Vets

CatID does not send registration certificates by post.

After the identification and registration of the cat, the licensed veterinarian provides the registration certificate to the keeper.

If the keeper has lost the certificate or wishes to obtain a duplicate, it can be downloaded online after authentication using a method of their choice.

If the keeper is unable to print the document themselves, the licensed veterinarian can retrieve the registration certificate again and provide it to the keeper.

The legally established fee for a complete and validated registration in CatID is €6.05 including VAT.

This amount relates solely to the registration of the cat in the database. Costs related to identification (the implantation of a microchip) or other veterinary services may be charged separately.

To create an account, the veterinarian’s Order number must first be registered in the CatID database.

Click “Register” and authenticate using the method of your choice. Authentication is possible via eID, MyGov, or itsme®.

After successful authentication, enter your Order number and email address.

Once the registration process has been completed, you will be able to log in to your account.

Please speak to an approved veterinarian. He or she will register the cat with CatID. A person acquires a cat, whether free of charge or for payment, only if the cat is identified and registered.

If a keeper is unable to modify their personal details themselves through CatID (for example, because they do not have an eID, itsme, or MyGov), a licensed veterinarian can register the change on their behalf.

The veterinarian logs in to their CatID account and selects the “Modify” option. Using the cat’s microchip number, the veterinarian can consult the keeper’s details and amend them if necessary.

Once the modification has been registered, the data is automatically updated in the database.

Important:

• Changes to personal details, contact information, or address details cannot be reported by email, telephone, or post.
• All changes must be registered through the CatID online platform.

When a cat that was previously registered as “Export” is once again permanently residing in Belgium, its details must be updated in CatID.

To do this, the new keeper must contact a licensed Belgian veterinarian. The veterinarian will verify the cat’s identification, identify the new keeper, and ask them to authenticate using a method of their choice. The veterinarian will then update the cat’s details in the CatID database.

After the update, the cat’s status will be changed automatically so that the cat is once again registered as residing in Belgium.

The registration of a sterilisation can only be carried out by a licensed veterinarian. The veterinarian records the sterilisation in CatID and subsequently confirms the accuracy of the information using an approved authentication method.

Important:

• A sterilisation cannot be registered by the cat’s keeper.
• The registration of a sterilisation can only be carried out by a licensed veterinarian.
• Notifications of sterilisation cannot be submitted by email, telephone, or post. They must be registered directly in the CatID database by the veterinarian.

Yes. If you have a cat's microchip number, you can consult that cat’s data through your CatID account.

Only cats registered in the CatID database can be searched for.

As a veterinarian, you also have access, through the CatID online application, to the keeper’s contact details, even if the keeper has requested that their data not be visible to the public. This information is made available to you so that you can carry out your professional duties related to the care and treatment of animals.

If a cat’s European pet passport is lost, stolen, or damaged, a licensed veterinarian can issue a new passport.

The veterinarian will first verify the cat’s identity using the microchip number. The veterinarian will then determine which information, such as vaccination records and other relevant details, can be transferred to the new passport.

For the issuance of a new European pet passport, a licensed veterinarian should be contacted.

Important: CatID only manages the identification and registration data of cats. Passports are neither issued nor stored by CatID. Only a licensed veterinarian can issue a new European pet passport.

Cats travelling abroad must have a European pet passport. This passport is standardised across the Member States of the European Union and contains, among other things, the cat’s identification details and information on vaccinations, such as rabies vaccination.

For travel abroad, the cat must be identified with a microchip. This identification is mandatory in order to obtain a European pet passport.

The European pet passport may only be issued by a licensed veterinarian after the cat has been identified.

For additional information, it is recommended that you also consult the information below.

Voyager avec des animaux | SPF Affaires étrangères - Commerce extérieur et Coopération au Développement

Mandatory registration does not apply to cats accompanying their keeper during a stay of less than six months in Belgium.

When a cat is lost, stolen, or deceased, this must be recorded in the CatID database as soon as possible by the cat’s keeper or by a licensed veterinarian.

To do so, the cat’s status must be changed to “Lost”, “Stolen”, or “Dead”.

After the declaration has been submitted, the change must be validated using a recognised authentication method. Once validated, the cat’s status is automatically updated in the CatID database.

Important:

Reports of loss, theft, or death cannot be submitted by email, telephone, or post.
These changes must always be registered through the CatID platform or by a licensed veterinarian.

When a lost or stolen cat is found, its status must be updated so that the information recorded in the database remains accurate and up to date.

When a cat carries an unreadable microchip, a new readable microchip must be implanted by a licensed veterinarian.

If the passport mentions the number of the microchip that has become unreadable, the passport is no longer valid. If the keeper travels with the cat, the veterinarian must issue a new passport indicating the number of the new microchip and register this number in the database.

When a cat leaves for another country and will no longer reside in Belgium, this must be registered in CatID. This notification can be made either by the cat’s keeper or by a licensed veterinarian.

To do so, the cat’s status in the database must be changed to “Export”. This change must then be validated through authentication using a method of the user's choice.

It is not possible to register a foreign address in the database. If the cat moves abroad permanently, the keeper must personally complete any required formalities in the destination country, in accordance with the regulations applicable there.

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A change of keeper between private individuals, or from a private individual to a registered breeder, is carried out through the CatID online application.

The current keeper initiates the transfer through the online application and authenticates using a method of their choice. The new keeper then also authenticates using a method of their choice to confirm the transfer.

Once both parties have authenticated themselves and confirmed the transfer, the change is processed immediately.

The new keeper can contact a veterinarian. The veterinarian identifies the new keeper and asks them to authenticate using a method of their choice. The veterinarian then starts the request to change the registered keeper.

A request for the change is subsequently sent to the current keeper.

• If the current keeper approves the request, the change is processed immediately.
• If the current keeper rejects the request, the application is cancelled.
• If the current keeper does not respond within 21 days, the change is carried out automatically.

After a successful change, the new keeper will receive the cat’s registration certificate by email.

The list of cat breeds recognised in Belgium can be downloaded here.

Animals belonging to a recognised breed are registered in the database under the name of that breed.

Animals that do not belong to a recognised breed are registered as “Felis Vulgaris”.

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IDENTIFICATION PROCEDURE

Before identifying the animal, the veterinarian checks whether a readable microchip has already been implanted.

The veterinarian verifies that the microchip is readable, implants the microchip, and then checks that it has been correctly positioned.

The microchip is implanted subcutaneously in the middle of the left side of the neck.

A microchip may not be removed, altered, falsified, or reused. No microchip is implanted in a cat that already carries a readable microchip.

If the cat comes from abroad, the veterinarian also checks for the presence of the microchip and verifies that the microchip number matches the number stated in the animal’s passport

REGISTRATION PROCEDURE

After the cat has been identified:

• The veterinarian registers the details of the cat and the keeper immediately, and no later than eight days afterwards, in the database.
• The veterinarian validates the accuracy of the information by authenticating with an authentication method of their choice (electronic identity card, itsme®, or MyGov).
• The veterinarian provides the registration certificate to the keeper.

Cats identified abroad must be registered by a licensed Belgian veterinarian within eight days of their arrival in Belgium.

During the registration process, the veterinarian verifies the presence of the microchip and ensures that the microchip number matches the number indicated in the animal’s passport. The cat’s details and the keeper’s details are then recorded in the central CatID database.

Since 1 September 2014, any person responsible for a cat who wishes to sell, give away, or have the animal adopted, whether free of charge or for payment, must ensure that the cat is sterilised (sterilisation obligations may vary depending on the Region), identified, and registered, in accordance with the Royal Decree of 3 August 2012.

Consequently, any cat that has been purchased, received, or adopted after 1 September 2014 must be sterilised, identified by means of a microchip, and registered, in accordance with the specific obligations applicable in the Region where the keeper resides.

The keeper must have the cat identified and registered before the age of twelve weeks, and in any case before selling it. Identified cats arriving from abroad are registered at an approved Belgian veterinarian's office within eight days of their arrival.

Cats that come from abroad and have already been identified with a microchip must be registered by a licensed Belgian veterinarian within eight days of their arrival in Belgium.

During the registration process, the veterinarian checks the presence of the microchip and verifies that the microchip number corresponds to the number stated in the animal’s passport. The details of the cat and of the keeper are then registered in the central CatID database.