WITHIN · FIELD GUIDE · Facts read 12 November 2026
Louis Vuitton chip: where it is and how to scan it
Since March 2021, Louis Vuitton (LV) has sewn a small chip into its bags and wallets instead of a stamped date code. It is an NFC chip, the kind a phone can sense when it is held within about 4 cm (1.5 inches). A phone may find it, but it can't tell you if the bag is real.
Copies carry chips too, so a chip proves only that a chip is there. For a bag made before 2021, read its date code with our free Louis Vuitton date code checker.
Where is the chip in a Louis Vuitton bag?
Inside, where you can't see it. Guides say it is sewn into the lining, into a seam, or behind a leather patch inside the bag. Louis Vuitton does not say where it goes in each model, and guides disagree on whether you can feel it.
On a Neverfull bought in 2023, one owner found it behind the leather tab in the middle of the inside pocket.
How to scan a Louis Vuitton chip with your phone
You need a phone with NFC and an app that reads NFC tags. The guides name NFC Tools and NFC TagInfo, and both are free to download.
- On an Android phone, turn on NFC. On a Google Pixel it is in Settings, then Connected devices, then Connection preferences, then NFC. If there is no NFC setting, the phone has no NFC.
- On an iPhone, open the app and start a scan. With no app open, an iPhone only reacts to tags that hold a web link.
- Hold the phone flat against the lining inside the bag. Move it slowly along the inside walls, the pocket and the base.
- If the app finds a tag, it shows an ID made of letters and numbers. That is all. It doesn't show the model, the year, the store, or whether the bag is real.
One guide says a real Louis Vuitton chip does not open the Louis Vuitton website. If a scan opens it, have the bag checked by an expert before you pay.
Does the chip prove a bag is real?
No. Copies carry chips too: a tag like this can be bought and sewn into any bag, guides say. So a chip your phone finds proves only that a chip is there.
No chip found doesn't prove a fake either. The bag may be from before 2021 and have a date code instead, and guides disagree on how often a phone finds the chip at all.
The chip or the code can help with one thing: the year. Most guides say bags made since March 2021 have a chip and no stamped date code.
So a bag sold as made in 2022 or later that has a stamped code doesn't fit. Ask the seller, and have the bag checked by an expert before you pay.
Who can read what's on the chip?
Only Louis Vuitton. Its staff read the chip with Louis Vuitton's own app, and there is no public Louis Vuitton app that reads it.
Guides say staff scan it when a bag comes back for a return or a repair. Two say a store won't scan a bag just to tell you if it's real.
What the chip holds is not public. Louis Vuitton has not said, and the guides' guesses differ.
Can a Louis Vuitton chip track your bag?
No. The chip has no battery and no GPS. It only answers when a reader is held within about 4 cm (1.5 inches) of it, the way a contactless bank card does.
Chip or date code: which should your bag have?
| When the bag was made | What's inside |
|---|---|
| Before the early 1980s | Nothing: no date code and no chip. That is normal. |
| Early 1980s to early 2021 | A date code stamped inside. |
| 2021 | A date code or a chip. Louis Vuitton changed over during the year. |
| 2022 and later | A chip, and no stamped date code. |
A few small items kept a stamped code after 2021, guides say. For a bag from before 2021, the free Louis Vuitton date code checker reads the code and checks it against the "made in" stamp.
Before you buy
Louis Vuitton says the only sure way to know a product is real is to buy it from Louis Vuitton. That means its stores, its website, or its client services by phone.
- Ask the seller when and where the bag was bought, and check that the chip or the code fits that year.
- For a bag that costs a lot, have it checked by an expert who holds it.
Louis Vuitton on within
See pre-owned Louis Vuitton, each graded by the shop, or check what a Louis Vuitton costs on within.
Common questions
When did Louis Vuitton start putting chips in bags?
In March 2021, most guides say, and some say a few bags had chips as early as 2019. The change came over months, so a bag made in 2021 can have either a chip or a date code.
Do Louis Vuitton wallets have chips?
Yes. Guides say wallets and other small leather goods made since March 2021 have a chip, like the bags.
Is there an app that reads the Louis Vuitton chip?
Not one from Louis Vuitton for shoppers. A free NFC reader app can show that a tag is there and its ID. It can't show what Louis Vuitton's records say, or if the bag is real.
Can a fake Louis Vuitton have a chip?
Yes. Guides say copies now carry chips too, so a chip your phone finds does not prove a bag is real.
What does the Louis Vuitton chip look like?
You can't see it, because it is sewn inside the lining or a seam. One guide says you may feel a small, firm rectangle; others say you can't feel it at all.
Will a Louis Vuitton store scan my bag?
Guides say staff scan the chip when a bag comes back for a return or a repair. Two say a store won't scan a bag just to tell you if it's real.
Sources
- Collector's Cage: the change from around March 2021, where the chip sits, copies with chips, no public app. collectorscage.com, read 12 November 2026.
- Sold Attire: the years of codes and chips, how to scan, what a scan shows, a stamped code on a new bag. soldattire.com, read 12 November 2026.
- Philip Karto: a chip and a code can both be faked. philipkarto.com, read 12 November 2026.
- Nicola Jane Couture: chips in bags and small leather goods, who reads them, a store will not scan any bag. nicolajanecouture.com, read 12 November 2026.
- Luxity: chips in some bags from 2019, scans for returns and repairs, chips can be faked. luxity.co.za, read 12 November 2026.
- Bagaholic: staff scan chips in stores, the reader apps, a scan that opens a website. lvbagaholic.com, read 12 November 2026.
- Aurea Luxury Lab: an app shows only that a chip is there; a chip can be bought by anyone. aurealuxurylab.com, read 12 November 2026.
- Bravo Fashion: chips in bags and small leather goods since March 2021, read by staff. bravofashion.net, read 12 November 2026.
- Nishikino Vintage Kyoto: chips in bags and wallets; phones may not read them. shop-nishikino7.com, read 12 November 2026.
- Yui on Louis: where the chip sits in a 2023 Neverfull, and what a reader app showed. yuionlouis.com, read 12 November 2026.
- XIUCHENG RFID: no battery, no GPS, read from a few centimetres. rfid-pro.com, read 12 November 2026.
- Wikipedia: NFC works over 4 cm or less, and the reader powers the tag. en.wikipedia.org, read 12 November 2026.
- Apple: with no app open, an iPhone reads only tags that hold a web link. developer.apple.com, read 12 November 2026.
- Google: where NFC is in a Pixel's settings. support.google.com, read 12 November 2026.
- Apple App Store: the NFC Tools reader app is free to download. apps.apple.com, read 12 November 2026.
- Apple App Store: the NFC TagInfo reader app is free to download. apps.apple.com, read 12 November 2026.
- Lovagain: chips in place of date codes after March 2021. lovagain.com, read 12 November 2026.
- LeidiDonna Luxe: chips in bags and small leather goods from 1 March 2021. leididonna.com, read 12 November 2026.
- Louis Vuitton: where Louis Vuitton says a product is sure to be real. louisvuitton.com, read through a search result on 12 November 2026.
within is not part of Louis Vuitton and is not linked to it in any way. We use the name only to say which bags this page is about. This page does not say whether an item is real. For that, have it checked by an expert who can hold it.