If you want to offer skin piercing treatments or services, both your premises and the person performing the treatments must have a skin piercing registration.
You will need a registration if you offer services such as:
- ear and body piercing
- tattooing
- dry needling
- acupuncture
- cosmetic piercing
- semi-permanent skin colouring (such as temporary tattoos)
Before you apply
You need to read and understand the requirements set out on this page before you submit an application for a registration. We cannot proceed with your application unless you give us all the information we need.
All premises used for the purposes of skin piercing need a registration to operate.
For acupuncture and dry needling, every individual who practices these treatments must be registered separately.
For all other types of piercing, all self-employed persons who perform these treatments will need to obtain a personal registration.
Fees and prices
The table below shows the fees and charges for skin piercing registrations:
| Fee | Price |
|---|---|
| Premises application fee | £488 |
| Personal application fee | £161 |
Duration
Premises piercing registrations do not expire and last for the lifetime of the business.
Personal piercing registrations do not expire, and last until the holder chooses to give it up.
You do not need to pay a renewal or annual fee for these registrations.
How to apply
You can submit an application using our online form:
Apply for a skin piercing registration
Further information
Select a topic below to find out more about skin piercing certificates:
Once we receive your application, we will process and issue your certificate.
We will notify the Environmental Health team, who will contact you to discuss your registration.
We aim to determine your application within 60 days.
Tacit consent applies. If you do not hear from us within 60 days, you will be able to act as though your application is granted.
If you want to appeal a registration rejection, please contact us by email at licensing@bathnes.gov.uk
Registrations will be subject to a set of standard conditions.
We may also attach additional conditions to the registration. These will be sent to you with your registration.
If you believe that a business or a person carrying out skin piercing treatments does not have a registration or is breaching their registration, please report this to us using our online form.
Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1982 Part VIII
We have made the information on these web pages as comprehensive as possible. However, in attempting to simplify the law, certain requirements have been omitted. Full details of what you must do are in the relevant legislation.
Laws can and do change. We must advise that only the Courts can give an authoritative opinion on statute law.