Accredited centre · Conselleria de Sanitat, Valencian Region
For international professionals in Spain

Get Your Official Hygiene Certificate to Tattoo or Pierce in Spain

Required by Spanish law. 100% online. Valid across Spain. Taught by a registered nurse with 37 years in public health.

We answer in English. You speak to the course director, not a call centre.

International tattoo and piercing professionals working legally in Spain with the official hygiene certificate
The short answer

Do I need a hygiene certificate to tattoo in Spain as a foreigner?

Yes. Spanish law (RD 1428/2012 and Orden 1/2016) requires all tattoo, piercing and microblading professionals to hold an official hygiene certificate, regardless of nationality. Without it, you cannot legally register your studio or practise in Spain.

You need the certificate if You tattoo, pierce, do microblading or any micropigmentation in Spain — in your own studio, in someone else's, at conventions or at home. Your nationality and where you trained make no difference.
You are exempt only if You hold a Técnico Superior en Estética Integral y Bienestar qualification, or an equivalent recognised by the Conselleria de Sanitat. Mid-level beauty qualifications do not exempt you.

Not sure which side you fall on? Send us your qualification and we will tell you straight away, in English, before you pay for anything.

350+
Professionals certified
100%
Online, at your own pace
Same day
Certificate issued on passing
Since 2016
Accredited by the Conselleria de Sanitat
The legal requirement

Spain takes hygiene seriously. The law applies to everyone

Whether you are from the UK, Germany, the Netherlands or anywhere else — if you tattoo or pierce in Spain, you need this certificate. No exceptions. It is not a professional badge or a nice-to-have: it is the document the health authority asks for first.

Two pieces of legislation set the rule. Royal Decree 1428/2012 establishes the hygiene and sanitary conditions for tattoo, piercing and micropigmentation across Spain, and Orden 1/2016 of the Valencian Region sets out the training programme and who is authorised to deliver it. Neither of them mentions nationality — only the activity you perform.

Practising without the certificate is an administrative offence. Depending on how serious the case is, penalties reach up to €60,000, and the owner of the premises where you work is exposed alongside you — which is exactly why established studios in Alicante and the Costa Blanca ask to see it before they let you touch a machine.

Official Spanish hygiene and sanitary certificate for tattoo, piercing and micropigmentation professionals
How it works

Three steps and you are legal

No entry exam, no waiting list, no travelling to Valencia. You can start this afternoon.

1

Enrol online in minutes

Fill in the form or send a WhatsApp and we set up your access the same working day. DNI, NIE or passport — any of the three works. We answer you in English at every step.

2

Complete the 46-hour course at your own pace

Bioseguridad, sterilisation, infection prevention and Spanish regulations, from your phone or laptop. No fixed start dates and no deadline: study in one weekend or across a month.

3

Pass the test, get your certificate immediately

Once you pass the final test the official certificate is issued straight away, in your name. If you do not pass first time you can retake it at no extra cost.

What's included

Everything you need to work legally in Spain

One course, one payment of €159 and one certificate that covers the three activities.

Official hygiene certificate valid in Spain

Issued by a trainer accredited by the Conselleria de Sanitat Valenciana and listed on the official EVES registry since 2016.

46 hours of online training

The full official syllabus: bioseguridad, sterilisation and disinfection, blood-borne pathogens, waste management and Spanish regulations.

Covers tattoo, piercing and microblading

A single certificate covers all three activities. You do not pay three times and you do not have to choose one specialism now.

Guidance on registering your studio

We walk you through the documentation the Conselleria de Sanitat asks for when you register your premises, and how to file it. Included, at no extra cost.

Lifetime access

Go back to the material whenever you need it. Nothing expires and no clock is running while you study.

Support in English

Enrolment, questions while you study and the studio paperwork, answered in English by phone, WhatsApp or email. No translation apps needed.

Foreign tattoo and piercing professionals taking the online hygiene course in Alicante and the Costa Blanca
Why Academia Sanidad

An accredited centre, not a certificate mill

There are plenty of cheap online courses that issue an impressive-looking PDF and no legal validity. What matters to the health inspector is who signed it.

Accredited by the Conselleria de Sanitat since 2016

Authorised under Orden 1/2016 to deliver the official hygiene training programme in the Valencian Region.

Taught by a registered nurse

Antonio Orellana, 37 years in Spanish public healthcare. Not a marketer with a slide deck.

Listed on the official EVES registry

Our trainer appears on the public list of the Escola Valenciana d'Estudis de la Salut. You can check it yourself.

Antonio answers directly

When you call or write, you get the course director himself — in English. No tickets, no chatbots, no three-day waits.

350+ professionals certified

Tattooists, piercers and micropigmentation artists working across the Valencian Region and the rest of Spain.

One price, no surprises

€159, VAT included, for the three activities. No enrolment fee, no exam fee, no charge to reissue your certificate.

The difference

What changes once you hold it

The same professional, the same skills — before and after the certificate.

  Without the certificate With the certificate
Working legally You cannot legally tattoo, pierce or pigment anywhere in Spain, however good you are. You work as a legally qualified professional, with the document the law asks for.
Registering a studio The Conselleria de Sanitat will not register your premises. The application stops there. You can register your studio and open legally under your own name.
Getting hired by a studio Established studios will not take you on: the owner is exposed to the same penalty you are. Any studio in Spain can hire you without putting its own licence at risk.
A health inspection An administrative offence, with penalties that reach up to €60,000 in the most serious cases. You show the certificate and the inspection moves on to the premises.
What clients see Nothing to show. In a market full of studios that do display it, that is a quiet loss of work. An official certificate on the wall — the first thing a cautious client looks for.
Scope and cost Courses that certify one activity and make you pay again for the next one. One certificate covering tattoo, piercing and microblading. One course, one payment of €159.
Antonio Orellana, registered nurse and director of training courses at Academia Sanidad
Who signs your certificate

Antonio Orellana

Registered nurse, licence no. 13089 · Director of training courses

Antonio Orellana is a registered nurse (colegiado nº 13089) with 37 years in the Spanish public health system — including Valencia's Hospital La Fe emergency unit and 26 years in primary care. He has been an accredited trainer since 2016.

He is the person who signs every certificate, and the person who picks up the phone when you call.

Nursing licence no. 13089 Accredited trainer since 2016 Official EVES registry
Frequently asked questions

What international professionals ask us first

Is this certificate valid if I'm not Spanish?

Yes. The requirement applies to the activity, not to your nationality. Anyone who tattoos, pierces or performs micropigmentation in Spain must hold the hygiene certificate, whatever passport they carry.

The certificate is issued in your name using the identity document you enrol with — a DNI, an NIE or a passport are all accepted.

Is the course in English?

The course materials and the final test are delivered in Spanish, because that is the language of the official syllabus and of the certificate itself.

Everything around it is available in English: enrolment, guidance through the syllabus, questions while you study and the paperwork to register your studio. Antonio and the team answer you in English by phone, WhatsApp or email — so you are never stuck.

How long does it take to get the certificate?

The programme is 46 teaching hours that you complete at your own pace, with no deadline and no fixed start dates. You begin the same day you enrol.

The certificate is issued immediately once you pass the final test, so if you work through the course in one sitting you can have it the same day.

Is it valid across all of Spain?

The certificate is issued under the regulations of the Valencian Region and is fully valid throughout that territory. Other Spanish regions recognise it provided it meets the teaching hours and content their own rules require.

That is precisely why the course is 46 teaching hours: it exceeds the minimum set by most regions, including the 40 hours required by Decreto 35/2005 in the Community of Madrid. If you are planning to work in a specific region, tell us and we will confirm before you enrol.

Can I use my passport instead of a NIE?

Yes. You can enrol with a DNI, an NIE or a passport in force.

Whichever document you use is the one printed on the certificate, so use the same one you will present to the Conselleria de Sanitat when you register your studio or register as a professional. If you are still waiting for your NIE, start with your passport — you do not have to postpone the course.

What if I already have a hygiene certificate from another country?

A certificate issued outside Spain is not automatically valid here. Spanish regional health authorities recognise training that matches their own requirements for teaching hours and content, and courses taken abroad are generally not assessed against them.

In practice, professionals arriving from the United Kingdom, Germany or the Netherlands take the Spanish certificate. Send us your existing qualification and we will tell you where you stand before you pay anything.

How much does it cost?

€159, VAT included. A single payment for a single course, and the certificate covers the three activities: tattoo, piercing and micropigmentation. There are no separate courses per activity and no hidden fees.

We run monthly discounts, so ask what is available before you enrol.

Do I need to register my studio after getting the certificate?

Yes — they are two different things. The certificate qualifies you as a professional; the premises where you work must be registered separately with the Conselleria de Sanitat, with their own documentation and hygiene plan.

If you work in a studio owned by someone else, that registration is the owner's responsibility. Guidance on the whole process is included with the course at no extra cost.

Ready to work legally in Spain?

Enrol today, study at your own pace and get your official certificate the moment you pass. €159, one payment, all three activities.

Get certified now

Accredited by the Conselleria de Sanitat Valenciana since 2016

Our trainer appears on the official registry of the Escola Valenciana d'Estudis de la Salut (EVES) under Orden 1/2016. More than 350 professionals certified in tattoo, piercing and micropigmentation.

See official accreditation
Get in touch

Questions? Write to us in English

Tell us what you do and where you plan to work. Antonio will answer directly — not a sales agent, not a bot.

  • Answered in English, the same working day.
  • We tell you if you actually need the certificate before you pay.
  • One price of €159, all three activities, no hidden fees.
  • Your details are only used to reply to you.

Prefer to sort it out in two minutes by phone or WhatsApp?

+34 608 54 01 54 · WhatsApp
Academia Sanidad · Health & Safety Training
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