The law is changing. From 29 November 2024, practitioners who perform any special procedure on someone else in Wales will be legally required to be licensed and premises/vehicles from which special procedures practitioners operate from will need to be approved.
The current legal requirements regarding registration and enforcement for acupuncture, body piercing, electrolysis, tattooing and semi-permanent makeup will remain in place until the mandatory licensing scheme comes into force. New registrations under the existing registration scheme must still be made to operate legally before the new scheme comes into operation.
The new scheme groups the procedures slightly differently in accordance with the definitions of the four procedures in the Public Health (Wales) Act 2017:
Acupuncture- includes traditional acupuncture and also dry-needling. It does not include any acupuncture-related discipline that does not involve inserting needles into the skin.
Body piercing- includes all areas of the body, including ear and nose piercings and intimate body piercings.
Electrolysis- applies only to the uses whereby a needle is inserted into the skin.
Tattooing- includes semi-permanent make-up (ie any beauty therapy that involves inserting colouring material into the skin) as well as traditional tattooing.
Who needs to get what?
- The new scheme will apply to everyone who is currently registered with their local authority under the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1982 to practise acupuncture (including dry needling), body piercing, electrolysis and tattooing (including semi-permanent makeup), and for the premises and vehicles where these procedures are performed. It will also apply to all new applicants seeking to become a special procedure practitioner and/or looking to manage a special procedure premises/vehicle for the very first time.
- Every practitionermust have their own special procedure licencewhich will confirm the procedure(s) they are personally licensed to practise.
- Every special procedure business premises or vehicle must have its ownpremises/vehicle approval certificate.
- All practitioners in charge of their own premises/vehicle will need to have a special procedure licence (for themselves) and a premises/vehicle approval certificate(for their premises/vehicle).
- All applicants for licences and/or approval certificates must be at least 18 and must have taken and passed the approved level 2 Infection Prevention and Control course to be eligible to apply.
All practitioners and premises/vehicle operators must take and pass a regulated Level 2 Award in Infection Prevention and Control for Special Procedures Practitioners course before they can apply for a licence and/or premises/vehicle approval certificate. Completion of the course is to ensure that all applicants operate to a consistent and measurable standard of infection prevention and control.The Royal Society of Public Health (RSPH) provides the details of all eleven training providers who are approved to deliver this course. These are the only providers of this approved course, anyother course offered by different companies will not provide the relevant qualification.
Fees
All fees relating to the mandatory licensing scheme have been agreed by all 22 LAs in Wales for at least the first year of operation of the scheme, and will be the same in every LA.
The application fee:this covers the cost of processing the application up to the point where the LA decides whether to grant or refuse the licence or premises/vehicle approval certificate. It also includes a local authority officer visiting the applicant at their premises to undertake an application visit to the practitioner or visiting the premises/vehicle to carry out an approval assessment with the applicant and issuing the relevant paperwork.
The compliance fee:this covers the cost of the day-to-day running of the whole licensing scheme, including support and advice to licence/approval certificate holders, enforcement of the licensing scheme, and monitoring compliance during the 3-year licence period and/or premises/vehicle approval certificate period.
All first applications
| application fee payable at the time the application is submitted | £159 |
| compliance fee, payable after a licence has been granted | £44 |
| application fee payable at the time the application is submitted | £244 |
| compliance fee, payable after a licence has been granted | £141 |
Renewal applications* (due 3 years after date of grant of first licence)
| application fee payable at the time the application is submitted | £147* |
| compliance fee, payable after a licence has been granted | £41* |
| application fee payable at the time the application is submitted | £204* |
| compliance fee, payable after a licence has been granted | £141* |
* Indicative fees only - these are subject to review and may change before a practitioner reaches the end of their existing 3-year licence period which is when they will then need to submit a renewal application for a further 3-year period.
| Special Procedure Licence - Variation (Add new procedure) | £131 |
| Special Procedure Licence - Variation (Change of detail) | £26 |
| Special Procedure Licence - Replacement Licence | £13 |
| Approved premises / vehicle - Variation (Add new procedure) | £189 |
| Approved premises / vehicle - Variation (Structural change) | £189 |
| Approved premises / vehicle - Variation (Change of detail) | £26 |
| Approved premises / vehicle - Replacement Certificate | £13 |
Temporary events
| Temporary Special Procedure Licence (per individual) | £92 |
| Approved premises / vehicle -Temporary Approval (Convention / main purpose) | £680 |
| Approved premises / vehicle - Temporary Approval (Ancillary event) | £385 |
I want more information on how this scheme will work
Further guidance is available on the Welsh Government website on theirSpecial procedures: acupuncture, electrolysis, body piercing and tattooing section.
