Is your pet’s microchip actually registered? Here’s how to check

Updated June 12, 2026

A microchip only works if its registration is current. In a large U.S. shelter study, about 4 in 10 chips that shelters looked up had no registration on file. Checking yours takes about ten minutes: find the chip number, run it through the free universal lookup, and confirm your contact details with the registry that holds it.

How do I find my pet’s chip number?

It’s on your adoption paperwork, your vet’s records, or the certificate that came with the implant. If you can’t find it in paper, any veterinary clinic or animal shelter can scan for it. Most have universal scanners that read the common chip types, and they’ll usually do it free of charge. Ask at your next visit; it takes seconds.

How do I check where the chip is registered?

Enter the number at the AAHA Universal Pet Microchip Lookup. It accepts 9-, 10-, and 15-digit chip numbers. The tool checks the participating registries and shows you which of them hold a registration for that chip. If none do, it shows the chip’s manufacturer instead, which usually means the chip was never registered.

Two things the lookup deliberately does not show: the owner’s contact information, and whether the contact information on file still works. Only the registry itself can confirm that. So the lookup is step one; step two is always contacting the registry it names and checking that your phone number and email are current.

One honest limitation: the tool covers participating registries. Most major U.S. registries participate, but not all. If yours doesn’t, the lookup may show only the manufacturer even though a registration exists.

Why registrations quietly go stale

The chip itself is the reliable half. It has no battery and nothing to renew. The scanner’s own signal powers it, and it carries only a registration number. The fragile half is the database entry that links that number to you.

The common failure is ordinary life: you move, you change numbers. In the shelter study above (7,704 microchipped animals entering 53 shelters), the single biggest reason owners couldn’t be reached was an incorrect or disconnected phone number, accounting for just over a third of failures.

The failure owners don’t expect is that registries themselves close or change hands. Save This Life, a U.S. registry, shut down unexpectedly in January 2024. HomeSafeID in Australia ceased operations and its database went dark. The national veterinary association issued an alert directing owners to re-register elsewhere. And in 2026, 24Petwatch, one of the largest U.S. registries, moved its registrations to PetPlace.com; the old site now redirects. Companies fail or merge. Your pet’s way home shouldn’t depend on a brand name still existing. It depends on you knowing where the registration lives and keeping a copy of the chip number yourself.

What should I do today?

1. Find the chip number: paperwork, or a free scan at any vet or shelter.
2. Run it at the universal lookup.
3. Contact the registry it names; confirm your phone and email are current.
4. Write down the chip number and the registry’s name somewhere you control.
5. Re-check after every move or number change.

Common questions

How do I check if my pet’s microchip is registered?

Enter the chip number at the AAHA Universal Pet Microchip Lookup. It shows which registries hold a registration for that number; contact that registry to confirm your details are current.

Do pet microchips expire or wear out?

The chip has no battery and is powered by the scanner’s signal when read, so there is nothing to recharge or replace. What goes stale is the registration: the database entry with your contact information.

What happens to my registration if the registry shuts down?

The chip keeps working, but the database entry linking it to you can become unreachable. It has happened: Save This Life closed in 2024, and HomeSafeID’s database in Australia went dark. If your registry disappears, register the chip with an active registry.

Can a chip be registered with more than one registry?

Yes. The universal lookup may list several registries holding the same chip. Make sure the information is current at each one it lists.

Do I have to pay to register or update a microchip?

It depends on the registry. Some are free, some charge a one-time fee, and some charge for updates. The registry that holds your chip can tell you.