FAQ Individual

If a cat is exported, the vet encodes this information in the database within eight days and certifies the accuracy of the data using his or her electronic ID card.

A private individual can also access and modify their own information via the online application. To do this, they must identify themselves using their electronic ID card on the website https://online.catid.be

If you wish to obtain a duplicate European passport for a cat that is already registered, please visit your approved vet.

A European passport cannot be obtained from CatID.

If your cat is not yet registered in the database, it must be registered before a new passport can be obtained. The vet makes a note of this in the CatID database and confirms the comment using his or her ID card.

If you have any questions concerning the obligation to sterilise your cat, we recommend you contact the animal welfare department in your region.

Cats must have a European passport. This passport is harmonised for all EU countries. It is issued at the time of the animal's identification or when the animal is vaccinated against rabies.

Owners who want to take their cat on a trip must have their animal identified. Please visit your vet.

We also advise you to read the following information carefully:

https://diplomatie.belgium.be

An approved shelter can host unidentified cats.

The manager of the approved shelter identifies the animal and registers it in his or her own name after the time delay specified in Article 9 Paragraph 2 Subparagraph 1 of the law dated 14 August 1986 concerning animal protection and welfare.

An unidentified cat is returned to its keeper only after being identified and registered in the keeper's name and at his or her expense. A cat that is identified but not registered is returned to its keeper only after being registered in the CatID database in the keeper's name and at his or her expense.

No, the obligation to register a cat in Belgium does not apply to cats accompanying their keeper to Belgium for a stay of less than six months.

Cats registered in databases prior to the entry into force of the Regional Order of Application concerning the registration of cats in the unique CatID database as on 1st November 2017 are compliant with the registration regulations.
Any modification to this type of record requires the cat to be registered with CatID by a vet. This will allow the data concerning the pet and its keeper to be updated, both at the time of CatID registration and subsequently.

If your cat is lost, stolen, dead, or exported, your approved vet encodes this information in the database and certifies the accuracy of the data using his or her electronic ID card, provided that your cat is registered with CatID.

A private individual can also access and modify their own information via the online application. To do this, they must identify themselves using their electronic ID card on the website https://online.catid.be

If a cat has an unreadable microchip, a new, readable microchip must be implanted by an approved vet. If your cat is not yet registered with CatID, your vet must register your cat in the CatID database.

If your cat is already registered with CatID, the vet must encode the modification and certify the accuracy of the data using his or her electronic ID card.

If you have a passport showing the number of the unreadable chip, this passport becomes void. If you are travelling with your cat, the vet must make a new passport containing the new chip number, and must note this in the database.

Only a certified veterinarian can identify the animal in Belgium. The vet checks that the new microchip is readable, implants it, and then checks its position. The microchip is implanted under the skin at the centre of the left side of the neck. A microchip cannot be removed, modified, falsified, or re-used.

A microchip is not implanted in a cat that already has a readable microchip.

If the keeper moves abroad with a cat, the vet adds a note to the CatID database within eight days stating that the cat is no longer in Belgium, and then confirms this modification using his or her electronic ID card.

A private individual can also access and modify their own information via the online application. To do this, they must identify themselves using their electronic ID card on the website https://online.catid.be

If the cat is registered in a different database, please contact the company concerned.

If a keeper moves, the vet encodes the new address in the database within eight days and certifies the accuracy of the data using his or her electronic ID card. If the cat is not yet registered with CatID, this must be done before any changes can be input.

A private individual can also access and modify their own information via the online application. To do this, they must identify themselves using their electronic ID card on the website https://online.catid.be

A change of address or contact details cannot be notified by e-mail, post, or telephone by the keeper, the vet, a shelter, or the breeder. Any change must be notified electronically on our CatID platform by your vet or you.

IMPORTANT NOTE: A change of keeper cannot be notified by e-mail, post, or telephone by the keeper, the vet, a shelter, or the breeder. The change must be notified electronically on our CatID platform by an approved vet, who confirms the data using his or her electronic ID card.

IMPORTANT NOTE: A person acquires a cat, whether free of charge or for payment, only if the cat is identified and registered.

It is not possible to modify the files of cats registered in a database other than CatID. Before you can make changes, you must register the cat with CatID. Please refer to the following FAQ question: How are cats identified and registered in Belgium?

In case of a change of keeper, the new keeper's data is encoded in the database within eight days if the cat is already registered in the CatID database by the vet, who confirms the data with his or her electronic ID card.You as a private individual can also access the online application and, along with the cat's new keeper, register the change of keeper. To do this, both parties must confirm the transaction using their electronic ID card.

CatID's contact details are on our website www.catid.be. Please read the FAQ section, where you will find the answers to many of your questions. You can also call our help desk on +32 (0)2 333 49 94. from Monday to Sunday, 8 AM to 8 PM.

The list of cat breeds recognised in Belgium can be downloaded from our CatID website. Only recognised breeds can be registered in the CatID electronic database.

IDENTIFICATION PROCEDURE

Before identifying the animal, the vet checks that a readable microchip has not already been implanted.

• 1: The vet checks that the new microchip is readable, implants it, and then checks its position.
• 2: The microchip is implanted under the skin at the centre of the left side of the neck.
• 3: The microchip cannot be removed, modified, falsified, or re-used.
• 4: A microchip is not implanted in a cat that already has a readable microchip.

If the cat comes from a foreign country, the vet checks the microchip implantation and verifies that the number matches the chip number written in the passport.

REGISTRATION PROCEDURE

After identifying the cat, the vet takes the following steps:

• 1: Encodes the information concerning the cat and its keeper in the CatID database within eight days;
• 2: Uses his/her electronic ID card to certify the accuracy of the data;
• 3: Gives the registration certificate to the keeper.

If you need another copy of the registration certificate, please ask your veterinarian. The vet can print out the registration certificate again.

You can also use the online application to find your cat's registration certificate. You can then download it and print it if you wish.

The cat registration certificate is sent to the veterinarian in digital form. After identifying and registering the cat, the veterinarian must give you, the cat's keeper, the registration certificate (in digital form or printed out, as appropriate). This proof should be kept indefinitely.

CatID does not send proof of registration to the keeper by post or e-mail.

If you need another copy of the registration certificate, please ask your veterinarian.

15 December 2016 - Order by the Walloon Government concerning the sterilisation of domestic cats (M.B. 02.01.2017)

Royal decree dated 03 August 2012 published on 28 August 2012 - Royal decree concerning the multi-annual plan for the sterilisation of domestic cats

We refer to the law dated 14 August 1986 concerning animal protection and welfare.

We refer to the laws in force:

• 5 February 2016 - Besluit van de Vlaamse Regering betreffende de identificatie en registratie van katten
• 28 April 2016 - Order by the Walloon Government concerning the identification and registration of cats (M.B. 12.05.2016)
• 07 July 2016 - Order by the Government of the Brussels-Capital Region concerning the identification and registration of cats

The following people have access to the database:

• 1: Keepers have access to all data concerning their own cats;
• 2: The competent authorities in application of the law dated 14 August 1986 concerning animal protection and welfare, and the law dated 24 March 1987 concerning animal health;
• 3: Veterinarians, shelters, and any person who has the animal's microchip number, for the data required to locate the keeper of a stray, lost, or abandoned cat.
• 4: Veterinarians can access all data concerning cats and for which the keeper requests modifications.

The obligation to register cats in Belgium does not apply in the following cases:

• 1: Cats brought to Belgium by their keeper for a visit lasting less than six months;
• 2: Cats bred for the purpose of animal testing.

The database is kept up to date, collecting data concerning identified cats and their keepers.

The purpose of this database is to provide:

Identified cats arriving from abroad are registered at an approved Belgian veterinarian's office within eight days of their arrival.

The database contains:

• 1: Data concerning the cat:
  • a) Identification number (microchip or electronic chip);
  • b) Date of birth;
  • c) Identification date;
  • d) Gender;
  • e) Date of sterilisation;
  • f) Breed;
  • g) Colour and type of fur;
  • h) Name;
  • i) Status: lost, stolen, deceased, exported;

• 2: Data concerning the keeper:
  • a) Last name and first name;
  • b) Identification number in the national register;
  • c) Full address;
  • d) Telephone number;
  • e) E-mail address;
  • f) Certification number, where applicable;

• 3: Data concerning the veterinarian:
  • a) Identification Number of the Order;
  • b) Last name and first name;
  • c) Address;

Data concerning the cat is stored for a maximum of 30 years, including data concerning the former keeper in the event of a change of keeper.