Pet Microchips in Spain: Regional Registers, Registration and Tracing

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Last updated: 1 October 2026

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This guide explains how pet microchip registration works in Spain, where to check a Spanish 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 Spanish microchip numbers look like?

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

Spain’s ISO numeric country code is 724.

A country-coded microchip number issued in Spain begins with 724. But many animals in Spain have manufacturer-coded chips or chip numbers from other countries.

Manufacturer-coded microchips often start with the digit 9. These numbers may appear in several countries. Older chips, or chips implanted abroad, may use other prefixes.

This is common with:

  • Imported dogs and cats
  • Pets adopted through foreign rescues
  • Animals that moved to Spain with their families

An authorised vet can usually register a readable foreign or manufacturer-coded chip in Spain.

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 Spain

Many different microchip numbers are used in Spain. These examples show a few common formats, but many other variations exist.

  • 724123456789012 — Spanish country-coded microchip
  • 941123456789012 — manufacturer-coded microchip
  • 528123456789012 — foreign country-coded microchip

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 Spanish microchip number?

Follow these quick tracing steps to help reunite the animal with its owner.

  1. If you are in Spain and find an animal that appears lost: ask a vet, shelter or rescue to scan the animal and confirm the full microchip number.
  2. Use ChipTrace to search for REIAC records, and 100+ other databases worldwide
  3. Open EUROPETNET for a separate manual European search. If ChipTrace can’t find a registration, it provides a direct link to EUROPETNET.
  4. Contact local services. A veterinary clinic, animal shelter, municipal animal service or police station can check the regional register and help contact the owner.

Remember: many owned cats in Spain are allowed to roam outdoors. Do not assume an outdoor cat is lost. Look for signs that the animal is injured, frightened, displaced or unfamiliar with the area before taking further action.

What happens after a Spanish microchip result is found?

A successful search may show which regional register holds the record. Do not expect to receive the owner’s private details directly. The register, or an authorised organisation, can then contact the registered owner.

If the owners can’t be reached, you can post on (local) social media, leave leaflets at veterinary clinics and shelters. Do not publish the complete microchip number online. Share only part of it so ownership claims can be checked safely.

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?

Start by asking a veterinary clinic, shelter or municipal 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 never registered. Ask the vet to check clinic records and try the regional register again.
  • Someone entered the number incorrectly. Re-scan the animal and submit the verified number again.
  • The registration is very recent. Ask the regional register when the record should appear, then try again later.
  • The regional database is temporarily unavailable. Retry later and ask an authorised organisation to check.
  • The animal is still registered in another country. Use ChipTrace for country or manufacturer clues and open EUROPETNET for a separate manual search.

Extra tracing routes to try

  • Use ChipTrace to search REIAC records via Petmaxx and Animal-ID. It can also suggest likely country or manufacturer prefixes.
  • Contact the microchip manufacturer or distributor. They may identify the distributor who sold the chip and the vet, breeder or rescue that received it.

You can use the email template ChipTrace creates to contact manufacturer/distributor when no registration is found.

Manufacturers and distributors normally do not give out the owner’s private details. Instead, they may pass a matched enquiry to the clinic or organisation that implanted the chip, or contact the registered owner on your behalf.

Finding the owner is not guaranteed, but these extra steps often help. If you still cannot trace the owner after checking every route, contact your local shelter or municipal service for advice.

Read our guide to why a microchip may not appear in any database for more details and template emails.

Check a Microchip

Which microchip databases are used in Spain?

Each Spanish autonomous community operates its own companion-animal register. Ceuta and Melilla have separate systems too.

REIAC (Red Española de Identificación de Animales de Compañía) connects the registers used by Spain’s 17 autonomous communities and two autonomous cities to help locate lost pets. But a pet must still be registered in the regional database for the area where it lives. REIAC does not replace that registration.

REIAC matters because it helps trace a pet found outside its home region. For example, if a dog registered in Madrid is found in Valencia, REIAC may show that the Madrid register holds the record. That regional database can then help contact the registered owner.

Can the public search REIAC?

Yes. The REIAC website offers a public microchip-number search. It can identify which Spanish register is linked to a chip.

Results should not display the owner’s full private details. Authorised organisations, such as vets, shelters and municipal services, can access more information and help contact the owner.

How does ChipTrace search Spain?

ChipTrace searches for REIAC records through two separate routes: Petmaxx and Animal-ID. At the same time, 100+ other registries worldwide are checked: running multiple routes increases the chance of identifying a Spanish registration.

ChipTrace shows which databases and services were checked. It does not reveal the registered owner’s private contact details. An authorised registry or organisation must contact the owner.

Read how ChipTrace works for more information about database checks and manual search steps.

Can EUROPETNET find a Spanish registration?

Yes. REIAC is listed as a Spanish member of EUROPETNET, and Catalonia’s ANICOM may be listed separately.

A manual EUROPETNET search can therefore identify a Spanish registration and usually shows which regional registry to contact.

ChipTrace provides a button or link that opens EUROPETNET. ChipTrace does not perform that EUROPETNET search itself. The user completes the manual search.

If EUROPETNET gives no result, do not assume the animal is unregistered in Spain. Re-check ChipTrace, the REIAC public search and the regional registers. Ask a vet or authorised organisation to help.

Who can implant and register the microchip?

An authorised vet normally implants the microchip and creates the first regional registration.

The vet will scan for an existing readable chip, implant a new one if required, confirm the full chip number and submit the owner and pet details to the regional register.

Remember: implanting the chip and registering it are two separate steps. The microchip itself holds only an identification number. Owner contact details are stored in the regional database.

A working chip may still be hard to trace if no one completed the registration.

Which regional register should be used?

An authorised vet usually completes new registrations and formal changes.

Some regional websites allow owners to view or update limited details. Other systems only allow access for vets and approved organisations.

Find your regional register: use our list of regional registers below, or use the REIAC site to identify which regional database covers your address.

Regional pet microchip registers in Spain

How to register a pet microchip in Spain

An authorised vet normally completes the identification and registration for dogs, cats and ferrets.

Before the vet visit, bring:

  • Your identity document, such as DNI, NIE or passport
  • Proof of your Spanish address
  • Any vaccination or health records, including rabies vaccination details or an EU pet passport
  • Previous registration certificates or foreign registration documents, if relevant
  • Adoption or purchase agreements, if applicable

Does the vet register the chip automatically?

The vet who implants the chip should normally create the regional registration. But do not assume this has happened without confirmation.

Ask the vet to confirm, in writing or by email, that:

  • The registration has been submitted
  • The complete microchip number is correct
  • The animal appears under your name
  • Your telephone number, email and home address are correct
  • The correct regional register was used

Can I add a global microchip registration?

Yes. An extra global record, for example via Animal-ID, can provide another route back to the owner.

This may help when the pet travels, when the original registration is hard to find, or when the chip uses a foreign or manufacturer code.

Animal-ID allows owners to create a free extra record using an existing microchip number.

Important: an extra global registration is a safety net. It does not replace the required regional registration.

Updating Animal-ID does not update REIAC or the regional database. Keep the same contact details in every active registration to avoid confusion.

How to check your pet’s microchip registration

If you already know your pet’s microchip number, check that the contact details are correct and that the animal’s status is accurate.

If you do not know the number, ask a vet, shelter or rescue to scan the animal.

To check the registration:

  • Use ChipTrace to search for REIAC records via Petmaxx and Animal-ID
  • Use the REIAC public search to find which regional register holds the record
  • Ask an authorised vet to check the regional record
  • Sign in to any available regional owner service to view or update details
  • Open EUROPETNET for a separate manual European check
  • Compare the number with the registration certificate and the pet passport

When checking, confirm the registered owner’s name, address, telephone number and email. Also check that the animal is not marked as missing, stolen, transferred or deceased.

How to update a Spanish microchip registration

Update the regional record whenever important details change. This includes moving home, changing phone or email, transferring ownership, reporting a missing pet, or reporting that the animal has died.

Some regional registers allow owners to update basic information online. Other changes must go through an authorised vet.

Updating the pet passport alone is not enough. You must also update the regional database. Update any foreign or international registrations separately.

Moving to another autonomous community

If you move, you may need to transfer the registration to the new region’s database.

Contact an authorised vet in the new community and bring:

  • The animal
  • Your identity document
  • The current registration certificate
  • The vaccination record or pet passport
  • Proof of your new address

The new vet will explain the transfer process between the two regional registers. REIAC provides guidance on moving pets between autonomous communities.

Must a pet be registered before it changes owner?

Yes. A dog, cat or ferret must be identified before it is sold, adopted or given away. The registration should also be transferred to the new owner.

Do not assume the transfer happens automatically. Ask who will complete the change and confirm which regional register holds the record.

Transferring ownership

A change of owner must be recorded officially after a sale, adoption or private rehoming.

The previous and new owners may need to sign transfer documents and provide proof. This may include an adoption contract, purchase agreement, signed transfer form, ID for both parties, vet records and the registration certificate.

An authorised vet normally sends the change to the regional register. Afterwards, check that your name and contact details are correct.

If the pet is still registered to someone else, contact the previous owner, breeder or rescue first and ask them to help complete the transfer.

If that is not possible, contact an authorised vet or the regional register. Explain how the animal came into your care and provide the requested documents.

Do not create a conflicting second registration. A database record shows who is listed as the registered owner, but it may not settle legal disputes about ownership on its own.

Buying or adopting a pet in Spain

Before taking a pet home, ask for the complete microchip number. Ask a vet, shelter or rescue to scan the animal and confirm it.

Make sure the number matches every document. Ask for:

  • The name of the regional register
  • Proof of current registration
  • The vaccination or health record and EU pet passport, if available
  • An adoption contract or purchase agreement
  • Confirmation of who will complete the transfer
  • Information about any foreign registration

The animal should already be identified before sale, adoption or transfer.

Do not rely only on the name written in the pet passport. The regional microchip registration must also be transferred.

Pets adopted from a foreign rescue

Ask the rescue which records exist. Ask whether the animal has been scanned, who is named in the passport or health certificate, which foreign database holds the record, and who will create and transfer the Spanish regional registration.

Keep foreign registrations active until the Spanish record is confirmed. Update the foreign record afterwards where possible.

What to do if your pet goes missing

Report the animal as missing as soon as possible.

Contact the regional microchip register or ask your vet to update the record. Check that the telephone number and email linked to the chip are correct.

Also:

  • Contact local vets
  • Contact shelters and rescue groups
  • Contact the town hall or municipal animal service
  • Contact the local police
  • Share a clear photo and the area where the animal disappeared

Do not publish the (complete) microchip number online. Although a microchip number does not prove ownership, people could use it to try and claim your pet when a finder posts it.

When your pet returns, update the regional record and close every missing-pet report.

Bringing an imported pet to Spain

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

A dog, cat or ferret that will live in Spain must be registered in the correct autonomous community.

Take the animal to an authorised Spanish vet soon after arrival with:

  • Its EU pet passport or official health certificate
  • Its rabies vaccination record
  • The microchip certificate, if available
  • Your identity document and Spanish address
  • Any foreign registration documents and adoption or transfer papers

The vet will check the microchip and documents. A readable foreign or manufacturer-coded chip usually does not need replacing. The vet can enter the existing number in the regional register.

Dogs, cats and ferrets arriving from another EU country must keep their original pet passport. Do not replace it simply because the animal moved.

Keep the foreign registration active until the Spanish record is confirmed. Then update or transfer the foreign record where possible.

Travelling with a pet to or from Spain

Microchip registration and border rules are separate.

For most journeys within the EU, dogs, cats and ferrets need:

  • A readable microchip
  • A valid rabies vaccination
  • An EU pet passport

A first rabies vaccination normally becomes valid after 21 days.

The microchip must usually be implanted before, or on the same day as, the rabies vaccination used for travel.

Spain generally does not allow dogs, cats or ferrets under 15 weeks old to enter. A clearly readable tattoo may still be accepted if it was applied before 3 July 2011.

Pets entering from some non-EU countries may also need an EU animal health certificate, a rabies antibody blood test, a waiting period and entry through an approved travellers’ point.

The exact requirements depend on the country of departure and the journey type. Check the latest official Spanish pet-travel guidance 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.

REIAC
Search a Spanish microchip number and find regional register information

EUROPETNET
Complete a separate manual European microchip search

Animal-ID
Create an additional global microchip registration

Spanish animal welfare law
Read the national identification and registration rules

Official Spanish pet-travel guidance
Check current microchip, rabies and travel rules