Wales's special procedures licence: what it covers for aesthetics clinics

Wales was the first UK nation to switch on mandatory licensing for skin-piercing treatments, on 29 November 2024. But the scheme is narrower than its name suggests: it covers four “special procedures” (acupuncture, body piercing, electrolysis and tattooing, including semi-permanent make-up and microblading). It does not cover botulinum toxin, dermal fillers or most other aesthetics treatments. For an aesthetics clinic in Wales, the licence matters if you offer one of those four procedures, and a separate regime, registration with Healthcare Inspectorate Wales (HIW), matters if you use lasers or IPL, or if you are a doctor working privately.

Checked against official sources on 26 September 2026. This is general information, not legal advice: confirm your position with your local authority, HIW and your insurer before you act. If you spot something out of date, email hello@aestheticlinic.io and we will correct it. For the rest of the UK and Ireland, see our aesthetics regulation hub.

The legal basis

The scheme comes from Part 4 of the Public Health (Wales) Act 2017. Section 57 lists the special procedures: acupuncture, body piercing, electrolysis and tattooing. The detail sits in five sets of regulations made in 2024, which the Welsh Government’s guidance lists as:

• The Special Procedure Licences (Wales) Regulations 2024
• The Special Procedures Approved Premises and Vehicles (Wales) Regulations 2024
• The Special Procedures Exempted Individuals (Wales) Regulations 2024
• The Special Procedures Licensing Committees (Wales) Regulations 2024
• The Prescribed Objects for Body Piercing (Special Procedures) (Wales) Regulations 2024

The scheme came into effect on 29 November 2024. Practitioners and premises already registered with their council under the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1982 were given transitional licences and three months to apply, until 28 February 2025.

What procedures it covers

The Welsh Government’s guidance for premises defines the four procedures:

Procedure	What it includes	What it excludes
Acupuncture	Inserting needles into tissue for remedial or therapeutic purposes, including dry needling	Inserting needles to inject any substance
Body piercing	Perforating skin or mucous membrane to attach, implant or remove jewellery or a prescribed object, including ear piercing
Electrolysis	Removing body hair by passing an electric current through the root with an inserted needle or probe
Tattooing	Inserting colouring material into punctures in the skin or mucous membrane to leave a semi-permanent or permanent mark, including micropigmentation, all forms of semi-permanent make-up and microblading

For an aesthetics clinic, the treatments most likely to bring you into the scheme are semi-permanent make-up, microblading and electrolysis. Injectables are not on the list, and the acupuncture definition expressly excludes inserting needles to inject a substance.

What the licence and approval involve

There are two separate permissions, both issued by the local authority for the area:

• A special procedure licence for each individual practitioner. The Welsh Government’s overview says: “A person who performs any of the 4 designated special procedures must apply for a special procedure licence. They must apply to their local authority.”
• An approval certificate for the premises or vehicle where the procedures are performed in the course of a business. According to the premises guidance, an approval certificate is valid for 3 years (a temporary certificate is valid for no more than 7 days), must be renewed at least 28 working days before it expires, and must be displayed where clients can see it. The individual named as the contact for the premises must hold a regulated Level 2 Award in Infection Prevention and Control for Special Procedures.

Fees are set by each local authority. As one example, Isle of Anglesey County Council lists £159 for a practitioner licence application and £244 for a premises approval application, plus compliance fees. Check your own council’s current fees.

Are healthcare professionals exempt?

Partly. Section 60 of the Act treats members of professions regulated by the bodies listed in section 25(3) of the National Health Service Reform and Health Care Professions Act 2002 (the statutory health professions regulators) as exempt from the requirement to be licensed, except for any special procedure that regulations specify for that profession. The Special Procedures Exempted Individuals (Wales) Regulations 2024 set those exceptions, so the exemption is not uniform across professions and procedures. If you are a nurse or doctor offering, say, semi-permanent make-up, confirm with your local authority whether your exemption covers it, and whether your premises still needs approval.

Could injectables be added?

The Act allows it. Section 93 lets the Welsh Ministers add or remove procedures by regulations, after considering whether a procedure is capable of being performed for aesthetic or therapeutic purposes and capable of causing harm to human health. In a 2019 written answer, the Minister for Health and Social Services said the scheme would not initially include dermal fillers and botulinum toxin, but that adding them could be considered following public consultation.

As of 26 September 2026, section 57 on legislation.gov.uk still lists only the four procedures, and we found no regulations adding injectables. Treat any claim that Welsh injectors “need a special procedures licence” as wrong unless your council tells you otherwise.

Where HIW registration applies

Separately from the special procedures scheme, Healthcare Inspectorate Wales registers independent healthcare under the Care Standards Act 2000 and the Independent Health Care (Wales) Regulations 2011. For aesthetics, two triggers matter:

• Lasers and IPL. HIW’s registration FAQs say: “Usually all settings in Wales who wish to provide any treatments using a class 3B/4 laser or an IPL device must first register with HIW.” In May 2026 HIW cautioned a provider for providing laser treatment while unregistered, noting that such a service “must be registered as an independent hospital”. HIW’s page on laser and IPL services sets out the legislation and the National Minimum Standards for Independent Health Care Services in Wales that it inspects against.
• Private doctors. The same FAQs say a private doctor needs to register “if you will be providing a medical service or involved with providing a medical service that has no NHS involvement”.

HIW’s FAQs acknowledge there can be exceptions and invite a registration enquiry, to which it gives “a definitive response”. If your model is at all unusual, use it.

What Wales does not have

• No licence for injectables. Neither the special procedures scheme nor HIW registration applies to a nurse or non-healthcare practitioner injecting toxin or filler, unless other triggers (lasers, a private doctor’s service) apply.
• No under-18 offence for cosmetic toxin or fillers. The Botulinum Toxin and Cosmetic Fillers (Children) Act 2021 extends to England and Wales, but the offence is administering “in England”. Most insurers will still expect you not to treat under-18s cosmetically, so check your policy.

Prescription-only medicines rules are UK-wide: botulinum toxin must be prescribed by an appropriate practitioner, and both the GMC and the NMC require the prescriber to see the patient before prescribing. The regulation hub covers those rules in full.

A checklist for Welsh clinics

• List every treatment you offer and mark any that fall within the four special procedures. For each, confirm the practitioner holds a licence (or a confirmed exemption) and the premises holds an approval certificate.
• If any device is a class 3B or 4 laser or IPL, confirm HIW registration before you treat.
• If you are a doctor providing a private service with no NHS involvement, confirm your HIW position.
• Keep records that would satisfy an inspector in any nation: consent, batch numbers, prescriber details and aftercare. Our treatment record template and licensing-ready records checklist cover the fields, and our insurance guide covers the cover questions.

Compare the other nations: England (and CQC registration), Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, or go back to the regulation hub.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a special procedures licence to do anti-wrinkle injections or fillers in Wales?

No, not as of 26 September 2026. The scheme covers acupuncture, body piercing, electrolysis and tattooing (including semi-permanent make-up and microblading). The Act lets the Welsh Ministers add procedures by regulations, but we found no regulations adding injectables.

Does microblading need a licence in Wales?

Yes. The Welsh Government’s guidance includes microblading and all forms of semi-permanent make-up within tattooing, so the practitioner needs a special procedure licence and the premises needs an approval certificate from the local authority, unless an exemption applies.

Do I need to register a laser or IPL clinic in Wales?

Usually, yes. HIW says settings using class 3B/4 lasers or IPL devices must usually register with it before providing treatment, as an independent hospital. Use HIW’s registration enquiry form if you are unsure.