Guidance

Apply to manufacture or supply microchips for exported birds

You must get approval from Defra to manufacture or supply microchips (injectable transponders) for birds exported to the EU.

• From: Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs and Animal and Plant Health Agency
• Published: 26 February 2025

Applies to England, Scotland and Wales

If you export captive birds to the EU and Northern Ireland they must be fitted with either:

• a marked closed-ring
• an injectable transponder (known as a ‘microchip’) using the ‘826’ prefix

Apply for approval

You must get approval from Defra before you manufacture or supply microchips using the ‘826’ prefix. You’ll need your:

• company name and address
• company number
• named contact, with email address and phone number
• ICAR certification
• number of unique identifiers requested

Email this information to: GBEUCaptiveBirds@defra.gov.uk

What happens next

When you’ve submitted the above information, we’ll get back to you within 7 days.

If we have any further questions or need any further information, we’ll contact you by email or phone.

We’ll email you to let you know if your application has been approved.

The email will include:

• an approval letter
• an ‘identifier range’ – the range of numbers that your codes can use

Published 26 February 2025