You will need to register your premises if your carry out any of the following skin piercing activities:
- Acupuncture
- Electrolysis
- Ear and nose piercing
- Cosmetic body piercing
- Tattooing, including semi-permanent make up and temporary tattooing
- Microblading.
A non-refundable application fee applies.
A premises only needs to be registered once. Registration is not transferable and a new premises application must be made if:
- The business moves to a new location
- The business changes ownership.
You can request an amendment to your premises registration certificate to carry out procedures in the same or lower category to your existing registration. For example, a Category C premises that wishes to carry out category A or B procedures. You will need to make a new application to add other procedures to your registration certificate.
Things to consider
You should be familiar with local byelaws, 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 to be provided to the client
- Your duties under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974.
Before you apply
Please have the following information and documents to hand:
- Clinical waste disposal contract
- Photographs of the wash-hand basin and disposable paper towel dispenser
- Photographs showing the walls and floor of the treatment room.
Once you have applied
We will contact you and make an appointment to carry out a registration visit to check compliance with the byelaws, the Kent Code of Practice for Hygienic Skin Piercing and to ensure health and safety requirements are being met.
During the visit, we will ask about hygiene, your waste disposal arrangements, customer care, record keeping and other related procedures.
You may be asked to make some changes to the premises or operating procedures. This information will be provided to you during the inspection and later in writing.
Once registered, we will send you a certificate.
We may revisit you to ensure you are complying with the legislation and guidance, if we have receive a complaint, if you have asked for advice or wish to amend your registered details.