Do cats have to be microchipped? UK cat microchipping law (2026)

• Your cat must be microchipped by the time they're 20 weeks old.
• The microchip must be registered on a government-approved database.
• You must keep your details up to date, for example when you move house or change your phone number. The law only counts a cat as microchipped if your name, address and phone number are on the database (regulations 3 and 6), and GOV.UK says you must make sure they're updated.
• It includes cats that usually stay indoors.
• It covers every pet cat older than 20 weeks, so an older cat that was never chipped needs doing now, not just new kittens.

GOV.UK puts the number of pet cats in England at more than 9 million, which is why the law came in: a chip makes it far easier for a lost or stray cat to get home.

If you're found not to have microchipped your cat, usually by your council, you'll be given 21 days to do it. If you still don't, you can be fined up to £500.

So far it's rarely enforced. When Battersea asked every council in England in 2026, only three had issued any 21-day notices in 2025, 15 in all, mostly for cats found in council housing, and 99% said they don't run a stray cat service. Where councils do meet cats is on the roads: 150 councils collected 2,457 cats killed in road accidents in 2025, and a chip is how they can tell the owner.

The people who can check are officers your council or the government authorises, and the police, including community support officers. They can take a cat to check whether it's microchipped, even without the owner's consent, and give its keeper a notice to have it chipped within 21 days (regulations 12 to 14 of the 2023 regulations).

• Look at the paperwork from wherever your cat came from: a breeder, rescue or vet should give you the chip number. GOV.UK says to ask for proof a chip has been fitted before you take on a cat.
• Ask a vet, a rescue centre or the council to scan your cat. It takes a few seconds, and most vets do it for free. A phone can't do it: here's why.
• If you have the number but don't know which database it's on, our microchip number checker shows how to find out.
• Once you know, make sure the record is in your name with your current address and phone number. Our guide to updating microchip details covers how, and what each database charges.

Cats without an owner, such as feral and community cats, don't need to be microchipped. A vet can also certify that a cat can't be microchipped for a period, for reasons to do with its health.

Microchipping cats is optional in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Animal charities still recommend it, because it's the most reliable way to identify a lost cat. For the other laws that affect cat owners, see UK cat laws. Across the UK, 78% of cat owners said their cat was microchipped in PDSA's 2025 survey: see our pet statistics.

Usually between £20 and £30 at a vet. Some animal charities offer free or low-cost microchipping, so it's worth asking locally. Our guide to what microchipping costs has more on prices for cats and dogs.

A microchip can only be read with a scanner, so whoever finds your cat has to catch them and take them to a vet or rescue centre first. It also doesn't show anyone at a glance that your cat has a home. That's where a collar and tag can help.

Cats don't have to wear a collar. If yours does, choose a quick-release collar that opens if it gets caught, and fit it so two fingers slide underneath.

A lightweight QR code cat tag on the collar means a neighbour can scan it and reach you straight away, without taking your cat to a vet. Because a quick-release collar can come off, the microchip is still essential.