It depends on which AVID chip your pet has. AVID makes more than one format, and they are not interchangeable when it comes to international travel. Here is what the difference means in practice, what the ISO standard actually requires, and what to do if your pet's existing chip does not qualify.
A microchip is a rice-grain-sized transponder injected under the skin between the shoulder blades. It carries a unique identification number that ties your pet to their health records, vaccination history, and import paperwork. When inspectors scan your pet at the port of export and entry, that number must match every document in the chain. If the chip cannot be read, or the number does not match, your paperwork is functionally invalid regardless of how thorough it is.
The chip requires no battery, no sedation to implant, and no maintenance. Once it is in, it is permanent.
The international standard for pet microchips is ISO 11784/11785. A chip meets this standard when two conditions are both true:
Both conditions must be met. A 15-digit chip running at the wrong frequency is not ISO compliant. A chip at the right frequency but with a shorter ID is not ISO compliant. The easiest way to confirm your specific chip: check the product documentation for "134.2 kHz" and "ISO 11784/11785." If both are listed, it qualifies. If uncertain, the International Committee for Animal Recording (ICAR) maintains a public registry of ISO-compliant devices at icar.org.
AVID produces multiple chip formats, and this is where confusion most often occurs.
AVID Standard (9-digit): Not ISO compatible. These chips operate at 125 kHz with an encrypted 9-digit format. They were widely implanted in the US before ISO standards were established, and a large number of pets in the US still carry them. They will not be reliably read by universal scanners at international border posts.
AVID ISO-format chips: ISO compatible. AVID also produces chips meeting the ISO 11784/11785 standard at 134.2 kHz with a 15-digit ID. The chip brand matters less than the format. If your pet's AVID chip meets both the frequency and digit requirements, it qualifies for international travel the same as any other ISO-compliant chip.
If you are unsure which format your pet has, ask your vet to scan the chip and read the number aloud. A 9-digit or alphanumeric result means a non-ISO chip. A 15-digit number is a strong indicator of ISO compliance, but confirm the 134.2 kHz frequency with the product documentation or manufacturer.
Having a non-ISO chip does not mean starting over. Pets can safely carry two microchips. A second ISO-compliant chip can be implanted alongside the existing one — both will function independently and neither interferes with the other. The AVMA confirms this is routine. Your pet keeps the original chip for domestic identification purposes and uses the ISO chip for international travel.
One critical timing rule applies: the ISO microchip must be implanted before the rabies vaccination. If the chip goes in after the vaccine, that vaccination does not count for travel documentation purposes and the sequence must restart. If your pet has an existing non-ISO chip and needs a new rabies vaccine for travel anyway, get the ISO chip implanted first at the same appointment, then give the vaccine.
Bringing your own scanner to read a non-ISO chip at a border post is sometimes listed as an option. In practice it is not reliable. Border officials use their own equipment. A correctly implanted ISO chip is simpler and more dependable than trying to manage non-standard hardware at customs.
Hong Kong historically required all dogs to be registered with an AVID 9-digit chip, meaning dogs arriving with ISO chips were re-chipped upon arrival. This is no longer the case.
Effective August 1, 2025, the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) began accepting ISO-standard microchips for dog registration in Hong Kong. Key points under the new rules:
If you are moving a dog to Hong Kong and your pet has an AVID 9-digit chip, the practical path depends on timing. Contact your transport coordinator to confirm current AFCD acceptance of your specific chip format before travel.
ISO 14223 is a separate standard addressing encrypted microchips, developed partly in response to chip cloning concerns associated with standard 15-digit chips. It is not a replacement for ISO 11784/11785 for travel purposes. Most countries' import requirements reference ISO 11784/11785 as the applicable standard. ISO 14223 chips may require additional scanner capability to read. If your pet has an ISO 14223 chip, verify that your destination country's border posts can read it before travel.
Microchip compliance is one of the first things we verify when planning a move, because a chip implanted in the wrong order or in the wrong format can invalidate weeks of preparation. If you want to confirm your pet's chip status before starting the paperwork process, talk to our team.