Permanent identification your pet carries for life
A pet microchip is a tiny ID device, no bigger than a grain of rice, implanted just under the skin by a vet or trained implanter. United Pet Club supplies ISO standard microchips in three families, Standard ISO, TapSense, and ThermaSense, and free lifetime registration in our pet registry comes with every one.
What a microchip does, and what the law says
A microchip has no battery and cannot track where your pet is. It is a small glass capsule carrying a unique code, placed between the shoulder blades, and it stays readable for the whole of your pet's life. When a vet surgery, rescue centre, or dog warden scans a lost animal, the scanner reads that code and the registry behind it supplies your contact details.
In Britain, chipping is more than good practice. Microchipping dogs has been a legal requirement in England, Scotland and Wales since 2016, and England made cat microchipping compulsory from June 2024. Every United Pet Club chip meets ISO 11784/11785, the international standard read by scanners at surgeries and shelters worldwide, and is registered with ICAR, the International Committee for Animal Recording. Each order also includes a free QR pet ID tag for the collar, so a finder without a scanner still has a route back to you.
Unsure which chip suits your dog or cat? The microchip comparison guide sets Standard ISO, TapSense, and ThermaSense out side by side.
Three chip families, all on one registry
Standard ISO
The baseline chip. Meets ISO 11784/11785 for permanent identification and reads on any standard scanner, in the UK or abroad.
TapSense
Keeps full ISO compatibility and adds mobile tap access, so pet details can be read with a smartphone as well as a scanner. Sold as TapSense or TapSense Core, each in several sizes.
ThermaSense
Adds built in temperature sensing to identification, handy for health monitoring. Sold as ThermaSense or ThermaSense X, each in several sizes.
What sets a United Pet Club microchip apart
ISO standard
Every chip meets ISO 11784/11785 and is FDX-B certified, so it reads on the scanners vet surgeries, rescue centres, and dog wardens already carry.
ICAR registered
Our chips are registered with ICAR, the International Committee for Animal Recording, the body the veterinary world relies on for microchip standards.
Free lifetime plan
Registration is free, and so is every future change to your contact details, for as long as your pet lives. Nothing to renew, nothing to pay later.
Small size
Needle and chip are sized for a quick, low stress implant, whether the patient is a Chihuahua or a Great Dane.
Environmentally friendly
An optional reusable injector sits apart from the needle itself, which trims the single use plastic in every implant.
Upgraded registry
Owners who want more than the free plan can add extras, such as scan notifications or details of where a tag was last searched.
The registry that gets lost pets home
Every chip we sell arrives already linked to the United Pet Club pet registry, searchable around the clock by vets, rescue centres, and dog wardens, and included in the AAHA universal microchip lookup. Anyone who finds a stray can run a free microchip lookup without an account. Registration stays free for life, contact details can be changed whenever you move or switch numbers, and on some plans you are notified the moment your pet's chip or tag is scanned.
Pet already chipped by another company? You can register the microchip number with us all the same, or read what free registration includes before you begin.
Microchip questions from UK pet owners
Is microchipping compulsory in the UK?
For dogs, yes. Microchipping dogs has been a legal requirement in England, Scotland and Wales since 2016, and puppies must be chipped and registered before they are eight weeks old. England went further and made cat microchipping compulsory from June 2024. United Pet Club registers any ISO chip free for life, so meeting the registration side of the rules costs you nothing.
Can a microchip tell me where my pet is?
No. There is no battery and no GPS inside a chip. It stores an ID number that a scanner reads once your pet has been found and taken to a vet surgery, rescue centre, or dog warden. Live tracking needs a separate GPS collar or tag.
What is an ISO microchip?
One that meets ISO 11784/11785, the international standard that lets any compliant scanner read the chip whichever country or company supplied it. That shared standard is why a British pet chipped at home can still be identified abroad, and vice versa.
Which United Pet Club chip should I pick?
Standard ISO covers plain, permanent identification. TapSense suits owners who want pet details readable with a smartphone tap as well as a scanner. ThermaSense pairs identification with temperature sensing for health monitoring.
Will UK vets and rescue centres recognise a United Pet Club chip?
Yes. The chips are ISO 11784/11785 compliant and ICAR registered, the same standards the whole industry works to, so any surgery, rescue centre, or dog warden scanner built for standard microchips reads ours without trouble.
Sort your pet's identification today
Talk to us about ordering microchips for your household or your practice, or add a chip you already have to the free United Pet Club pet registry.