Tattoo regulations in Germany
Germany applies the EU REACH ink restriction together with its own Tattoo Inks Ordinance (Tätowiermittel-Verordnung), which covers ink composition and labelling. There is no national licence for tattoo studios; you register a trade, and the local health office (Gesundheitsamt) can inspect hygiene under infection protection law and state hygiene rules. Health answers fall under the GDPR.
Last checked September 25, 2026
Minimum age
Who you can tattoo, and with whose permission.
Minimum age
No age set by law
Younger clients
Parental consent is not an exception
No German statute sets a tattoo age. Minors generally need a parent's consent, and many studios only tattoo from 18, or from 16 with a parent present. Inkeva defaults to 18.
Consent
What the customer signs before each tattoo.
Client records
What to record and how long to keep it.
Keep for 5 years
Common practice, not set by law
- Accounting records: 10 years
What to record
- Full name
- Date of birth
- Address
- Date of the procedure
- Placement on the body
- Artist
- Ink brand, colour and manufacturer
- Ink lot numbers
- Health questionnaire answers
- Client signature
Ink
What can go into the skin and what you must record.
Sterilization and waste
Cleaning, sterilizing and getting rid of sharps.
Licensing
What you need to open a studio and work in it.
Guest artists
Hosting artists from somewhere else.