Has your pet gone missing in Hungary? The exact steps
Updated: August 26, 2026 · Reunika
In Hungary, the shortest route home leads through three places: the national PetVetData microchip database, gyepmesteri telep (the local service that collects animals from the streets) and Facebook groups. Here is the complete plan.
No account. Starting the alert takes 30 seconds.
The steps, in order
- Search nearby on foot during the first few hours: cats usually stay within 500 metres, while dogs stay within 3 km.
- Post the listing online with a photo and the exact location. On Reunika, the listing becomes an alert on Facebook and Instagram around the place where the pet went missing.
- The microchip: in Hungary, microchipping dogs is required by law, and the national database is PetVetData, managed by the Chamber of Hungarian Veterinarians (MÁOK). Report the disappearance and check your contact details there.
- Call the local gyepmesteri telep: this is where animals collected from the streets are taken. Holding periods are short, so call on the first day and follow up often.
- Notify local shelters and animal protection associations (menhely, állatvédő egyesület).
- Post in Facebook groups: national lost pet groups and those for the relevant city or neighbourhood.
- Put up posters with a large photo and QR code at intersections, shops and veterinary clinics.
- Also check the lost/found animals category on jofogas.hu.
The Hungarian specifics, in brief
- Any veterinarian can scan the microchip free of charge and look up the owner in PetVetData: this is also the first step for anyone who finds an animal.
- At the gyepmesteri telep, claiming an animal usually requires proof of ownership, such as a record book or microchip, and sometimes a care fee.
- Budapest is divided into sectors (kerület) with separate services: call your sector AND the neighbouring ones.
Common questions
I found an animal in Hungary. Who should I notify?
A veterinarian for a free microchip scan, then PetVetData if the animal has a chip, the gyepmesteri telep or local shelter if you cannot keep it, plus a found animal listing with a photo and location.