Microchips - Is There A National Register?

[HarperLee]

The Australasian Animal Registry is the only national one in Australia. Much depends on the person who is doing the sanning and checking though but this si the best there is.

There are four national microchip registries;

The National Pet Register

Australian Animal Registry

Central Animal Records

Pet Safe

Then there is the NSW Companion Animal Registry (for NSW residents). I would encourage NSW pet owners to also list their pets microchip registry also.

Aslong as your animals details are current and upto date on one of the four national registries, you will be ok.

If an animal is impounded and microchipped, the council/pound/shelter can check www.petaddress.com.au which will let them know which one of the four national registries that microchipped is listed on.

And the challenge is - I found out myself when I shifted interstate - that none of the registries talk to each other! However, any decent vet will know the check them all and also check Pet Address http://www.petaddress.com.au/Default.aspx which tells you which one your pet might be registered on.

I had thought that all animals with a microchip were registered. Not the case - and having them on the NSW Companion Animal Registry isn't really one of these databases. I found this out with my gorgeous Kisho. He had a microchip but wasn't on any registry! Panic for me - he could've gone missing and never returned to me!! He could've left me to return to Mama Moocher (aka Danny's Darling). Of course he didn't and all is good now as he's on a couple of databases (just to be safe!).

I suggested to my vets that there needs to be an education campaign with pet owners that a microchipped animal (which is law in most / all places?) doesn't always mean the animal is on a register. Someone has to physically submit the details on a register. Most reliable vets do this when they inject the microchip, some charge an extra fee, some just let it be and hope the fairies do it (I suppose!),

With Puppy - she's registered in Australia, NSW (from being in Sydney AQIS quarantine) and also internationally!! via Singapore (where she got her microchip!). So, if she hops on a plane she's pretty safe!

[GlobalMicro]

I have just joined this forum primarily to correct so many wrong points about microchipping. In Australia it is compulsory to microchip your domestic dogs and cats in QLD, NSW, ACT, VIC, TAS and WA.

With the exception of NSW all states require that you register your animal with your local council and a national microchip registry, of which there are six;

Global Micro Animal Registry

Central Animal Records

National Pet Register

Australasian Animal Registry

Home SafeID

Petsafe

All of these registries are linked to Pet Address www.petaddress.com.au. Pet Address is a portal open to everyone where a microchip number can be entered and Pet Address will tell you which national register that microchip is registered with.

You do not need to register with all national registries, and in fact it is strongly recommended that you don’t. Currently many pet owners fail to update their contact details with one registry, so the failure rate to update their contact details with multiple registries would be a disaster.

NSW has different requirements to the other states. NSW legislation requires that you register your companion animal with your local council. This information is then stored on a state registry, the NSW Companion Animal Register. The NSW authorities are very strict in granting access to their database and are not linked to Pet Address, though they are under pressure to do so and are giving it serious consideration.

While almost all vets and animal pounds have access to the national registries, it is mainly NSW vets and animal pounds that have access to the NSW Companion Animal Register. This creates a problem if a NSW animal is lost in the ACT or any adjoining state, and why there is pressure on NSW to join Pet Address.

If you have any questions not covered by the above, please feel free to email [email protected] and we will be happy to give you unbiased and knowledgeable advice.

[Simply Grand]

This is a very old thread! But FYI DAS and RSPCA ACT do have access to the NSW Companion Animal Register.