Skin Piercing Establishments
Unless registered as a medical practitioner, a person has to be registered with the Council before carrying out:
- cosmetic piercing
- tattooing
- electrolysis
- semi-permanent skin colouring
- acupuncture
Exemptions to the requirement to register are:
- Skin piercing carried out under the direct supervision of a registered medical practitioner (MD) and/or a registered dentist
- With the exception of acupuncture, skin piercing carried out as a hobby (not a business there being no financial gain or reward)
A one-off fee is payable for this. The aim of registration is to ensure premises are clean and clients are safe.
Both the person and the premises must be registered.
Please note: a separate registration form and fee must be submitted for each district you wish to operate in.
If you wish to register a skin piercing business in Babergh, and in Mid Suffolk, you'll need to submit a registration form for each district. You will also need to pay a fee for each district.
Read our current fees and charges
Byelaws
You will need to comply with the Skin Piercing Byelaws for the district in which you practice:
Moving premises?
If a skin piercing business moves, a new registration is needed.
Complete an application for registration to continue carrying out:
- cosmetic piercing
- tattooing
- electrolysis
- semi-permanent skin colouring
- acupuncture
Useful forms and documents
Registration for Skin Piercing (online application form)
Tattooing and Body Piercing Guidance Toolkit
Massage and Special Treatments
No licence is required from this Council for massage or other special treatments.