Registration of businesses carrying out skin piercing activities

Anyone carrying out skin piercing activities, including but not limited to, cosmetic piercing, tattooing, microblading, acupuncture or electrolysis must be registered with the local authority. The practices include the following:

tattooing
cosmetic piercing (including ear-piercing and body piercing)
electrolysis
semi-permanent makeup to including make-up, micropigmentation, derma pigmentation, microblading, temporary tattooing, cosmetic tattooing; and
acupuncture

Some cosmetic procedures are currently regulated by the General Medical Council, not the local authority, such as micro-needling, Botox, and fillers. For more information visit: General Medical Council (GMC) - A doctor's guide to GMC online

Registration of skin piercing activities is required for both the person carrying out the activity and the premises used for that purpose, unless being carried out by a registered medical practitioner such as a doctor. There is similar exemption for dentists in respect of acupuncture.

Procedures, equipment, and facilities used must be safe, hygienic, prevent the spread of disease and comply fully with the general duties of care required by the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974.

There are no powers to refuse registration, but the practice is controlled through compliance with byelaws. A court may suspend or cancel the registration of a person who is found guilty of contravening a relevant byelaw.

Any person carrying out any of these activities without being registered may be prosecuted.

How to register

Registering a skin piercing business in the West Suffolk area, or applying for a variation of registration, must be done online at GOV.UK - Tattoo, piercing and electrolysis licence (England and Wales)

Registration fees

From 1 April 2022 the registration fees will be as follows:

	Premises fee	Practitioner fee (1-3)	Variation treatment
Costs	£271	£181	£203

Note the costs for registration for the licensable activities have been separated to include an initial premise fee and a separate practitioners fee. So if you are making a new application for a new business premise you will have to pay both the premise fee and practitioner fees.

If you are an existing licensed premise and you want to add additional practitioners, you can add up to 3 on each registration and will pay £181. If you have 4 or more, you will have to make 2 payments of £181.

If you wish to add additional licensable treatments to an existing registration, the variation treatment fee of £203 will apply.

In addition, the charges below will apply where appropriate.

Non-refundable application processing fee £45
Replacement or duplicate registration certificate and copy of byelaws £27

When applying for either a new registration or a variation of registration you will need to attach electronic copies of the following documents:

public liability insurance certificate
relevant qualifications (please note: for microblading, National Standard Level 4 is required)
proof of membership of relevant trade organisation (if applicable).

When completing the application form, applicants must supply the council with information on how the practices will be carried out hygienically and safely.

Once an application for registration is received, an inspection of the premises will be carried out to check compliance with the byelaw requirements as well as ensuring that general health and safety requirements are being met. In addition, visits may be undertaken to verify practitioners competency levels and operational activities at the premise the have applied to work at. An inspection may also be carried out for an application for variation of registration.

Byelaws

The skin piercing byelaws for West Suffolk set hygiene standards relevant to cleanliness and hygiene of premises, staff and equipment. The byelaws must be adhered to. Failure to meet the byelaws may result in enforcement action being taken by the council.

A copy of the local authority byelaws for acupuncture, tattooing, semi-permanent skin-colouring, cosmetic piercing and electrolysis.

Legislation

More information

Tattooing of Minors Act 1969 - It is an offence to tattoo any person under the age of 18 years, regardless of parental consent. This would be a police matter.
A person under the age of 18 years may receive body piercing provided they have received written permission from, or the treatment is performed in the presence of, the person's parent or guardian.
Nipple and genital piercing are prohibited on minors, regardless of parental consent.
Botulinum Toxin and Cosmetic Fillers (Children) Act 2021 - Practitioners who wish to undertake these procedures will need to register with the General Medical Council (details below). The Act makes it illegal to provide either procedure to under-18s for cosmetic reasons.

This is not an exhaustive list, contact the General Medical Council for further guidance and information: General Medical Council - Registration and licensing

West Suffolk skin piercing guidelines

The advice set out in the skin piercing guidelines provides additional information on how to meet best practice for hygiene and safety. It is recommended that all applicants read through this guidance before submitting their application. All licensees are sent a copy to ensure continued good practice and a high standard of safety and cleanliness.

Download: Skin Piercing Guidelines

Additional information

The Chartered Institute of Environmental Health (CIEH) convened a multi-agency working group to develop guidance following concerns raised by tattoo and body piercing practitioners, as well as health protection and environmental health specialists, about the lack of robust and consistent guidance on standards of hygiene and safety in the industry. The group comprised representatives from the CIEH, the Health and Safety Laboratory, Public Health England, the Tattoo and Piercing Industry Union and individuals with practical experience of working in this area.

Guidance documentation available include the following:

Eligibility criteria

You must provide specific information including details of your premises, and any previous convictions for practicing without being registered in this field.

Consent

No tacit consent will apply. It is in the public interest for reasons of public health that the authority must process your application before it can be granted (completion period 28 days).

If you have not heard from the authority within a reasonable period, please contact us. You can do this via the contact details on this page.

Trade associations

Changes to registrations

If you need to make any changes, if the business closes, or practitioners are no longer working at the premises, please contact us at food&safety@westsuffolk.gov.uk