Tattoo regulations in Malta
Across the EU and EEA, tattoo inks fall under the REACH restriction (Annex XVII, entry 75), which limits hazardous substances in inks and sets labelling rules. Studios handle health answers as special-category data under the GDPR, so they need explicit consent kept apart from treatment and marketing consent. Age limits, licensing and hygiene rules are set nationally or regionally.
Last checked September 25, 2026
We don't have a page for this region yet, so this shows the rules for European Union (baseline).
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
EU law sets no minimum age for tattooing. Check the national or regional entry; where none exists, 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
What to record
- Full name
- Date of birth
- 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.
Restricted substances. REACH restricts thousands of hazardous substances in tattoo and permanent make-up inks from 4 January 2022, with Pigment Blue 15:3 and Pigment Green 7 restricted from 4 January 2023. Labels must say the mixture is for tattoos or permanent make-up, list the ingredients and show a batch number. Only use inks your supplier confirms are REACH-compliant.
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.