Open standard · Apache 2.0
ISO 11784/11785 chips are universal. The lookup APIs aren't. OPCLS is the missing federation layer that lets vets, rescues, shelters and border officials query every participating chip database in one call — without any registry ever surrendering data, customers or brand.
40+
Fragmented chip DBs
2026
DEFRA compliance deadline
< 1.5s
P95 lookup latency
Integration · 5 lines
~30 min@app.post("/opcls/v1/lookup")
def lookup(req: LookupRequest):
pet = db.find_one({"chip": req.chip_id})
if not pet:
return {"found": False}
return {
"found": True,
"registered_at": pet.created,
"owner_contact": {
"available": True,
"callback_url": "/release"
}
}That's the full ask. No data migration. No PII leaves your stack. Owner contact is released by you, on your terms, via a consent callback.
The cost of fragmentation
14+
disjointed UK chip databases. None talk to each other.
15–30 min
wasted per stray pet on phone-based registry lookups.
£3B
global pet-pharma counterfeit market — undetectable today.
2026
DEFRA + EU AHL mandate inter-database lookup.
How it works
Your data stays in your database. OPCLS only routes the question, not the answer.
One call to the OPCLS gateway. ISO chip number + the vet's verifiable role (RCVS, force code, NGO ID).
ICAR prefix routes the lookup only to relevant registries. Every partner gets the same canonical request.
Owner contact never crosses the gateway. Partners return a callback URL — they decide if/when to release PII.
Every lookup is anchored on Polygon
Chip number is masked before anchoring (first 3 digits only). Every partner can independently verify nobody is mining the gateway for PII.
For chip registries
Every vet, rescue, shelter, border official or finder who looks up a chip ends up on your branded result if it's yours. Net-new owner registrations, analytics you've never had, compliance with DEFRA's 2026 mandate — without rebuilding a single system.
Free vet/rescue traffic to your DB
DEFRA 2026 interop compliance — done
Net-new owners from our DNA-kit pipeline
Revenue share on insurance + pharma rails
White-label brand on every scan result
Permanent steering-committee seat (first 3 only)
Revenue lines unlocked
Insurance auto-claim rail
£16M/yr UK TAM
UK pet insurance: £1.6B/yr · ~25-40% admin cost · OPCLS removes most of it. 0.5–1% platform fee, shared with partners.
Boarding & daycare verification
£1.5–4M/yr UK
6,500 UK kennels pay £20–50/mo for instant vax-status checks. Registry hosts the API; 50% rev share.
Pharma anti-counterfeit
£2M+/yr UK
Bravecto, Apoquel, Rx diets ship with NFC tags. Per-scan verification billed to pharma directly.
DEFRA & EU compliance contracts
£500k–2M/yr
Once OPCLS is the de facto standard, government procurement follows.
Partner platform fee
£120k/yr passive
Tiered subscription + per-lookup pricing kicks in only after free tier is exceeded.
For everyone else
Vet practice
Scan a stray → full registration history in 4 seconds across every DB. Reunite same-day instead of 7-day stray hold.
Rescue & shelter
Intake automation. Tag scan triggers OPCLS lookup, geo-fenced alerts, and consent-based owner reunion in minutes.
Insurer
Vet diagnosis is chip-anchored on-chain → automatic claim validation. Removes 80% of fraud + admin cost per claim.
Pharma anti-counterfeit
Tag-verified medication ensures genuine batch + correct pet + safe dosing window. Per-scan billing to pharma.
Border / customs
EU pet passport replacement. Scan at the port → instant rabies + tag-binding verification. Eliminates paper trail.
Police & welfare
Stolen-dog chip-swap fraud goes detectable. Cross-DB conflict flags surface in real time.
Founding-member terms · first 3 only
The first three chip databases to sign with OPCLS become permanent founding members. Veto rights on the standard, full revenue share, zero platform fees forever, white-label branding on every public scan page.
Reserve a founding seatNo. Owner PII never crosses the OPCLS gateway. Hits include only a consent callback URL — you decide if/when to release contact details via your existing systems.
The gateway times out per partner independently. Slow partners are flagged on the public coverage dashboard. Cached partner metadata never blocks a scan.
No. OPCLS is non-exclusive and Apache-2.0. You can participate in other federations or build your own without penalty.
OPCLS is a data-minimising protocol. Audits on Polygon hash only chip prefix + partner IDs — never full chip numbers, never owner data. DPAs are bilateral, optional, and partner-controlled.
Free for the first 12 months and the first 100,000 lookups. After that, tiered partner subscriptions kick in (£200–2000/month based on volume). Founding members pay zero, ever.
Yes. The spec is Apache-2.0. You can run a private OPCLS instance for closed networks (e.g. a vet chain's internal registry) without joining the public federation.