Is a chip mandatory for a Falabella?

Since July 1, 2009, all hoofed animals, including all Falabellas, in Europe are required to have a microchip, also known as a transponder, inserted. This chip must be inserted within nine months of birth.

A veterinarian or a certified microchip technician inserts the chip into the thickest part of the neck. A microchip form is filled in with all the Falabella's details, including a sketch depicting the coat's external characteristics. This completed microchip form, with its unique chip number, can be used to apply for a passport from a passport-issuing authority, such as various studbooks that issue neutral passports or passports with pedigree.

A Falabella may not be kept, transported, exported, or slaughtered without a passport. The passport must always be with the Falabella, even when it is on another owner's property or at a boarding stable. In that case, the date of arrival at the location must be recorded, and if the passport is transferred to the owner of the land or boarding stable, both parties must sign it.

Since January 1, 2004, passports have also included a page for medical treatments. If this page is missing from a passport issued after 2004, the passport is invalid. Before 2004, this was solved with a separate insert containing the life number and chip number. The life number is provided by the passport issuing authority.

The page for medical treatments indicates whether or not a Falabella may be slaughtered for human consumption, to protect public health. For example, the Falabella studbook has decided that this is not permitted, which is stated on this page as standard practice.

There's a Dutch central database where you can find the information about the issuing and registered agency based on the chip number. If you have any questions about your passport, you can contact this agency.

A Falabella without a microchip is officially prohibited from being transported. In that case, an application must be submitted to the passport issuing authority to have the microchip number registered in the existing passport.