The new licensing scheme requires practitioners who perform any special procedure (acupuncture, body piercing, electrolysis and/or tattooing) on someone else in Wales to be licensed. The licence will specify which special procedure(s) the practitioner is licenced to practice, as well as listing the premises that the practitioner operates from. Each practitioner must have their own licence. Licensed practitioners can only operate in premises/vehicles that have been approved.
It is an offence for a practitioner to carry out a special procedure without a licence or to perform any procedures from premises or vehicles that are not approved, unless you have transitional licence/certificate. It is also an offence not to comply with the specific requirements detailed in the regulation for practitioners and premises/vehicles.
How to apply
Please ensure that you have fully read this page and other pages in this section before applying.
**You should only apply above, if you operate as a practitioner within Conwy County or your premises is located within Conwy County. If you work in multiple premises, across different Local Authority areas, then you should apply to the Local Authority in which you conduct the majority of your special procedures**
Application from existing registered practitioner
Practitioners who were registered under the previous requirements of the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1982 are required to apply for their own special procedure licence and, if necessary, a premises/vehicle approval certificate.
Those with existing registrations will have 3 months from coming into force date (29th November 2024), to submit an application for a licence (and, where applicable, an approval certificate) and will benefit from a transitional licence. This transitional licence will allow existing practitioners to continue to perform special procedures (as per their current registration document), whilst the new licence application is being submitted.
Transitional licence/approval certificate have been automatically issued to all existing registered premises and practitioners, Should you have not received this by now, and you were previously registered with Conwy Council, please contact us using the detail at the bottom of this page.
An application for a licence under the new scheme must be made within this 3 month period (by 28th February 2025).
If you have submitted your application and we have not made a decision on your application by 28 February 2025, you will still be able to continue to practise after this date, until we (the local authority) provide you with a decision on the application.
If you do not submit your licence application and, where applicable, a premises/vehicle approval application by the end of the transition period, your transitional licence/certifcate will expire on the 1st March 2025. There will be no exceptions to the requirement to obtain a licence/certificate and no extensions of time.
Application from new practitioners (not previously registered)
New practitioners who were not previously registered under the 1982 act before the coming into force date (29th November 2024), do not qualify for the transitional arrangements.
You must submit a practitioner application form (and where applicable, an application form for the premises/vehicle). Once submitted, this will be assessed and processed by the Local Authority. You will not be permitted to trade/practice until you have been granted a special procedure licence (and, where applicable, a premises/vehicle approval certificate).
Fees
The fees for each licence, temporary licence or for other variations are detailed below. An application is not treated as having been made until the application fee has been received and cleared.
| Licence Type | New | Renewal |
|---|
| Special Procedures Licence (3 years). |
£203.00 |
£189.00 |
| Licence Fees | Fee |
|---|
|
Temporary Special Procedure Licence (max 7 days).
|
£92.00 |
| Variation of Special Procedures Licence (add new procedure). |
£131.00 |
| Variation of Special Procedures Licence (change of detail). |
£26.00 |
| Replacement of Special Procedure Licence. |
£13.00 |
Licence period
This Special Procedure Licences lasts for a period of 3 years from the date the licence is issued. Temporary licences are valid for no more than 7 days.
Eligibility
The applicant must be 18 years of age or over.
Supporting Documentation
The application must be accompanied by:
- The application fee (paid as part of the online application form)
- One full face passport style coloured photograph
- Evidence of valid insurance cover in respect of the performance of a special procedure.
- A criminal record certificate issued by the Disclosure and Barring Services (no more than 3 months old from date of issue)
- Declaration of relevant offences (as set out in the Act).
- Evidence of the successful completion of a regulated Level 2 Award (infection, prevention & control)
- Copy of identification documents providing proof of full name and date of birth (e.g. valid passport or driving licence).
Processing & Timescales
New applications will be processed within the timescales specified by the Welsh Government statutory/non-statutory guidance.
Existing registered practitioners, who apply for a Special Procedures Licence within the 3 months transitional period, will be processed within 6 months of the end of this transitional period, or earlier (i.e. 9 months from the coming into force date).
It could take a number of months for local authorities to assess all the applications in the move to the new licensing scheme.
Legislation and conditions
The Special Procedure Licences (Wales) Regulations 2024 details the specific requirements and conditions for practitioners and is available on the legislation.gov.uk website here: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/wsi/2024/1244/contents/made.
The overarching regulation which sets out the legal framework for Special Procedures and other legal requirements is the Public Health (Wales) Act 2017 (Part 4).
The licence conditions for practitioners can be accessed here: Mandatory Licence Conditions For Special Procedures Licences (Practitioners) - (PDF).
Contact us
For any enquires regarding the special procedures licensing scheme, please email foodsafety-healthandsafety@conwy.gov.uk
Further guidance
The Welsh Government is due to publish non-statutory guidance for the Special Procedures Licensing Scheme, which will provide detailed information on the requirements of the licensing scheme, how to apply for a licence and an approval certificate, how to comply with the license and approval conditions and the enforcement powers available to the local authority. The links to these guidance documents will appear, once they become available.
Public Health Wales (PHW) have published the Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) Guidance for Special Procedures in Wales, which provides more detailed information and guidance on IP&C measures and how they can be applied in the special procedures sector. This is available here: Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) Guidance for Special Procedures in Wales