep the adoption contract or purchase agreement until the transfer is complete.

Afterwards, check the telephone number and email address.

What if the pet is still registered to someone else?

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

Ask them to help transfer the record.

If they cannot help, contact the database directly.

Explain how the animal came into your care.

Provide 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 Russia

Ask whether the animal has a microchip before taking it home.

Also ask for:

  • The complete microchip number
  • The Russian veterinary passport
  • Vaccination records
  • An adoption or purchase agreement
  • Proof of microchip registration
  • The name of every database holding the record

Ask a vet to scan the chip.

Check that the scanned number matches the documents.

The former owner, breeder, shelter or rescue should help update every active record.

What about a pet adopted from a Russian rescue?

Ask the rescue which records already exist.

Also ask:

  • Whether the animal has been scanned
  • Who is named in the veterinary passport
  • Which database holds the chip record
  • Who will complete the transfer
  • Who will register the animal in its new country
  • Whether the rabies and travel documents are complete

A pet adopted abroad may need active records in both Russia and its destination country.

Keep the Russian 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 local animal service
  • Check local missing and found-animal pages
  • Inform 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.

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 Russia

A foreign database registration does not automatically create a Russian record.

After arrival, ask a Russian vet to scan the animal.

Take:

  • The animal
  • Its veterinary passport or official health certificate
  • Its rabies vaccination record
  • The microchip certificate, when available
  • Your Russian address and telephone number
  • Any foreign database information

A readable foreign chip does not normally need to be replaced.

Check that the number matches every document.

Ask whether regional registration is required.

You can also add the chip to a suitable Russian tracing database.

Keep the foreign registration active until the Russian record is confirmed.

Check the latest Rosselkhoznadzor entry guidance before travelling.

Travelling with a pet to or from Russia

Microchip registration and border rules are separate.

The destination country decides which documents are required.

A pet may need:

  • A readable ISO-compatible microchip
  • A valid rabies vaccination
  • A veterinary passport
  • An official export health certificate
  • A rabies antibody titre test
  • Parasite treatment
  • Checks at a veterinary control point

The chip may need to be implanted before the rabies vaccination used for travel.

Begin preparing early when a rabies blood test is required.

Check the latest Rosselkhoznadzor export guidance and the destination-country rules.

Travelling from Russia to the European Union

Dogs, cats and ferrets entering the EU from Russia normally need:

  • A readable microchip
  • A rabies vaccination given after identification
  • A successful rabies antibody titre test
  • The correct EU animal health certificate
  • Entry through an approved travellers’ point
  • Tapeworm treatment for dogs entering certain destinations

The blood sample must normally be taken at least 30 days after the primary rabies vaccination.

At least three months must normally pass between the blood sample and entry into the EU.

The titre test may remain valid when every rabies booster is given before the previous vaccination expires.

Begin the process several months before travelling.

Check the latest official EU pet-travel guidance.

Useful Russian microchip links

Animal-ID.RU
Russian microchip registration database

Animal-ID.RU microchip search
Search a chip number in Animal-ID.RU

RussiaPet.Net
Russian animal identification database

AnimalFace
Russian microchip registration service

AnimalFace microchip search
Search Russian and international databases

EUROPETNET
Complete a manual European microchip search

Animal-ID global registration
Create an additional global microchip registration

Rosselkhoznadzor pet-entry guidance
Read official information about bringing a pet into Russia

Rosselkhoznadzor pet-export guidance
Read official information about travelling abroad with a pet

EU pet-travel guidance
Check the current rules for entering the European Union