Beauty and personal services in Estonia

Hairdressing, cosmetic care, manicure and pedicure, tattooing, permanent make-up, body piercing, solarium services and nail, eyelash and eyebrow services are regulated in Estonia by the Public Health Act and a regulation of the minister. The Health Board (Terviseamet) states that opening a beauty salon needs no licence or approval from it⁹, and it supervises compliance with the requirements⁷. This page sets out those requirements from the official texts.

Information as of 11 November 2026. Every numbered statement of this page was checked in the official text named below and re-checked by a second reviewer on 2026-11-11. The page is general information, not legal advice; the authority decides on every application.

What the activity is

The Public Health Act (Rahvatervishoiu seadus, RTHS) defines a "beauty and personal service" as a hairdresser's, cosmetician's, solarium, tattooing, permanent make-up and body piercing service, and a nail, eyelash and eyebrow technician's service². The minister's regulation defines each of them; for example, the hairdresser's service includes cutting beards and moustaches, and the cosmetician's service covers care of the face, body, hands and feet, including manicure and pedicure, hair removal and make-up³.

What is not covered:

Aesthetic procedures and procedures related to treating illnesses, and devices or medicines that are permitted only to a health care provider, are not allowed to a beauty service provider⁶.
A sauna on its own is not on the statutory list of beauty and personal services². Where a sauna is part of a swimming pool, pool or water centre, the pool regulation requires the provider to inform users of the temperatures of the rooms, including saunas¹⁹.

The legal act and the authority

Public Health Act (Rahvatervishoiu seadus, RTHS), adopted 11 December 2024, in force since 1 September 2025; the wording in force today has applied since 1 May 2026¹. Section 19 sets the requirements and restrictions for beauty and personal services².
Regulation "Requirements for the provision of beauty and personal services" (Nõuded ilu- ja isikuteenuste osutamisele), regulation No 41 of the Minister of Social Affairs of 24 August 2025, issued under § 19(6) of the Act; the wording in force today has applied since 30 October 2026⁴.
General Part of the Economic Activities Code Act (Majandustegevuse seadustiku üldosa seadus, MSÜS): everyone may freely start economic activity in any field, and a notice or a licence is needed only where a law provides for it⁸.
Authority: the Health Board (Terviseamet) carries out state and administrative supervision of the requirements of §§ 14–22 of the Act and the acts issued under it⁷. Its inspections check both documents and the organisation of work in the salon²².
Register: whether a register entry or notice applies is specified for the client's situation.

Who must comply

The requirements of the regulation apply to legal persons and self-employed persons (FIE) who provide beauty and personal services, and to the persons who provide the service directly⁵. The Health Board states on its own page that opening a beauty salon does not need a licence or approval from the Health Board⁹.

The knowledge and skills topics in § 7(2) of the regulation do not apply to a person who directly provides the solarium service; § 11(6) sets a separate list of topics for that person¹⁰.

Requirements for the provider

Whether requirements beyond those below apply (for example capital or management requirements) is specified for the client's situation.

Knowledge and skills. Every person who provides the service directly must have proven knowledge and skills¹⁰. The regulation lists the topics in its § 7(2)¹⁰. These topic lists have applied since 1 March 2026¹⁰. The Health Board states that a valid professional certificate (kutsetunnistus) is preferred, but training certificates and other certificates are also accepted¹¹.

Minors and special bans. A solarium or tattooing service may not be provided to a minor; the provider may ask for an identity document¹². Tattooing in which ink is injected or inserted into the eyeball is prohibited¹².

Premises and hygiene. The premises must be easy to clean and the floor must be slip-resistant¹³. Hot and cold water, sewerage and access to a toilet must be ensured; tools must be disinfected after every client, and tools that pierce the skin must be sterile¹³.

Products. Only cosmetic products that meet Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009 may be used¹⁴. Tattoo and permanent make-up inks must meet Annex XVII of Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006 (REACH) and carry the required labelling¹⁴. A business that uses cosmetic products in its professional activity must notify the Health Board without delay of a serious undesirable effect¹⁵.

Information to the client. The provider must make available information on the devices and products used, their properties, contraindications and possible complications or side effects, and, where needed, on aftercare¹⁶.

Solariums. Additional rules apply: information on the risks of tanning, eye protection, determining the client's skin type, supervision, and a maximum effective irradiance of 0.3 W/m² weighted by the erythema action spectrum¹⁷.

Liability. RTHS § 37 provides for a fine of up to 250 fine units, and for a legal person up to 80,000 euros; the Health Board conducts the extra-judicial proceedings¹⁸.

Documents

The regulation requires certain documents to be kept at the place of business:

for cosmetic devices, the instructions for use and, where relevant, installation and maintenance documents²⁰;
for each solarium device, the technical documentation and a record of lamp changes¹⁷.

State fee and processing time

Whether a state fee or a processing time applies is specified for the client's situation. The Health Board supervises compliance with the requirements and checks documents and work organisation⁷²². Other formalities may arise from other activities of the same business (for example, wholesale of products) and are specified for the client's case.

What LexorCorp Global OÜ does and how to order

LexorCorp Global OÜ offers the row "Activity licence application documentation" in its licensed and regulated companies category. The site describes the row as including the requirements of the act for the activity, from its official text²¹. For beauty and personal services there is no licence application to submit, so the work under this row is to set out, from the official texts, the requirements that apply to the client's planned services, premises and staff, and the documents to be kept on site.

The published price is from €3,500, one-time; no VAT is added²¹. The price is the professional fee for the work described; it does not include state or supervisory fees or third-party costs²¹. LexorCorp does not give legal or tax advice, does not audit premises, and does not promise any outcome of a Health Board inspection.

Order: order form

Sources

Rahvatervishoiu seadus, header and § 68(1) — text in force from 01.05.2026 (wording valid until 31.12.2027)
RTHS § 19(1) — text in force from 01.05.2026 (wording valid until 31.12.2027)
Regulation No 41 § 2 p 1–2 — text in force from 30.10.2026
Regulation No 41, header and preamble; RTHS § 19(6) — text in force from 30.10.2026
Regulation No 41 § 1(2) — text in force from 30.10.2026
Regulation No 41 § 3(1) — text in force from 30.10.2026
RTHS § 32(1) — text in force from 01.05.2026 (wording valid until 31.12.2027)
MSÜS § 4(1), § 14(1), § 16(1) — text in force from 01.09.2025
Terviseamet, Ilu- ja isikuteenuse osutajale (updated 23.10.2026) — text in force from page updated 23.10.2026
RTHS § 19(2); Regulation No 41 § 7(1)–(3), § 11(6), § 13(2) — text in force from 30.10.2026
Terviseamet, Ilu- ja isikuteenuse osutajale — text in force from page updated 23.10.2026
RTHS § 19(3)–(5) — text in force from 01.05.2026 (wording valid until 31.12.2027)
Regulation No 41 § 5(2), § 6(1), § 6(5) — text in force from 30.10.2026
Regulation No 41 § 3(2), § 10(1) — text in force from 30.10.2026
RTHS § 18(2) — text in force from 01.05.2026 (wording valid until 31.12.2027)
Regulation No 41 § 4 — text in force from 30.10.2026
Regulation No 41 § 11(1)–(5), § 12(1), (2), (5) — text in force from 30.10.2026
RTHS § 37, § 38(1) — text in force from 01.05.2026 (wording valid until 31.12.2027)
Nõuded ujulatele, basseinidele ja veekeskustele § 2(1) p 3 — text in force from 01.09.2025
Regulation No 41 § 8(3) — text in force from 30.10.2026
LexorCorp Global price list and service description (price list)
Terviseamet, Ilu- ja isikuteenuse osutajale — text in force from page updated 23.10.2026

Sources are named in the text, without links. To see which of our services your company needs, open the Business Navigator.

Beauty and personal services in Estonia: rules, supervision and formalities