Moving With a Microchipped Pet in Japan: Registration and Owner Updates Explained

2026年9月22日

Moving With a Microchipped Pet in Japan: Which Registration Must You Update?

A microchip does not update itself when you move or take ownership of a pet. In Japan, you must update the owner information linked to the chip. A domestic move, a change of owner, and an international move are three different procedures.

For a simple address or phone-number change, submit a free update to Japan’s national dog-and-cat microchip database within 30 days. If ownership changes, the new owner needs the pet’s registration certificate and must complete a paid ownership change. International travel requires separate Animal Quarantine Service procedures.

This guide is for foreign residents who buy, adopt, receive, move with, or leave Japan with a dog or cat.

The essentials

A microchip stores an identification number, not your address or live location.
Moving house requires a database update within 30 days.
A new owner needs the existing registration certificate from the previous owner.
Online ownership registration or transfer costs ¥400; ordinary contact-detail updates are free.
Moving abroad or entering Japan requires animal-quarantine procedures in addition to the domestic database update.

TOC

First, identify which procedure you need

The correct procedure depends on what changed: contact details, ownership, or country. These are not interchangeable.

You moved within Japan: update the registered address and the animal’s location.
Your name or phone number changed: update the relevant owner details.
You received or bought the pet: complete an ownership change, called henkō tōroku (変更登録, change registration).
You had a veterinarian implant a new chip: complete an initial registration, called tōroku (登録, registration).
You are bringing the pet into Japan: follow Animal Quarantine Service import rules, then complete any required domestic procedures.
You are leaving Japan: meet the destination country’s entry conditions and obtain Japan’s export inspection.

ここがポイント: Updating Japan’s microchip database does not replace municipal dog registration, rabies procedures, an import inspection, or an export inspection. Check each system that applies to your pet.

What a pet microchip does—and does not do

The chip connects an animal to a database record only when someone scans it. It is not a GPS tracker and cannot show a pet’s location in real time.

A standard chip contains a 15-digit identification number. A veterinarian, animal welfare center, or other authorized organization can scan that number with a reader and use the relevant database to identify the registered owner.

This helps when a dog or cat is separated from its owner after an escape, accident, theft, earthquake, or flood. Its practical value, however, depends on two things:

The chip can be read correctly.
The database contains current contact details.

An old telephone number or overseas address can prevent officials from reaching you even when the chip works perfectly.

National rules and voluntary implantation

Since June 1, 2022, breeders and pet shops in Japan have generally been required to microchip dogs and cats they sell and register the animals before transfer. The buyer must then change the registered ownership information.

For a dog or cat acquired through a private person or animal welfare group, implantation is generally encouraged rather than automatically compulsory for the new private owner. Once a private owner has a veterinarian implant a chip, registration becomes mandatory.

The official national system is called Inu to Neko no Microchip Jōhō Tōroku (犬と猫のマイクロチップ情報登録, Dog and Cat Microchip Information Registration).

How to update the record after moving within Japan

Update the national record within 30 days when your address, telephone number, name, or the pet’s location changes. This type of notification is free.

What to prepare

Find the electronic or printed tōroku shōmeisho (登録証明書, registration certificate). It contains the information needed to access the pet’s record, including the chip number and a security code.

Prepare:

the registration certificate;
your new postal address;
the address where the animal will actually be kept, if different;
a current telephone number and email address; and
the date of the change, if requested.

Submit the update through the official Dog and Cat Microchip Information Registration website. Paper procedures are also available, but owners who cannot use the online service should contact the registration call center for instructions.

A move may trigger a second municipal procedure for dogs

Dogs have another layer of administration under Japan’s Rabies Prevention Act. Depending on the municipality, you may need to report the dog’s move separately at the city, ward, town, or village office.

Some municipalities participate in a special system that shares certain national microchip-registration information with the local government. In a participating municipality, the chip may also be treated as the dog’s municipal identification tag. Participation is not uniform nationwide.

Before or soon after moving, ask both the old and new municipality:

whether it participates in the microchip special system;
whether a separate tennyū or address-change procedure is required;
whether you must bring the dog’s municipal registration tag or records; and
how the local rabies-vaccination record will be handled.

Do not assume that updating the national website completes every local dog procedure.

How to transfer a microchip record to a new owner

The new owner cannot complete a normal ownership transfer without the previous registration certificate. Treat this document as part of the handover, just like vaccination and medical records.

If you are receiving the pet

Ask the seller, breeder, rescue organization, or previous owner for:

the official registration certificate;
the 15-digit microchip number;
the security code shown on the certificate;
the pet’s vaccination and veterinary records; and
for an imported animal, its import quarantine certificate.

The registration certificate may be a printed document or a PDF sent electronically. Check that the chip number on it matches the animal. A veterinary clinic can scan the chip if you need confirmation.

Then use the official registration website to submit henkō tōroku. As of August 2026, the Ministry of the Environment lists these fees:

Online ownership change: ¥400 per application
Paper ownership change: ¥1,400 per application
Online certificate reissue: ¥300
Paper certificate reissue: ¥1,300
Address, name, phone-number, death, or similar record notification: free

Online payment is available by credit card or supported barcode payment. Payment methods and fees can change, so confirm them on the official site before applying.

After approval, download the new registration certificate and keep it in more than one safe place. The old certificate becomes invalid after the ownership change is completed.

If you are giving the pet to someone else

Give the animal and its registration certificate to the new owner together. The Ministry of the Environment says an electronic PDF is acceptable; a paper original is not the only option.

Before the handover:

confirm that the certificate is readable;
check that its chip number matches the pet;
explain that the recipient must complete the ownership change;
transfer relevant veterinary and vaccination records; and
keep an appropriate record of the handover.

Do not simply edit your own contact details to the recipient’s details. An ownership transfer creates a new certificate for the new owner.

What to do if a document or chip number is missing

Resolve missing information before a move or ownership transfer becomes urgent. The remedy depends on which document is unavailable.

You lost the registration certificate

Use the official reissue procedure. A fee applies: ¥300 online or ¥1,300 on paper under the fees published in August 2026.

If the certificate belongs to the previous owner, ask that person or organization to arrange the necessary handover. The registration service does not publicly reveal private owner details to someone who merely knows a chip number.

You lost the implantation certificate

The microchip sōchaku shōmeisho (マイクロチップ装着証明書, microchip implantation certificate) is different from the database registration certificate.

Ask the veterinarian who implanted the chip to reissue the document. If you do not know which veterinarian performed the procedure, the Ministry’s guidance says another veterinarian can scan the animal and issue a written record or medical certificate showing the number.

You do not know whether the animal is chipped

Ask a veterinary clinic to scan the pet. Scanning is also sensible before international travel because one mistyped digit can cause a mismatch between the animal, laboratory results, vaccination records, and government certificates.

Moving to Japan with a microchipped dog or cat

A domestic database entry is not permission to bring an animal into Japan. Import quarantine is a separate border-control procedure managed by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries’ Animal Quarantine Service, or AQS.

The exact route depends on whether the animal comes from a region Japan designates as rabies-free. Travelers from other regions generally face a longer sequence that includes:

an ISO 11784/11785-compatible microchip;
at least two qualifying rabies vaccinations given after implantation;
a rabies-antibody test at a designated laboratory;
a waiting period of at least 180 days from blood sampling;
advance notification to the arrival port at least 40 days before arrival;
a pre-departure clinical inspection;
certification by the exporting country’s government authority; and
an import inspection after arrival in Japan.

The vaccination and antibody-test timeline has detailed conditions. For example, the antibody level must be at least 0.5 IU/ml, and the test result is valid for two years from blood sampling. Use the current AQS guide for the pet’s country of departure rather than relying on a general checklist.

If the chip cannot be read or the number does not match the official certificates, the pet may face detention quarantine for up to 180 days or be returned. The importer pays the associated care, feeding, and other costs.

Non-ISO and certain “900” chip numbers need attention

Japan’s import guidance prefers chips compliant with ISO 11784 and 11785. If a pet has a non-ISO chip, contact the AQS office at the planned port before travel. You may need to provide a compatible reader.

AQS also publishes current warnings concerning some chip numbers beginning with “900,” including a temporary warning for numbers starting with “900 202.” Because these notices may change, send the chip number and draft documents to the responsible AQS office early.

After arrival

Keep the import quarantine certificate. AQS states that it cannot be reissued, and it may be needed if the animal later leaves Japan.

For an imported dog, take the certificate to the municipality where the dog is kept and complete municipal dog registration within 30 days of import. Ask the municipality how its procedures interact with the national microchip database.

Imported dogs and cats may also need a domestic microchip database record. The correct route can depend on when and where the chip was implanted and whether it already appears in a Japanese private registry. Confirm the applicable procedure with the national registration service rather than assuming the border record is automatically copied into the domestic owner database.

Leaving Japan or planning to return

Start with the destination country’s rules, then arrange Japan’s export inspection. Updating the owner database alone does not produce a travel certificate.

The destination may require a particular chip standard, vaccinations, laboratory tests, health certificates, import permits, or treatment within a fixed time window. Confirm those conditions with the destination’s official animal-quarantine authority or its embassy in Japan.

Japan’s AQS instructs travelers to apply for export inspection through NACCS at least 14 days before the desired inspection date. The inspection is normally conducted within 10 days before departure unless the destination requires a different schedule. Bring the animal and the original supporting certificates to the appointment.

If the pet may return to Japan, discuss re-entry preparation with AQS before departure. Proper vaccination and antibody-test planning can make the difference between release within 12 hours and quarantine lasting up to 180 days.

Also ask a veterinarian to confirm that the chip is readable before the export inspection.

Common mistakes that cause delays

Most problems come from treating the chip, its certificate, and the databases as one system. They are connected, but they serve different purposes.

Avoid these mistakes:

Assuming a chip tracks location: it only returns an identification number when scanned.
Updating only your residence card or municipal address: this does not automatically guarantee that the microchip record is current.
Confusing ownership transfer with an address update: a new owner must complete henkō tōroku.
Accepting a pet without its registration certificate: the new owner needs it to complete the standard transfer.
Confusing the national database with AIPO or another private registry: the Ministry says these are separate systems.
Forgetting the municipal dog record: local dog and rabies procedures may still apply.
Assuming domestic registration replaces quarantine: international entry and departure require AQS procedures.
Allowing documents to show different chip numbers: ask a veterinarian to scan the animal before vaccinations, blood sampling, and travel certification.

A practical checklist for each situation

Use the checklist that matches the event rather than updating every system blindly.

Moving house in Japan

Find the registration certificate.
Update the national microchip record within 30 days.
Check whether the new municipality requires a separate dog procedure.
Update the veterinary clinic, insurer, pet hotel, and emergency contact records where applicable.
Check the pet rules in the new lease or building agreement.

Receiving a dog or cat

Obtain the official registration certificate before completing the handover.
Have the chip scanned if the number is uncertain.
Complete the paid ownership change.
Download and securely store the new certificate.
For a dog, confirm municipal registration and rabies requirements.

Entering or leaving Japan

Contact the responsible animal-quarantine authority early.
Check the chip standard and have the number scanned.
Make every vaccination, test, and certificate use the same number.
Keep original certificates and secure digital copies.
Update the domestic owner record separately when your address or ownership details change.

Where to ask for help

Use the office responsible for the specific problem. One counter cannot answer every pet-registration question.

National microchip database, certificates, and owner updates: Dog and Cat Microchip Information Registration service. The Ministry lists its call center as 03-6384-5320, open Monday through Saturday, 9:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m., excluding public holidays and January 1–3.
Municipal dog registration and rabies notices: the city, ward, town, or village where the dog is kept.
Import, export, or re-entry: the Animal Quarantine Service office responsible for the airport or seaport.
Scanning, implantation records, and the animal’s health: a veterinarian.
Destination-country requirements: that country’s animal-quarantine authority or embassy.

The most useful habit is simple: keep the registration certificate, the 15-digit number, vaccination records, and quarantine documents together. Then check the chip record whenever the owner, address, phone number, or country changes. A readable chip with outdated contact details cannot reliably bring a lost pet home.

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