Microchip Transfer - what do I need to do?

Not so Fun Fact: 1 in 3 pets will go missing at some point in their life. 

Fun Fact: Studies show that a registered microchip reunites more pets with their families than any other reunification tool or platform!

When rehoming a pet, it's imperative that the pet's microchip be transferred to their new family immediately, as this can be an especially confusing time for some pets. Given the chance, they may try to find their way back to their old home as that is more familiar during the early days and weeks. 

1. If you're not sure if your pet is microchipped, take them to a veterinary clinic or animal shelter to be scanned. If a microchip is detected, they'll write your pet's chip number down for you; it will be either a 9 digit numeric, 10-digt alphanumeric, or a 15 digit numeric number (more than likely, the latter). 

2. Once you have their chip number, enter it at PetMicrochipLookup.org to see which company their chip is registered with. 

Pro Tip: Microchips are sometimes registered in multiple registries. PetMicrochipLookup.org searches 39 registries for you at one time (so cool), and shows if the chip is registered in any of those registries. The top result (and often times the only result) will be the most recently updated registration.  

3. IF the microchip search on PetMicrochipLookup.org yields no results, the adopter may register the microchip with the National registry of their choosing. 

Pro Tip: Please keep in mind, different microchip registries do not talk to one another, so registering a pet's chip with another company will not affect their registration in another microchip registry. However, it's important to notify your pet's new family of the registry(s) their chip is currently registered in so they my update and make sure all reunification roads lead back to them! 

4. Give your pet's microchip number along with the registry info (if registered) to their new adopter. 

5. The adopter should initiate the transfer of the pet's microchip number. Below are two registries we recommend along with the details on their individual transfer processes. The new adopter may always select one of these registries below, regardless of whether the pet's chip is registered in another registry or not, however, we strongly advise them to also initiate a transfer, if the chip is indeed already registered with a different company. 

• AKC Reunite: a one-time $19.95 enrollment fee for the lifetime of your pet. This includes all updates the pet parent may need to make to their contact info or to their alternate contacts.
  • A transfer is the same as an enrollment and cost the new pet parent a one-time $19.95 fee for the lifetime of their pet.
    • The new adopter will need to transfer the pet's microchip. Once they initiate the transfer, be on the lookout for an email and/or call from AKC to verify the transfer. Please verify ASAP, otherwise it can take up to 30 days for your pet to be safely registered to their new family. 
• Home Again: FREE to register your pet's microchip for the lifetime of your pet. This includes all updates the pet parent may need to make to their contact info or to their additional contacts. 
  • A transfer is also FREE and can be initiated by either you or the new adopter.
    • We recommend that the new adopter initiates the transfer of the chip number in this case. 
    • Once they initiate the transfer, be on the lookout for an email and call from Home Again to verify the transfer. Please verify ASAP, otherwise it can take up to 30 days for your pet to be safely registered to their new family. 

Pro Tip: Pet parents do NOT have to pay the $19.99 enrollment fee per pet, for their pet(s) to be safely registered with Home Again! They'll be prompted to "Complete the Enrollment" leading them to believe a fee must be paid, but this is not required for the chip to be registered. Enter the pet's information on Home Again, and once you get to this step, STOP! Do NOT click on "Complete Pet Enrollment". 

• • • Next, go to PetMicrochipLookup.org and enter the pet's microchip number and you'll be able to see that it's safely registered with Home Again without paying a fee! While we couldn't display the pets' full chip numbers for their protection, you'll see from the screenshots above and below that these chip numbers match based on the last few digits:

Thank you for helping protect your pet as they go to their new home, and giving them every opportunity to be reunited with their new family if they are ever lost/found!