Piercing, tattooing, acupuncture and electrolysis

Eastleigh Borough Council has adopted the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1982 and The Local Government Act 2003. This means that anyone who carries out a specified skin piercing activity must be registered with us.

The specified skin piercing activities are:

• Acupuncture
• Cosmetic piercing
• Electrolysis
• Semi permanent skin colouring (also commonly known as micro-pigmentation)
• Tattooing

An application of registration must be completed for each premises and for each practitioner at that premises. 

There is an initial one off fee for registration which is reviewed each year in January. The current fees are:  

• New premises registration (including one practitioner) - Tattooing: £285
• New premises registration (including one practitioner) - Semi Permanent Skin Colouring, Acupuncture, Electrolysis and Cosmetic Piercing: £190
• Each additional practitioner: £47

Your fees must be paid in full at the time of application. Once an application is received an officer will carry out an inspection of the premises, equipment and procedures. Following a satisfactory inspection a certificate of registration will be issued.

Specific hygiene standards are defined in the by-laws and you should be able to demonstrate how you achieve compliance with these legal requirements.  

If you are carrying out cosmetic piercing or tattooing you should also follow the guidance in the Tattooing and Body Piercing Guidance Toolkit and information for ear and cosmetic piercing businesses by GOV.UK

Premises registration form (Word doc)

Personal registration form (Word doc)