You will need to register if you carry out any of the following skin piercing activities in the Sevenoaks District:
- Acupuncture
- Electrolysis
- Ear and nose piercing
- Cosmetic body piercing
- Tattooing
- Semi-permanent skin colouring (micropigmentation, microblading and temporary tattooing)
Other skin piercing activities, such as Botox, fillers and microneedling, do not currently require registration.
To register, you must operate from premises that are registered with Sevenoaks District Council for that skin piercing activity.
You cannot operate away from your registered premises except in limited circumstances. Please contact us for clarification.
There is an application fee for each type of registered procedure. These fees are non-refundable.
You only need to register once. However, you will need to reapply if you wish to add additional procedures to your existing registration.
You can request an additional registration certificate to work at other registered premises within the Sevenoaks District.
Registration is not necessary if you are a registered medical practitioner or if you work at premises under the direct supervision of a medical doctor.
In addition, the premises you operate from need to be registered for the skin piercing activities carried out.
Things to consider
You must comply with local byelaws and be familiar with and follow the Kent Code of Practice for Hygienic Skin Piercing and other related guidance.
Download toolkits, guidance and byelaws
You should also consider:
- Employee and public liability insurance
- Hepatitis B vaccination (if applicable)
- First aid training
- Comprehensive client records and consultation
- Written aftercare advice for your customers
- Your duties under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974.
Before you apply
Please have the following information and documents to hand:
- Copies of any relevant training and apprenticeship certificates
- Clinical waste disposal contract (quote or confirmed contract)
- Consultation and consent forms, including a medical questionnaire
- Pre-treatment advice (where written advice is provided)
- Aftercare advice (where written advice is provided)
- The premises registration number if you are registering as a new practitioner at existing registered premises. This can be found at the bottom of the premises registration certificate.
Once you have applied
We will contact you to make an appointment for a registration visit. During the visit, we will check compliance with the byelaws and the Kent Code of Practice for Hygienic Skin Piercing and ensure that health and safety requirements are being met.
We will ask about hygiene, your waste disposal arrangements, customer care, record keeping and other related procedures.
You may be required to take action to ensure safety standards are being met. This information will be provided to you during the inspection and later in writing.
Once registered, we will send you a certificate, which must be kept on public display.
We may revisit you to ensure you are complying with legislation and guidance, or if we receive a complaint, you have asked for advice or you wish to amend your registered details.