Is it Illegal To Tattoo at Home in Australia? Home tattooing is unregulated in Australia. It may be illegal (in some cases) to perform home tattoos on yourself or your friends. As per the current Victorian legislation, tattooing anyone below 18 years in Victoria is not legal.
Under the Act, a person must not carry on a body art tattooing business (whether on the person's own behalf or on behalf of another person) at any premises unless the person is authorised to do so by an operator licence.
Apply to be a tattooist
If you work, or want to work as a body art tattooist, you will need a tattooist licence. This licence is for an individual. Find out how to apply.
Things to remember
Home tattooing is not safe and can put you at risk of serious infections. Performing home tattoos on yourself or your friends may be illegal in some cases. Getting a tattoo overseas (even in a professional tattoo shop) may not be safe.
What if I work from home? If you conduct a body art tattooing business, even if it is not at a formal tattoo parlour, you are required to hold an operator's licence.
You must be aged 18 or over to get a tattoo. A tattoo studio may ask for proof of age if they think you are under 18. It's illegal to tattoo a person under 18—even if your parent or guardian agrees.
In New South Wales you need to be 18 to get a tattoo. If you are under 18, you'll need your parent's permission. It's against the law for someone to tattoo you without your parent's permission.
A quick check made clear that this was not advisable or even possible and I had to let go of the idea of a sparkling picture embedded in my skin. So the simple answer is no, you can't use fountain pen ink for a tattoo.
"Chemicals used in tattoo and PMU inks are classified as industrial chemicals in Australia. Their introduction is subject to the same requirements as any other industrial chemical under the Industrial Chemicals (Notification and Assessment) Act 1989."
The Fair Work Ombudsman concluded Qantas and Emirates' could reject applicants due to their tattoos. If you want to implement a policy or rule which bans employees from having visible tattoos, you should contact an employment lawyer first.
Hands: All the service branches prohibit hand tattoos. But they all have minor exceptions to this rule. The Army, Navy, Coast Guard, and Marine Corps allow finger ring tattoos, one per hand. The Marine Corps specifies that the finger ring tattoo cannot exceed 3/8 inch in width.
For example, here in sunny Queensland, Australia, our public school sector has no official departmental policy on tattoos – it is up to the principal of each school to decide what is best and appropriate for their community. Two public schools in the same suburb can have different expectations.
We recommend that you use a sterile pen if you intend to ink the skin after your free hand drawing. The ink in this pen is formulated for marking on skin and will go on easy and stay on.
According to Sharpie's blog, markers that bear the ACMI "non-toxic" seal have been tested and deemed safe for art, even by children, but this does not include body art, such as drawing eyeliner, filling in tattoos or making temporary tattoos. The company does not recommend using the markers on skin.
Any marker labeled as ACMI “non-toxic” by Sharpie has been tested and deemed to be safe for art, but this does not include body art or using the ink for tattoos. Even though Sharpie does not recommend using their markers to draw on skin, many people do it anyway.
A Tattoo needle penetrates 5 layers of the epidermis
That may sound like a lot of skin, but in reality it is only 1/16th of an inch, about 1-2mm. That's pretty tiny. It goes through five layers of the epidermis, through the dermal layer, and into the topmost layer of the dermis.
You will find that you have to dip frequently to maintain good ink flow every 5 seconds or so works for me depending on colour and speed etc. If your ink is spraying out over your client it is probably because of machine set up rather than too much ink (unless you really are overloading with ink).
Don't use sewing needles, straight pins, or safety pins. They are not sterile, even if they are new. It is extremely dangerous to use any of these objects to tattoo yourself. You may end up in the hospital.
If you have body art (tattoos) or body modifications on the head, face, neck or hands please contact the Recruitment Branch before lodging your application. A recruitment officer can assist with assessing your eligibility. further information is contained in the body art and modification policy (PDF).
Offensive tattoos
Ideally, your tattoo policy should ban images or words that promote illegal activities, hate speech or violence. Here are some examples of potentially offensive body art: Tattoos that bash a specific religion, race or gender. Tattoos with profanity or controversial phrases.
Some Common Body Art Policies For Nurses:
Must cover up any tattoo completely with long sleeves or bandages. No tattoos above the collar, or below the elbow allowed. No visible tattoos when wearing scrubs. Large or offensive imagery must be concealed.