Last updated: 16 September 2026
These Terms of Service ("Terms") are a legal agreement between you and Petkey, LLC ("Petkey," "we," "us," or "our") governing your access to and use of Petkey's websites, mobile applications, pet microchip registration, the Petkey Lost Pet Network, Petkey Plus subscription, QR ID tags, the online shop, and related products and services (together, the "Services"). By creating an account, registering a pet, purchasing a product or subscription, or otherwise using the Services, you agree to these Terms. If you do not agree, do not use the Services.
The Services are available only to individuals who are at least 18 years old. By using the Services you represent that you are 18 or older. Accounts may not be traded, sold, or transferred to any other person. We also offer Petkey Pro accounts to professional organizations, including veterinary practices, animal shelters, rescues and breeders. Where an account is held by an organization, the individual who opens and uses it must be 18 or older and authorized to act on that organization's behalf. An organization may be recorded on a registration either as the registrant of record while a pet is in its care, or as an additional contact alongside the registrant of record, as described in Section 5.
You agree to provide accurate, current, and complete information when you create an account and to keep it up to date — this is especially important for pet recovery, which depends on your contact details being current. You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your password and for all activity under your account, and you agree to notify us promptly of any unauthorized use. Petkey may refuse service, terminate accounts, or remove or edit content at its discretion, consistent with these Terms and applicable law.
Petkey is an independent pet microchip registration service operated by Petkey, LLC. Petkey provides microchip pet registration that links your contact information to your pet's microchip, the Petkey Lost Pet Network, QR Smart ID Tags, an online shop, pet behavior resources, and the optional Petkey Plus subscription. Some features are available with a Standard Registration, and enhanced features require an active Petkey Plus subscription, as described below.
Standard Registration links your contact information to your pet's microchip and is provided for the life of the registered pet. Registration stays with the registered pet and cannot be moved to a different pet. A Standard Registration is provided to you as the registrant and lasts for the life of the registered pet while you remain the registrant of record. It is not a permanent attribute of the pet or its microchip: if the pet is later rehomed or adopted, the new owner takes out their own registration or pays any applicable transfer fee, as described below. If your pet is rehomed, or if you die, the registration may be transferred to the new owner or keeper as described under “Transfers of registration” below. The neutrality and record-change provisions in this Section apply to any dispute among family members, an estate, or others. Registration ends on the death of the registered pet, and no refund is due for any remaining period. Registering additional pets requires a separate Standard Registration for each pet, except where an active Petkey Plus subscription includes registration for additional pets (see Section 6).
Registration is intended to assist in the recovery of a lost pet by making your contact information available through the Lost Pet Network and, where applicable, a QR ID tag or microchip lookup. Registration does not guarantee that a lost pet will be found or returned. You are responsible for keeping your contact and pet information current.
When you complete a Standard Registration, your pet's microchip number and your contact information are recorded in the Petkey registry and become active and searchable immediately. The Petkey registry is compliant with American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) standards and is searchable through the AAHA Universal Pet Microchip Lookup Tool, so that veterinarians, shelters, and others who find your pet can locate your contact information. By completing registration, you confirm that you are registering your pet with Petkey, LLC. Because your registration is active and available to you immediately, registration fees are non-refundable as described in Section 10.
Veterinary practices, animal shelters, rescues and other professional organizations can hold a Petkey Pro account. Where we have verified one of these organizations on application, it can look up the contact details recorded against a microchip number directly, so that it can reach you without going through us when your pet is found or presented to it. This access is how a professional who has your pet returns it to you, and it applies whatever privacy setting you have chosen for your pet's public profile.
Verification is not automatic: an organization must apply for it and we grant it at our discretion. We limit and log these lookups and may suspend or withdraw access at any time. Verified Pro account holders are bound by the Petkey Pro Terms, which permit them to use what they find only to identify a pet and contact you about it, and never for marketing. We provide this access in good faith so that pets can be returned to their owners, and we are responsible for granting and withdrawing it; we are not responsible for what a verified organization or its staff then do with the information, and to the fullest extent permitted by law our liability for any such use is excluded. Tell us if you believe an organization has misused your information and we will investigate and may withdraw its access.
Anyone who enters your pet's microchip number or product ID on petkey.org can view your pet's profile. You choose what that profile shows in your account privacy settings, and you can change it at any time. Depending on the setting you choose, the profile shows your pet's details only, or also shows your contact details, either while your pet is marked as missing or at all times. Where your contact details are not shown, a person who has found your pet can still reach you using the contact owner button on the profile, which sends you an email without revealing your details to them.
The Services — including registration and any Subscription benefits — are provided only after you complete the applicable purchase and your payment is received. Until a purchase is completed and paid for, no registration is created and no Services are provided; the existence of an active, searchable registration or Subscription on your account reflects a completed and paid transaction. We keep records of your registration, your acceptance of these Terms, and your consents.
By registering a pet, you represent and warrant that you are the pet's owner or are authorized by the owner to register the pet and to provide the information you submit, and that the information is accurate and complete. Petkey does not independently verify ownership and relies on the information you provide. You are responsible for keeping the registration information current.
A registration can be transferred to a new owner or keeper. The routes below are the only ones we operate, and which one applies depends on the circumstances. A transfer changes who is recorded against the microchip; it does not move a registration to a different pet.
Transfer fee. Except where stated otherwise below, a transfer fee is payable by the person requesting the transfer, at the amount published at petkey.org when the request is made. It is an administration fee: it pays for processing and verifying the request, including contacting the current registrant and reviewing documentation, and it is not conditional on the transfer being completed. It is not refunded where a transfer is declined, objected to, withdrawn, or cannot be completed after we have begun processing it. We will refund it where we charged it in error, where it was paid more than once for the same request, where the request is cancelled before we begin processing it, or where we reverse a completed transfer because of our own error.
Rehoming from one person to another. The transfer fee is payable. We will email the current registrant at the address held on the record and invite them to confirm or object. If they confirm, we complete the transfer. If they do not respond within 14 calendar days of the date we send that notification, we may complete the transfer in reliance on the requester’s representation that they are lawfully entitled to be recorded as the owner. You are responsible under Sections 3 and 5 for keeping your contact details current, and we may complete a transfer under this paragraph even if the notification cannot be delivered. If the current registrant objects within that period, we place a hold on the record and the ownership-dispute provisions below apply. We will email the previous registrant when a transfer has been completed.
Surrender to a shelter, rescue or rehoming organization. No transfer fee is charged. The request may be made by the registrant, or by the organization on production of signed surrender or intake paperwork. We record the organization against the microchip while the pet is in its care, so that it is the point of contact if the pet strays. A registration recorded in this way is temporary, carries no Petkey Plus benefits, and does not use up the Standard (Lifetime) Registration available for the pet. If the pet is returned to the surrendering owner we will restore the previous registration on request, without charge.
Adoption from a shelter, rescue or rehoming organization. Where the organization is recorded against the microchip, the adopter completes a Standard Registration in their own name: the registration fee applies and no transfer fee is charged. Where the pet is still registered to a previous private owner, the transfer fee applies and the adopter must provide the signed adoption contract or equivalent documentation; we do not notify the previous registrant in that case, because the adoption documentation takes the place of that step. We may contact the organization to verify documentation and may decline to act if we cannot. Where an organization’s adoption contract provides for it, the organization may remain recorded on the registration as an additional contact after the adoption; that does not make it the registrant or give it any right in the pet, and you may ask us to remove it at any time.
Death of the registrant. Where an immediate family member of a deceased registrant is taking responsibility for the pet, no transfer fee is charged and we will update the record on request. Immediate family means a spouse or domestic partner, parent, child, sibling, grandparent or grandchild. Any other person must pay the transfer fee and either provide proof of the registrant’s death, such as a death certificate, obituary or funeral notice, or follow the rehoming route above.
A pet found by someone else. Where a person who has found a pet asks to be recorded as its owner, we try to reunite the pet with its registrant first. We contact the registrant using the details on the record and allow 14 calendar days from our first attempt for them to claim the pet. If they do not respond within that period, the finder may then request a transfer under the rehoming route above, and the 14-day notice period in that route runs separately. Taken together this normally gives a registrant around 30 days to come forward before a record changes.
Pets marked Lost. The registry records where a pet currently lives, so that a pet that strays can be returned to the household that has it; it is not a record of legal ownership. A Lost marker does not by itself prevent a transfer. What it does is tell us to try to reunite the pet with its registrant, under the paragraph above, before any transfer is considered.
Pets reported stolen. Where a pet has been reported to us as stolen, we place a hold on the record and will not transfer it while that hold is in place. A report of theft is a dispute about who is entitled to the pet rather than a question about where it is living, and the ownership-dispute provisions below apply to it. We will complete a transfer of a pet reported stolen only with the written agreement of the registrant, or under the court orders and law enforcement paragraph below. We will tell the person who requested the transfer that we are unable to proceed, without disclosing the registrant's details, and nothing in these Terms prevents anyone from reporting a matter to law enforcement. We may share relevant information with law enforcement or an animal welfare authority.
Court orders and law enforcement. This paragraph overrides everything else in this Section. Where we are required to do so by a valid court order, or by law enforcement or another authority acting under lawful authority, we will change, transfer, reverse, restore or withhold a registration record accordingly, regardless of whether the requirements above are met and regardless of any request, objection, hold or agreement between the parties. Such a direction may require us to complete a transfer we would otherwise decline, to decline or reverse one we would otherwise complete, or to restore a record to a previous registrant. We may require documentation we consider satisfactory before acting, will notify the affected parties unless we are prohibited from doing so, and charge no fee for a change made under this paragraph.
Information and evidence. You must give us the microchip number, details of the pet, and your own full and current contact details. We may ask for further evidence, including veterinary records, an adoption contract, proof of purchase or proof of death, and may verify your identity. You represent that the information you give us is accurate and complete and that you are the pet’s owner or are otherwise lawfully entitled to be recorded as the owner. We may refuse or reverse a transfer where information is inaccurate, incomplete or unverifiable, where requested evidence is not provided within a reasonable period, where we have reasonable grounds to believe a request is fraudulent, where the fee has not been paid, or where we are required to by law. We will notify the parties involved if we reverse a completed transfer.
What a transfer does not move. A Petkey Plus subscription is personal to the subscriber and does not transfer with the pet. Following a transfer, the new registrant receives the Core Recovery Functions and the benefits of Standard Registration and may purchase Petkey Plus separately; the previous owner’s subscription continues, and continues to renew, until cancelled under Section 6.7. We do not disclose the registration history of a pet, or the details of a previous or prospective registrant, to another registrant or to a member of the public.
Petkey provides a registration service and is neutral in any dispute over the ownership or possession of a pet. We do not investigate, mediate, adjudicate, or determine ownership, and we are not responsible for resolving disputes between current or former owners, spouses or former spouses, family members, breeders, or any other parties.
The person shown as the registered owner (the "registrant of record") controls the registration record, including the contact information linked to the pet's microchip. Where more than one person claims rights to a pet, Petkey will maintain the record as it stands and will not change the registrant of record on the basis of a competing claim.
We will change or transfer a registration record only: (a) at the request of the current registrant of record, following our standard process (including identity verification and any applicable transfer or administration fee); (b) where the conditions for a transfer set out under “Transfers of registration” in this Section are met - which may include a private rehoming, a surrender to or adoption from an animal shelter, rescue or other rehoming organization, or the death of the registrant of record - and we have received any documentation we consider satisfactory; or (c) where we are required to do so by a valid court order, or by law enforcement or another authority acting under lawful authority. We may require documentation we consider satisfactory before acting, and our decisions regarding registration records are final.
To the fullest extent permitted by law, Petkey is not liable to any person for maintaining, changing, declining to change, or transferring a registration record, or for any dispute, loss, or harm arising from the ownership, possession, or registration of a pet. You agree to indemnify and hold Petkey harmless from any claim brought by a third party relating to the registration of your pet or to a dispute over its ownership or possession.
Petkey Plus is an optional annual subscription that adds enhanced benefits on top of Standard Registration. Subscription benefits currently include enhanced Lost Pet Alerts, registration of up to three (3) pets, storage of veterinary and vaccination details, vacation cover, one free personalized QR ID Tag, 10% off Petkey products, and partner discounts. The free QR ID Tag is included with a new Petkey Plus subscription; it does not apply to the discounted first-year promotional upgrade offered to existing registered customers.
We may add, change, or improve Subscription benefits over time. Some benefits are provided by third parties and depend on those providers' continued availability; a benefit may be changed, suspended, or discontinued — in some cases without advance notice — if a provider ceases to offer it or for other reasons outside our reasonable control. Where a change is within our control and materially reduces the core Subscription, we will give you reasonable notice by email. The availability of any particular benefit is not guaranteed for the full term, and a change to an individual benefit does not by itself entitle you to a refund; you may cancel at any time as described in Section 6.7.
Petkey Plus is offered at Petkey's current annual subscription price. The current price is shown to you before you enroll — at checkout and on the Petkey Plus page — and is stated in each renewal reminder. All prices are exclusive of applicable taxes.
When you enroll in Petkey Plus, you separately acknowledge and authorize that: (a) your payment method will be charged the amount shown to you at checkout for your first year, which may include a one-time registration fee together with your first year of Petkey Plus; and (b) only the Petkey Plus subscription renews automatically each year, at the then-current annual subscription price, as disclosed to you before you are charged, until you cancel. Your Subscription continues, and your payment method will be charged, on each renewal date unless you cancel before that date. If a renewal price will be higher than the price you last paid, we will notify you in advance, as required by law, before that price takes effect. Your consent to automatic renewal is given separately from your agreement to these Terms, and we keep a record of that consent and of each renewal reminder we send to you.
Before each renewal, and no less than 15 and no more than 45 days before the renewal date, we will send you a reminder by email stating the upcoming renewal date, the amount to be charged, and how to cancel.
Any introductory or promotional price — for example, a discounted first-year Subscription offered to existing registered customers — applies only to the period stated at sign-up. Unless you cancel, the Subscription renews at the standard annual price then in force, as disclosed to you before you enroll.
An active Subscription includes Standard Registration for up to three (3) pets. Each pet's Standard Registration is Lifetime and remains active for the life of that pet even if your Subscription later ends, as described in Section 6.8.
You may cancel Petkey Plus at any time in your account. Sign in and select Cancel: it takes a single step, and you do not have to contact us, speak to anyone, or give a reason. Cancelling is at least as easy as enrolling, and because you enrol online you can cancel online. Cancellation stops future renewal charges and takes effect at the end of your current paid term. Fees already charged are non-refundable.
If your Subscription ends for any reason, your registered pets keep their Standard (Lifetime) Registration and you keep the Core Recovery Functions — you can still update your information and mark a pet Lost or Safe. Enhanced Subscription benefits — including enhanced Lost Pet Alerts, stored veterinary and vaccination records, vacation cover, and discounts — will end.
If you purchased a lifetime registration product before the launch of Petkey Plus, you keep the registration and the benefits included in your original purchase; the launch of Petkey Plus does not reduce those benefits. If you are on a prior annual subscription, we intend to transition your subscription to Petkey Plus after launch. If and when that transition takes place, it will be at the same annual price you currently pay, with additional benefits, and we will communicate the change and the renewal terms to you in advance through your renewal notice; you may cancel at any time.
Regardless of whether you have a Subscription, every registered pet keeps its core recovery functions: you can always update your contact and pet information and mark your pet Lost or Safe. These functions are never placed behind a paywall. Enhanced services require an active Petkey Plus subscription (or, for existing customers, the services included in their original purchase).
We accept major credit cards, including Visa, Mastercard, and American Express. By providing a payment method, you authorize us to charge it for your purchases, including recurring Subscription charges as described in Section 6. You are responsible for applicable taxes. Promotional codes may expire or be discontinued with or without notice. You represent that you are authorized to use any payment method you provide, and we maintain records of your transactions and consents, which may be used to verify and evidence your registration and Subscription.
Standard Registration and Petkey Plus Subscription are digital services that are made available to you immediately upon purchase. Because you receive access straight away, and to the fullest extent permitted by law, registration fees are non-refundable once the registration has been submitted and processed. Cancelling your Petkey Plus Subscription stops future renewal charges, and you keep access to Petkey Plus for the remainder of the term you have already paid for. Subscription fees already charged are non-refundable, except (a) as required by applicable law, and (b) where a charge was made in error, duplicated, or taken after you asked us to cancel, in which case we will refund it. Cancelling does not entitle you to a refund of the current paid term. By purchasing, you acknowledge that you are receiving immediate access to a digital service.
Most physical merchandise may be returned within 30 days of receipt for a refund, subject to exceptions. Personalized items, including personalized QR ID tags, are made to your order and are non-refundable. You are responsible for checking that the details you enter - the spelling of names, telephone numbers, and any other text - are correct before you complete your purchase. We produce personalized items exactly as you enter them, and we cannot refund or replace an item because of a spelling mistake, typing error or incorrect number that you gave us. If we have made an error and the item does not match what you entered, Section 10.3 applies and we will replace it or refund it at no cost to you. For change-of-mind returns, return shipping is your responsibility. This 30-day window is Petkey's own return policy.
If a physical product arrives faulty, damaged, or not as described, please contact us at info@petkey.org within 30 days of receipt and we will provide a replacement or a refund at no cost to you, including any return shipping. Nothing in this Section limits any rights you may have under applicable consumer-protection law.
Each QR ID tag features a unique code that links to your pet's secure Petkey profile. You are responsible for keeping that profile accurate and current. Replacement or additional tags may be purchased, and subscribers may be eligible for subscriber pricing on additional tags.
We grant you a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable license to access and use the Services for your personal, non-commercial use. You may not data-mine, scrape, harvest, or copy the Services or their content; reverse engineer or interfere with the Services; use them for any unlawful purpose; or attempt to gain unauthorized access to any account or system. Unauthorized access to password-protected areas is prohibited and may result in legal action.
You retain ownership of Content you submit. By submitting Content, you grant Petkey a perpetual, worldwide, royalty-free, non-exclusive license to use, host, store, reproduce, and display that Content as necessary to operate, provide, and promote the Services. You represent that you have the rights necessary to grant this license and that your Content does not violate any law or third-party right.
Some features are provided with the help of third parties. For example, certain Subscription benefits are provided by partner companies, and some veterinary practices share registration information with us through a practice management system. Your use of a third-party service may be subject to that party's own terms and privacy practices. We are not responsible for third-party websites or services linked from or integrated with the Services.
THE SERVICES ARE PROVIDED "AS IS" AND "AS AVAILABLE" WITHOUT WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, WHETHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, AND NON-INFRINGEMENT. We do not warrant that the Services will be uninterrupted or error-free, and we do not guarantee that a lost or missing pet will be located or returned.
TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, PETKEY WILL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR EXEMPLARY DAMAGES, OR FOR ANY LOSS ARISING FROM YOUR USE OF OR INABILITY TO USE THE SERVICES. TO THE EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, PETKEY'S TOTAL LIABILITY ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THE SERVICES WILL NOT EXCEED THE AMOUNTS YOU PAID TO PETKEY IN THE TWELVE (12) MONTHS BEFORE THE EVENT GIVING RISE TO THE CLAIM.
Some jurisdictions do not allow the exclusion or limitation of certain damages, so some of the above limitations may not apply to you. Nothing in these Terms excludes or limits liability that cannot be excluded or limited under applicable law, including liability for gross negligence, willful misconduct, or personal injury caused by our negligence.
You agree to indemnify and hold harmless Petkey and its officers, employees, and agents from any claims, losses, or expenses (including reasonable legal fees) arising from your breach of these Terms or your misuse of the Services.
By using the Services, you consent to receive communications from us electronically, including by email, and you agree that electronic communications satisfy any legal requirement that a communication be in writing. Transactional and account communications, including renewal reminders, are part of the Services.
If you opt in to receive text messages (SMS) from us, you consent to receive them at the mobile number you provide. Message and data rates may apply, message frequency varies, and consent to receive texts is not a condition of purchase. You can opt out at any time by replying STOP, and reply HELP for help.
All content and materials on the Services, including the Petkey name and logo, are owned by or licensed to Petkey and are protected by intellectual property laws. You may not copy, modify, distribute, or use them for commercial purposes without our prior written permission.
If you believe content on the Services infringes your intellectual property rights, please send a notice with the information required under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act to our designated agent at info@petkey.org.
We may modify these Terms from time to time. We will post material changes at least thirty (30) days before they take effect and, where a change materially affects your existing paid Subscription or where the law requires, we will notify you directly and, where required, obtain your consent. Changes apply prospectively only and do not affect any dispute that arose before the change took effect, nor do they change the arbitration agreement or class-action waiver as they apply to a claim that has already arisen. If you do not agree to a change, you may stop using the Services and cancel any Subscription; to the extent permitted by law, your continued use after a change takes effect constitutes acceptance of the updated Terms.
Before starting an arbitration, you agree to contact us at info@petkey.org and give us at least 30 days to try to resolve the dispute informally.
Except as set out below, any dispute or claim arising out of or relating to these Terms or the Services will be resolved by binding, individual arbitration administered by the American Arbitration Association (AAA) under its Consumer Arbitration Rules, rather than in court. This Section is governed by the Federal Arbitration Act.
Either you or Petkey may bring an individual claim in small-claims court, and either party may seek injunctive relief in court for intellectual-property or unauthorized-access matters.
You and Petkey agree that each may bring claims against the other only in an individual capacity, and not as a plaintiff or class member in any class, collective, consolidated, or representative proceeding. The arbitrator may not consolidate more than one person's claims or preside over any class or representative proceeding.
You may opt out of this arbitration agreement by emailing info@petkey.org within 30 days of first accepting these Terms, stating your name and that you opt out of arbitration. Opting out will not affect any other part of these Terms.
If for any reason a claim proceeds in court rather than in arbitration, you and Petkey each waive any right to a jury trial.
These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of Michigan, without regard to its conflict of law provisions. Subject to the arbitration agreement in Section 22, you consent to the personal jurisdiction of the federal and state courts located in the State of Michigan for any dispute arising out of or relating to these Terms or the Services. Nothing in these Terms limits any mandatory consumer-protection rights available to you under the laws of the state where you live.
Provisions that by their nature should survive termination — including ownership, disclaimers, limitations of liability, indemnification, and governing law — will survive termination of your account or these Terms.
If any provision of these Terms is found unenforceable, the remaining provisions remain in effect. These Terms are the entire agreement between you and Petkey regarding the Services and supersede any prior agreements. Our failure to enforce any provision is not a waiver. You may not assign these Terms without our consent; we may assign them in connection with a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets. We are committed to making our Services accessible; if you have difficulty using them because of a disability, please contact us at info@petkey.org and we will work to assist you.
28525 Beck Rd., Suite #123, Wixom, MI 48393. Email: info@petkey.org · Phone: 734-600-3463