What is the form for?
Use this form to register a premises or a practitioner offering any of the following treatments:
- Acupuncture
- Tattooing
- Semi-permanent skin colouring*
- Cosmetic piercing **
- Electrolysis
* Semi-permanent skin colouring includes semi‑permanent make‑up, micropigmentation, microblading, dermapigmentation, cosmetic or temporary tattooing, etc.
** Cosmetic piercing includes ear and body piercing.
Before you begin
Both the premises and each practitioner must be registered.
- If you only need to register a practitioner, check first whether the premises is already registered for that treatment.
- If the premises is not registered (or not registered for your treatment), you will need to register the premises as part of this process.
Fees
- £318 per premises
- £79 per practitioner
Fees are paid when submitting the form.
Ready to register?
Guidance for tattooists and skin piercers
Safe and hygienic treatments
Businesses and practitioners must follow local byelaws, the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, and all relevant safety regulations to ensure treatments are carried out safely.
Insurance
- Employers’ liability insurance (legal requirement if you employ staff).
- Public liability insurance (optional but recommended; check whether it covers treatment‑related claims).
Training
Practitioners must be properly trained and competent.
Recommended:
- A formal infection control course, especially for tattooing.
- Refresher training at least every three years.
- Additional training for specialist equipment such as autoclaves.
Infection control
Follow the Tattooing and Body Piercing Guidance Toolkit, including best practice for:
- preventing infection
- hand hygiene
- PPE use
- sharps and blood exposure
- waste disposal
- cleaning and disinfection
- sterilisation
- aftercare advice
- first aid
(These are not legal requirements but help ensure compliance.)
Sterilising equipment (autoclaves)
If you use an autoclave, you must:
- ensure it is suitable for your tools
- keep records demonstrating it works correctly
- maintain and service it regularly
- have a written inspection plan prepared by a competent person
- store all maintenance and inspection records on site
Toolkit templates are available to support good record‑keeping.
Waste disposal
Keep records of how you dispose of clinical waste. These must be available for inspection.
