To transfer a pet's microchip registration to a new owner, work with the registry that holds the record and follow its particular handover process. Sending an invitation, removing a pet from an online account and receiving confirmation of a processed transfer are different events. This guide uses US-oriented PetLink and AKC Reunite examples to help you keep those events separate.
The task here is changing the registered contact record after an agreed handover. It is not a way to establish legal ownership, resolve a disputed claim or operate a microchip scanner. Before starting, agree who will provide the information, who still needs to respond and how you will check the result.
Start with the number and the actual registry
The AAHA Microchip Registry Lookup Tool identifies participating registries to contact, primarily for chips distributed in the United States. It does not display private owner details or register, update or transfer a record. Results put the most recently updated registry first; contact the listed services to find the relevant record. A failed search means a registry could not be checked, rather than proving that the pet has no chip.
Keep the chip number and the registry's name together in your handover notes. Do not substitute the brand on an old collar tag or a reader photograph for that check. Our microchip and GPS comparison covers the separate identification mechanism; neither a map nor the chip number alone completes this administrative task.
PetLink: distinguish the invitation and document routes
PetLink's change-ownership instructions, updated March 31, 2026, describe two routes. The registered account holder can open the pet's profile, choose Transfer ownership and submit the new owner's email address. PetLink then emails that person, who has 14 days to accept. PetLink says the pet is removed from the previous account after confirmation, with an email notification to that account holder.
A person requesting transfer into their own name is instead shown number validation, new-owner information, documentation and payment steps. PetLink lists an adoption agreement, current pet license, current rabies certificate or veterinary bills from the last 12 months as accepted documentation. The name must match the account, and the pet must be identified. It specifically excludes other documents, including AKC/CFA registrations and medical records or patient charts. If documentation is unavailable but the registered owner can help, PetLink points to the account-holder invitation route.
Identify which situation applies before treating a checklist as complete. A previous registrant sending an invitation is not the same task as a new registrant preparing supporting documents.
AKC Reunite: an account change is not the whole transfer
The AKC Reunite Online Records System FAQ separates updating contact details from putting a pet under another person's name. For the latter, it directs the previous owner to send its transfer form to the new owner. It also mentions removing a pet from the online account. That removal instruction does not itself say the new contact's enrollment transfer has been processed.
The Enrollment Transfer Form currently linked by that FAQ carries the internal date TF002 (9/13). It describes different branches depending on whether the previous Primary Contact's name and signature are supplied, and a release-letter process when they are not. It says the new Primary Contact receives confirmation after processing. Importantly, the form states that enrollment does not signify ownership. Its printed prices, programs and terms are subject to change.
Do not turn its printed fees or release-letter timetable into a guaranteed current price or completion deadline. An invitation expiry in the PetLink example is also not a deadline for an AKC Reunite transfer.
Track the handover by what has actually happened
A short shared note can prevent the previous and new registrants from each assuming the other has finished. This is an organizational aid, not an alternative registry form:
| Record | Useful distinction |
|---|---|
| Registry identified | The relevant service is known; the record has not necessarily changed. |
| Request or invitation sent | Record who sent it and who, if anyone, must still respond. |
| Information supplied | Note what was provided through the registry's own route and what remains unresolved. |
| Processing confirmed | Keep the registry's confirmation and check the resulting contact record with that service. |
For example, if one person says an email was sent while the other says nothing arrived, the useful next question is which registry request is pending and how that service wants it followed up. Starting a second, unrelated account is not evidence that the first request completed. Keep private numbers, documents and account details out of public posts while resolving the handover through the actual service.
Finish the record check, then keep it current
Reconcile the final registry response with the handover note. If its status or the contact information is unclear, keep that question open and ask the registry to clarify it. Do not label the transfer complete merely because paperwork was handed over, an online pet entry disappeared or an identification device appears in a photograph.
If the pet is currently missing, continue the separate lost-cat response or lost-dog response while contacting the appropriate registry; an administrative handover is not a search. This source-based guide describes no actual account access, registration transfer or scanning test. Pawlivy's editorial policy explains the use of sources.
