Tattoo regulation in France: the Health Ministry answers the Senate (September 2026)

In brief. A French senator asked the Ministry of Health about the inadequacy of the regulatory framework for tattooing and proposed a professional certificate and a national register of studios. In its answer published on 10 September 2026, the ministry considers that the existing measures are sufficient. No new obligation is announced.

The question

Written question no. 06473 was tabled by Sylvie Robert, senator for Ille-et-Vilaine (Socialist, Ecologist and Republican group). Entitled "Inadequacy of the regulatory framework applicable to tattooing in France" (« Insuffisance du cadre réglementaire applicable à la pratique du tatouage en France »), it was published in the Senate Official Journal (Journal officiel du Sénat) on 30 October 2025 and addressed to the Ministry of Health.

The senator made several observations. About one in five French people has a tattoo. To practise, only a short "hygiene and safety" training course (formation « hygiène et salubrité ») is required, with no guarantee of competence and no professional recognition. She therefore proposed two options: creating a professional certificate and setting up a national register of approved studios.

The ministry's answer

The answer was published in the Senate Official Journal on 10 September 2026. It opens with this sentence: « Les mesures existantes permettent déjà de garantir une pratique sécurisée et encadrée du tatouage. » [The existing measures already make it possible to guarantee safe and regulated tattooing.]

The ministry then lists the measures in place:

• the declaration of activity to the Regional Health Agencies (agences régionales de santé, ARS);
• the hygiene and safety training, revised in 2024, which leads to a certification with a theory and practical assessment, renewable every 5 years;
• stricter requirements for training organisations, which are now approved and listed on ARS websites;
• inspections carried out by the ARS.

The answer takes up neither the idea of a professional certificate nor that of a national register of approved studios. It announces no reform timetable.

What the training has required since 2024

The rules below do not come from the 2026 answer: they result from the order of 5 March 2024 (arrêté du 5 mars 2024), amended in October 2024, to which the ministry refers.

Analysis: what the certification covers, and what it does not

This section is an analysis by the Tattoomorrow editorial team.

The hygiene and safety certification covers hygiene, asepsis, infection risks, skin preparation and traceability. It is about the health safety of the procedure. It does not assess the technical quality of a tattoo: drawing, linework, shading and how colours hold are not part of the assessment.

That is precisely the gap highlighted by the senator's question. By confirming the current framework, the ministry's answer leaves technical skill outside the scope of regulation. Technical training therefore remains a choice for progressing, not a legal obligation. Some schools offer this kind of training, for example EvoTattoo.

This exchange between the Senate and the ministry creates no new condition for practising.

What it means for you

There is nothing new to do. It is, however, a good opportunity to check two things:

• Is your hygiene and safety certification still valid? It is valid for 5 years from the date it was issued.
• Is your ARS declaration up to date (place of work, techniques, conventions and guest spots)?

To review your situation, read our guide to the ARS declaration and prepare your documents with our free ARS declaration tool (in French), which also works out when your certification expires.

Sources

• French Senate: written question no. 06473 by Sylvie Robert and the Ministry of Health's answer (in French)
• Légifrance: order of 5 March 2024 on hygiene and safety training (in French)