Microchipping for dogs and cats in Barcelona

Where the microchip is registered and what deadlines apply

The microchip is registered by associating its number with the details of the owner or keeper. According to the AIAC, to find the animal if it is lost, that number must be associated with those details.² Before registering the animal in the municipal census or in the General Register, it must have been identified.¹ A microchip not distributed by the Council can be registered with the AIAC, provided that it complies with the ISO 11784 and 11785 standards.²

The deadlines set by the Catalan rule are these:

• Municipal census or General Register: the owner or keeper of a dog, a cat or a ferret has a period of three months from the animal's birth or thirty days from the date the animal was acquired to report it to the municipal census or the General Register.¹
• Identification details: the person or entity responsible for the identification must report the identification details to the General Register of companion animals within twenty days of the identification.¹

According to the AIAC, the microchip can be implanted before three months from the animal's birth or thirty days from the date of acquisition.²

The vet, for their part, must inform the owner of the obligation to identify their animal if it is of a species for which identification is compulsory and it is not identified, and to register it in the municipal census or in the General Register of companion animals.¹

Identification tag and change of owner

The microchip does not replace the tag. The law establishes that dogs, cats and ferrets must permanently wear, in public spaces or roads, an identification tag or other means attached to the collar with the animal's name and the details of the keeper or owner.²

If the owner of an animal identified with a microchip and registered with the AIAC changes, the change is made with a change-of-owner document available at the veterinary clinic, signed by the previous owner, the current owner and the vet who processes the change.²

When it is an emergency

The sources cited on this page do not describe problems associated with the microchip. The general criteria for an emergency are these:

1. Emergency care usually starts with a phone call to the vet, who can give first-aid and safe transport instructions and helps the clinic prepare for your arrival.³
2. Poisoning, severe pain, serious or uncontrolled bleeding and difficulty breathing are among the examples of emergencies that require immediate veterinary care.³

If your animal shows poisoning, severe pain, serious or uncontrolled bleeding or difficulty breathing, call your clinic or an emergency centre immediately.