Skin piercing

Special Procedures Licence (Practitioners) and Special Procedures Premises Approval (Business Premises or Vehicle)

Public Health (Wales) Act 2017

The Special Procedures Approved Premises and Vehicles (Wales) Regulations 2024 and The Special Procedure Licences (Wales) Regulations 2024 are now in force.

All special procedures practitioners i.e. those undertaking acupuncture (including dry needling), electrolysis, skin piercing (including ear or body piercing), or tattooing (including semi-permanent make up), are required by law to hold a valid licence to operate. All business premises and vehicles where a special procedure is to be performed are required by law to have an Approval Certificate.

If you and/or your business premises have previously registered with Flintshire County Council (FCC), under the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provision) Act 1982, for any skin piercing (acupuncture, electrolysis, skin piercing or tattooing), you benefit from the transitional arrangement as outlined in the Public Health (Wales) Act 2017 and relevant order. This allows you to continue to operate with a transitional licence issued by Flintshire County Council for up to 3 months from the coming into force date of the new licensing scheme i.e. 28 February 2025. 

Within this three month period granted by your transitional licence, you must submit an application under the new licensing scheme. 

If you have not received a transitional licence in the post as an operator and/ or as a business premises duty holder, you must contact FCC Health and Safety Team as a matter of urgency.

Email health.safety@flintshire.gov.uk or telephone 01352 703440.

Applying for a Special Procedures Licence and / or a Premises Approval Certificate

Before you start an application for either a special procedures licence as a practitioner, or an Approval for your business premises or vehicle, you must check that you have ready and be able to submit proof, of the following documents:

For both a Special Procedures Licence (practitioner licence) and a business premises/ vehicle Approval Certificate, the individual applying must provide the following documents or a valid copy of the following documents, (the originals must be available on inspection during the officer visit) and fee-

Fees

Your application must be accompanied by the appropriate application fee and applications will not be accepted without payment. The fees are as follows:

Fees to be paid on Application

• Special Practitioners Licence Application (for individual practitioners) fee £159
• Premises Approval Certificates Application fee £244

Following a successful application and officer assessment to ensure you are meeting the conditions of the Regulations, all applicants will then be required to pay a compliance fee.

Compliance fees to be paid on issue of the Licence or Approval Certificate

• Fee to be paid on issue of a Special Procedures Licence £44
• Fee to be paid on issue of a Premises Approval Certificates £141

In summary, the Total of the Fees to be paid prior to the issuing of the Licence/Approval Certificate (Application fee + Compliance fee = total fee) are;

• Special Practitioners Licence £203
• Premises Approval Certificate £385

Completing an Application Form

There are two methods of completing your application form:

• Electronically online by going and Set up a ‘My Account’ (unless you already have one), then follow the link https://publicprotection.agileapplications.co.uk/flintshire - ‘Applying for a Special Procedures Licence/Approved Premises Certificate’.
• By paper application and post or email. You can obtain a paper application form by Telephoning 01352 703440 or email PPAdmin@flintshire.gov.uk

The methods of payment are:

• Online (Selecting the Payment Type "Special Procedures")
• Telephone 01352 703440
• In person by appointment at Ty Dewi Sant, St. Davids Park, Ewloe CH5 3FF 

More information about the above can be found about the application in the Guidance Notes (Premises and Practitioner) accompanying the application form.

Both a Licence and a premises Approval Certificate are valid for three years, after which both must be renewed by applying for a renewal.

If you have any queries or require further information in respect of this matter, please email health.safety@flintshire.gov.uk or telephone 01352 703440.

The new Regulations can be found here:

• The Special Procedure Licences (Wales) Regulations 2024
• The Special Procedures Approved Premises and Vehicles (Wales) Regulations 2024

The overarching Public Health (Wales) Act 2017 can be found on the GOV Legislation website here.