How to register as a tattoo artist in Essex

Do I legally need to register?

Yes. The Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1982 requires anyone who carries out tattooing to be registered with their local council, and the premises they work from must be registered too. Tattooing without that registration is a criminal offence. The rule applies everywhere in Essex, whether you are in a city like Chelmsford or Colchester, a coastal town like Southend-on-Sea or Clacton-on-Sea, or a village in the Uttlesford or Maldon districts.

Registration is a one-time process rather than an annual licence, but you have to register again if you move premises or start working in a different council's area.

What your council is really checking

At its heart, registration is about hygiene and infection control. The council needs to be confident that you understand cross-contamination, sterilisation, and the safe handling of needles and sharps, and that your premises can be kept genuinely clean. That is exactly the ground a proper course covers, which is why holding an Infection Prevention & Control (IPC) Level 2 qualification (included on every course we run) is such a useful thing to put in front of them.

The steps, in order

• Contact your council (find yours in the directory below) and ask to register for tattooing under the 1982 Act.
• Complete the applications for both you as a person and for your premises, and pay the council's fee. Fees are set locally and vary across Essex.
• Infection-control review: an environmental health officer will talk through the hygiene and infection-control standards you need to meet.
• Premises inspection: the officer may visit to check the premises meet those standards and any local byelaws.
• Receive your certificate: once you are approved the council issues a certificate of registration, which you display where you work.

Worth having ready

• Evidence of your training and hygiene knowledge, for example your CPD certificate and IPC Level 2.
• Details of your premises, your equipment, and how you sterilise and dispose of sharps.
• The council's fee, plus any photographs or documents it asks you to supply.

Always read your specific council's own page as well, because the exact forms, fees and any local byelaws differ from one authority to the next.