Pet Microchips And Registrations
Your cat or dog by law is to be microchipped and registered before 12 weeks of age.
Pet ownership
Under the NSW Companion Animals Act 1998, all cat and dog owners must complete a 2-step process to register their pet.
STEP 1 | Microchip your pet
All cats and dogs should be microchipped when you are given or buy them or by 12 weeks of age.
The person selling or giving away the pet is responsible for getting the pet microchipped. The microchip contains a unique 15-digit number that helps identify the animal if it is lost or stolen. The vet/authorised implanter will microchip the pet and enter the details of your pet in the NSW Pet Registry database.
Pets must be microchipped before they can be registered.
STEP 2 | Lifetime Registration
All cats and dogs in NSW must be registered on the NSW Pet Registry either by 12 weeks of age or immediately upon 1st transfer/sale (whichever happens first).
Until payment is made, your pet is not registered. A late payment fee will also be applied if you do not pay registration within 28 days of when it was due.
You become the official owner of a pet once its profile is transferred to you on the NSW Pet Registry. Sign up to the NSW Pet Registry to pay your pet’s once-only registration fee online and complete the registration process.
You only need to pay the registration fee once when you first take ownership of a pet. It covers the cat or dog for its lifetime for any Council area in NSW, even if ownership changes. You can search the NSW Pet Registry database to check if an animal is already registered. If puppies or kittens are still in a breeder’s care after 12 weeks, the breeder must register them as their own pet and pay the registration fee.
Fees to register a cat or dog vary and additional fees apply if you don’t desex dogs by 6 months of age. You must pay an annual permit fee if you don’t desex cats by 4 months of age (cats born before 22 July 2020 are exempt). Pet registration fees | Office of Local Government (nsw.gov.au)
Remember to update your details if you change address or change any of your contact details.
For more information contact Newcastle City Council or Lake Macquarie Council. Or visit Brunker Road Veterinary Centre in Newcastle.