Do I need a new microchip if I move house?

No. The microchip identifies the animal with a fixed code that does not depend on where you live. A move only changes the details linked to the code, so you update the address and contacts, not the chip. Redoing it is not only pointless but creates a duplicate that confuses the database.

How long do I have to update the data after the move?

The exact deadlines depend on local rules and can vary from region to region, so the reliable reference is the competent local veterinary service. Whatever the formal term, it is best done as soon as possible: the first weeks in a new home are when a disoriented animal is most likely to wander off.

I only changed my phone number, not my house: do I still need to report it?

Yes, and it is actually the most important piece of data. The number is what lets people call you back when the animal is found. A chip linked to a line that no longer works leaves the owner unreachable even if the address is correct. Update the contact in the registry and remember to change the collar tag too.

How do I find out which registry I am registered with?

If you have not kept the registration document, your vet can read the chip and check where the animal is registered, or you can turn to the local veterinary service. From there they will also tell you the correct way to submit the change of address and contacts in your area.

Documents and paperwork20 minLevel: BeginnerUpdated on August 6, 2026

Update the pet registry details after moving house

How to update the address and contacts in the pet registry after a house move, which records to touch, and how not to become unreachable if the animal is lost.

Audience: Pet owners
Species: Dog, Cat
Scope: Italy, European Union

What you need before you start

Il codice del microchip dell'animale, leggibile sul documento di iscrizione o rilevabile con un lettore in ambulatorio
Un documento di identità valido dell'intestatario e il codice fiscale usato all'iscrizione
Il nuovo indirizzo di residenza completo e i recapiti telefonici e di posta elettronica aggiornati
La documentazione dell'animale già archiviata, per confrontare i dati vecchi con quelli nuovi ed evitare errori di trascrizione

A microchip does not store your address: it stores only a code, linked in a database to the contact details you gave when you registered. If you move house or change your phone number and do not update those details, the chip keeps working but whoever finds the animal reads a code that points to an unreachable person. A move is exactly the moment when the risk of loss is highest, because the animal does not yet know the new area and may wander off looking for the old home. Updating the registry is not a formality you can postpone: it is the condition that lets the chip actually do its job. This guide covers which data to change, in which records, on what timing, and how to keep the linked documents and services aligned too, from the vet to any insurance policy.

Why stale data defeats the microchip

When a lost animal is taken to a clinic or a shelter, staff read the chip and look the code up in the registry database. That code returns a name and contact details. If the number is no longer active or the address belongs to a house you have left, the chain breaks at the very last step, the one meant to bring the animal back to you. The chip worked, the lookup worked, but the contact did not.

Updating the data also solves less dramatic but common problems. A wrong address sends reminders about boosters to an old contact, and in some situations a misaligned registry complicates later paperwork, such as a change of ownership or issuing a document for travel abroad. Keeping the record correct today avoids having to rebuild everything in a hurry tomorrow, perhaps under the pressure of a deadline.

Which data and which records to check

A move touches several pieces of data at once, and they do not all sit in the same place. It helps to make a list before you start, so none is forgotten. The practical rule is simple: every place where someone might trace you starting from the animal needs updating.

Where the animal's data may be recorded
Record or service	What to update	Why it matters
Pet registry	Home address, phone, email	It is the source shelters and clinics use to trace you
Veterinary clinic	Contacts and new address, any new reference practice	Keeps the record and the reminders continuous
Insurance or health policy	Policyholder address and contacts	Stale data can complicate a reimbursement claim
Collar tag and details	Current phone number	It is the first point of contact for whoever finds the animal
Digital services and public page	Emergency contacts linked to the profile	Whoever finds the animal reaches you, not an old number

The procedure step by step

Retrieve the chip code and the old data
Take the registration document and read the chip code and the details the animal is currently registered under. Having them to hand avoids updating the wrong animal by mistake in a household with several pets.
Check where you are registered
Confirm which registry the registration belongs to. If you do not remember, your vet or the local veterinary service can tell you where the animal is registered and how to submit the change.
Submit the change of address and contacts
Report the new address and new contacts using the method your area provides, which may be in person, through an accredited vet, or online. Provide an identity document and the tax code used at registration.
Ask for written confirmation of the update
Get a receipt or an updated document showing the new details. It is proof the change was recorded and you will need it if a mismatch shows up later.
Update the vet and the other services
Give the new address to the clinic, any insurer and the linked digital services. If you change area, ask the old vet for a copy of the record to hand to the new one.
Change the tag and details on the collar
Have a tag engraved with the current number, or update it if it is writable. It is the fastest point of contact for whoever finds the animal, even before the chip is read.
File everything and set a check reminder
Save the receipt with the animal's other documents and schedule a check a few weeks later, to confirm every record really shows the new data.

Common mistakes and mismatches to avoid

Updating the registry but forgetting the collar tag, which stays the first point of contact in the street.
Changing phone number without reporting it, so the chip points to a line that no longer works.
Updating only the vet, assuming the data spreads by itself to the registry: they are separate records.
Writing the address with an error, such as a wrong house number, which still leaves you unreachable.
Not keeping the update receipt, losing the useful proof if a dispute arises later.
Postponing the change until the house is settled, in the very weeks of highest risk.

Keeping documents and reminders aligned over time

The update does not end on moving day. A tidy archive and a few reminders keep the data from drifting apart again at the next change, whether a new number, a change of vet, or a second move.

Keep the updated registry document and the change receipt in one place.
Note the date on which you updated each record, so you always know where you stand.
Reread the contacts once a year, perhaps alongside the check on vaccine reminders.
At the next change of phone or address, repeat the same list without skipping steps.
Confirm that the emergency contacts linked to the digital profile match those in the registry.
If you find an old document with outdated data, destroy it so it is not confused with the valid one.

A little periodic maintenance costs a few minutes and returns something concrete: the certainty that, if the animal is lost, the chain meant to bring it back reaches you and does not stop at a silent contact.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a new microchip if I move house?: No. The microchip identifies the animal with a fixed code that does not depend on where you live. A move only changes the details linked to the code, so you update the address and contacts, not the chip. Redoing it is not only pointless but creates a duplicate that confuses the database.
How long do I have to update the data after the move?: The exact deadlines depend on local rules and can vary from region to region, so the reliable reference is the competent local veterinary service. Whatever the formal term, it is best done as soon as possible: the first weeks in a new home are when a disoriented animal is most likely to wander off.
I only changed my phone number, not my house: do I still need to report it?: Yes, and it is actually the most important piece of data. The number is what lets people call you back when the animal is found. A chip linked to a line that no longer works leaves the owner unreachable even if the address is correct. Update the contact in the registry and remember to change the collar tag too.
How do I find out which registry I am registered with?: If you have not kept the registration document, your vet can read the chip and check where the animal is registered, or you can turn to the local veterinary service. From there they will also tell you the correct way to submit the change of address and contacts in your area.

What to do next

After a move, update the details linked to the microchip first: address, phone and email in the registry, then the vet, insurance, collar tag and digital services. Get the receipt of the change, file it with the other documents, and set a check reminder. The chip brings the animal home only if the linked contacts actually answer, and the first weeks in a new home are the most delicate. If you change region or are unsure about timing, check the procedure with the competent local veterinary service.