Microchip versus a GPS tracker

People shop for a tracker when they are worried about a lost dog or a roaming cat. The legal record is still the microchip. GOV.UK and the English regulations say what that chip must do. A maker of trackers says, in its own help centre, that a tracker does not replace it.

What the law requires in England

GOV.UK says you must make sure your dog or cat is fitted with a microchip and registered on a database, and that you can be fined up to £500 if the animal is not microchipped when it needs to be. It says all dogs in the UK must be microchipped and registered by 8 weeks old. For cats, it says that in England the cat must be microchipped and registered by 20 weeks, including cats that usually stay indoors. In Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, GOV.UK says you can choose to microchip a cat.

The Microchipping of Cats and Dogs (England) Regulations 2023 apply in relation to England. Regulation 3 requires a keeper to ensure a cat older than 20 weeks is microchipped, and a dog older than 8 weeks is microchipped unless it is a certified working dog for the purposes of section 6(3) of the Animal Welfare Act 2006. An imported cat or dog must be microchipped within 30 days of entry into England. Regulation 5 says the microchip must have a unique number including the manufacturer's code, meet ISO 11784:1996 and ISO 11785:1996 apart from Annex A, and respond to a transponder at 134.2 kilohertz using the FDXB protocol in those standards.

Regulation 4 is the health exception: the duty does not apply for as long as a veterinary surgeon certifies, on a form approved by the Secretary of State, that the animal should not be microchipped for health reasons, and the certificate must state the period.

GOV.UK says the chip must be fitted by a trained professional. It lists databases that meet government standards and says Track Your Paws does not meet those standards and has been removed. If your pet is still only on that database, GOV.UK says to register with another database on the list. It also says an email from any other database asking for money to register the pet could be a scam, and that scam emails can be reported to the National Cyber Security Centre.

The chip stores a number that shows up when the animal is scanned. It does not, on any of these official pages, send a map to your phone. Someone has to find the animal and scan it. You have to keep the keeper's details up to date. GOV.UK says you might be charged a fee to update them.

What a tracker adds, and what it cannot replace

Tractive's help page on the difference says a microchip is a tiny ID tag placed under the skin by a vet, and that a Tractive tracker is a device on a collar that shows where the pet is. Its comparison table says a microchip does not show you where the pet is, does not need batteries, and cannot fall off, while the tracker does show a location, needs charging, needs a subscription, and can fall off if the collar comes off. The page says a tracker cannot replace a microchip.

We haven't tested this. Figures are as the maker states them (checked 14 November 2026).

That is one manufacturer's account of its own device. It matches the legal split: the chip is the identification record; the tracker is optional equipment that works only while it is attached, charged, subscribed and inside mobile coverage. How that coverage is described is in how a cellular GPS pet tracker works.

A dog in a public place still needs a collar and a name-and-address tag. GOV.UK says so on the same microchipping page. The detail is in dog collar, tag and a tracker.

Can I skip the microchip if I buy a tracker?

No. GOV.UK still requires the microchip and a database registration. Tractive says its tracker does not replace a microchip, because the collar device can fall off or run out of battery.

Does an indoor cat in England need a chip?

GOV.UK says yes. The England requirement includes cats that usually only stay indoors, by 20 weeks. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are described on that page as a choice for cats, not the same duty.

Who is allowed to fit the chip?

GOV.UK says a trained professional. It suggests asking a vet, the local council, or a local rescue and rehoming centre, and says they might charge a fee.

Sources

• Get your dog or cat microchipped — GOV.UK, accessed 14 November 2026.
• The Microchipping of Cats and Dogs (England) Regulations 2023 — legislation.gov.uk, accessed 14 November 2026.
• What's the difference between a microchip and a tracker? — Tractive Help Centre, accessed 14 November 2026.