Tattooists, Piercing, Acupuncture and Electrolysis Registration
Guidance on how to register your premises and practitioners so you can operate safely and legally
If you provide treatments like tattooing, skin piercing, acupuncture, electrolysis, or semi-permanent skin colouring, both you and your business premises must be legally registered with the council.
This page explains how to apply for your personal and premises licences, the registration fees involved, and the specific safety byelaws you must follow before you can start working in the district.
You must be registered with the council to carry out any of the following activities:
- Acupuncture
- Tattooing
- Skin piercing
- Electrolysis
- Semi-permanent skin colouring
Further guidance is available on this page, including links to apply.
Personal Licence
You must have a personal licence. This licence allows you to work anywhere within the Thanet district.
Business Premises Licence
All business premises must also be registered. However, we no longer need to know exactly who is working at your premises. This means you do not need to update your licence every time a new staff member starts or an old one leaves.
Important note on mobile businesses:
In law, a “premises” is usually defined as a piece of land and the buildings on it. Because of this, we cannot legally register mobile skin piercing businesses. This includes adapted vans, trailers, tents, or stalls.
PermalinkPlease read the specific rules (byelaws) that apply to your work:
- Read the byelaws for the control of tattooing
- Read the byelaws for the control of ear piercing, skin piercing and electrolysis
- Read the byelaws for the control af acupuncture
You must give us specific information when you apply. This includes:
- Details about your premises.
- Details of any past convictions you have for working in this field without a licence.
No. Tacit consent does not apply. This means you must not start any of these activities until your registration is fully approved. We will contact you to arrange an inspection visit first.
PermalinkTo apply, you need to give us details about yourself and your premises. You must also pay a one-off registration fee. The council sets these fees, and they can vary depending on your area.
Follow the links to submit an application:
Application for the registration of premises
Application for the registration of persons
PermalinkYou must pay a registration fee for the following activities:
- Acupuncture
- Tattooing
- Electrolysis
- Ear piercing
- Semi-permanent skin colouring
Acupuncture
| Description | Fee |
| New licence – premises | £310.00 |
| Additional acupuncturist – premises | £31.00 |
| New licence – personal | £67.50 |
| Address change/variation – personal | £31.00 |
Electrolysis
| Description | Fee |
| New licence – business | £310.00 |
| Additional electrolysis – business | £31.00 |
| New licence – personal | £67.50 |
| Address change – personal | £10.50 |
Semi Permanent Skin Colouring
| Description | Fee |
| New application – personal | £67.50 |
| Address change – personal | £10.50 |
| Variation to personal licence | £31.00 |
| New application – business | £310.00 |
Skin Piercing
| Description | Fee |
| New licence – personal | £67.50 |
| Change of address – personal | £10.50 |
| New licence – premises | £310.00 |
| Additional ear piercer – premises | £31.00 |
Tattoo
| Description | Fee |
| New licence – personal | £67.50 |
| Address change – personal | £10.50 |
| Variation to personal licence – personal | £31.00 |
| New licence – business | £310.00 |
| Additional tattooist – business | £31.00 |
Please contact licensing@thanet.gov.uk
PermalinkPlease contact licensing@thanet.gov.uk
If a registration is suspended or cancelled, the registration holder may appeal to the County Court.
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