The NSW Pet Registry is now online

Veterinarians and authorised identifiers can access the NSW Pet Registry using their existing Companion Animals Register user name and password.

Vet

Veterinarians will be able to:

  • Access the Registry easily and quickly to add their clients’ newly-microchipped cats and dogs.
  • Update the Registry to show that a cat or dog is desexed or if desexing is not recommended.
  • Update a cat or dog’s status (home/missing/deceased) on behalf of an owner.

Authorised Identifiers will be able to:

  • Access the Pet Registry easily and quickly to add their clients’ newly-microchipped cats and dogs.

Pet Registry user guides with FAQ and other forms can still be downloaded from the Forms page of this website.

Guidance documents are available to download on the right of this page.

 

The law

The Companion Animals Act 1998 and the Companion Animals Regulation 2018 provide for the identification and registration of cats and dogs, how they are managed and the duties and responsibilities of their owners.

The Companion Animals Regulation 2018 also specifies who is authorised to implant a microchip and the manner in which the microchip is to be implanted in a cat or dog in NSW.

The Companion Animals Act 1998 also provides for the confidentiality of information contained on the NSW Companion Animals Register and who is authorised to access that information.

The Chief Executive, Office of Local Government has issued Guidelines for Authorised Identifiers and the Guideline for Approved Persons to access the NSW Companion Animals Register.

 

Becoming an Authorised Identifier

If you are a vet, email pets@olg.nsw.gov.au, and request the Guideline for Authorised Identifiers and one page application form be forwarded to you. Complete the application form advising your full name, your vet practice contact details, your personal contact details and your Veterinary Practitioners Board of NSW number and return to pets@olg.nsw.gov.au.

Your application will be processed and submitted for approval by the Chief Executive of the Office of Local Government. Once approved, you will be given access to the NSW Companion Animals Register for the purpose of entering onto the Register the identification information of animals you have microchipped.

If you are not a vet, you must have successfully completed a training course run by the NSW Technical and Further Education Commission (TAFE NSW), Royal Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA NSW), Animal Welfare League (AWL NSW) or other training provider authorised by the Chief Executive, Office of Local Government, enabling you to lawfully implant microchips in cats and dogs in NSW.

On successful completion of the course, your training provider will notify the Office of Local Government, which will give you access to the NSW Companion Animals Register for the purpose of entering onto the Register the identification information of animals you have microchipped.

 

Becoming an Approved Person (usually a vet, vet clinic employees or approved animal welfare organisations)

Approved Persons are persons who are authorised to access information contained on the NSW Companion Animals Register for the purpose of reuniting injured and/or lost cats and dogs with their owners.

Approved Persons are operators or employees of Approved Premises. Approved Premises include veterinary clinics, approved animal welfare organisations and include national private microchip registers. Approved animal welfare organisations are RSPCA NSW, Animal Welfare League NSW and the Cat Protection Society of NSW.

To become an Approved Person, you will need to complete and return the application form in the Guideline for Approved Persons to Access the NSW Companion Animals Register.

Once your application is approved by the Chief Executive of the Office of Local Government, you will be given access to the NSW Companion Animals Register to carry out microchip number searches to obtain the contact details of owners of injured and/or lost cats and dogs.

 

Key resources