Microchipping advice

Our microchipping guidance has been divided into sections, however you can download it all and read it in one place here or read the condensed version with FAQ’s here

Download the Certificate of Exemption for England

Download the Certificate of Exemption for Wales

You can also access other advice below:

VMD Microchip Adverse Event Reporting Form

Legislation

Legislation related to Animal Health and Welfare is devolved within the UK, therefore there are different regulations for different countries of the UK.

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Requirement and exemption

The regulations state that all dogs are microchipped and their details recorded on a database, however there are some exemptions.

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Implantation

This section includes implantation legislation, forms of microchip and procedure guidelines.

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Scanning

This section contains detailed guidance on microchip scanning procedures.

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Registration

Once a microchip has been implanted, the details must be recorded on a database in order to comply with the definition of 'microchipping' included in the regulations.

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Adverse reactions

The regulations in England, Scotland and Wales make it a legal requirement to report adverse reactions/events relating to microchips and microchip failure in dogs.

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Offences and penalties

This section includes offences and penalties for microchip implanters and reporting adverse reactions.

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