New Hampshire microblading and permanent makeup rules
Do you need a license to do microblading in New Hampshire?
Yes. New Hampshire's body art license covers tattooing, including cosmetic tattoos such as permanent makeup. A licensed cosmetologist or esthetician can instead microblade eyebrows with a microblading certificate; anyone else needs the body art license. Below: the studio license, the agency that issues them, local rules and what New Hampshire says about microblading itself, each answered from New Hampshire's own statutes, rules or agency pages, read on October 24, 2026.
- Artist license
- License needed
- Studio license
- Not stated
- Artist fee
- Not stated
- Local rules
- Not stated
Licensed by New Hampshire Office of Professional Licensure and Certification (OPLC).The agency's page The state's own words
The artist
Do you need a license to do permanent makeup in New Hampshire?
Yes. New Hampshire's body art license covers tattooing, including cosmetic tattoos such as permanent makeup. A licensed cosmetologist or esthetician can instead microblade eyebrows with a microblading certificate; anyone else needs the body art license.
- License needed
- License needed
- License name
- Body art practitioner license, Microblading certificate (licensed cosmetologists and estheticians)
- Training hours
- Not stated
- State fee
- Not stated
The studio
Does a microblading studio need a license in New Hampshire?
Not stated. New Hampshire's rules define a body art establishment, but the official pages we read show no separate state license for the studio. Ask OPLC.
- License needed
- Not stated
Microblading by name
Is microblading considered tattooing in New Hampshire?
Yes, by name. New Hampshire's law names microblading of the eyebrows: only a body art licensee, or a licensed cosmetologist or esthetician with a microblading certificate, may do it.
Good to know
What else New Hampshire asks of permanent makeup artists
- Applicants for a body art license must complete a state-approved course in sterilization methods and techniques.
- Tattooing a person under 18 is prohibited in New Hampshire.
Sources
What New Hampshire's official pages say
Each answer above, in the words of New Hampshire's own statutes, rules or agency pages, read on October 24, 2026. Rules change, and counties can add their own: confirm with OPLC before you start.
- The artist's license
“It shall be unlawful for any person to practice body piercing, branding, or tattooing without a license”
gencourt.state.nh.us “(c)Tattooing, including cosmetic tattoos.”
gencourt.state.nh.us “The term includes “permanent makeup” and “micropigmentation”.”
gencourt.state.nh.us “It shall be unlawful for any person who is not licensed under this chapter to perform the microblading of eyebrows, unless such person has a current license to practice as a cosmetologist or an esthetician under RSA 313-A and has been issued a certificate for microblading eyebrows”
gencourt.state.nh.us ““Initial license” means the first body art practitioner license an individual receives from the OPLC pursuant to RSA 314-A:2.”
gencourt.state.nh.us “Establishing the requirements and procedures for licensed cosmetologists and licensed estheticians to obtain a microblading certificate.”
gencourt.state.nh.us - Who issues it
“The office of professional licensure and certification (OPLC) shall send all notifications to applicants and licensees”
gencourt.state.nh.us - Microblading by name
“Plc 602.18“Microblading” means the use of a”
gencourt.state.nh.us - Also good to know
“Has completed a course approved by the executive director in methods and techniques for the proper sterilization of instruments and materials used in body piercing, branding, or tattooing.”
gencourt.state.nh.us - Also good to know
“Branding and tattooing a person under the age of 18 is prohibited.”
gencourt.state.nh.us
Questions
New Hampshire microblading licenses, answered
Do you need a license to do microblading in New Hampshire?
Is microblading considered tattooing or permanent makeup in New Hampshire?
Does a permanent makeup studio need a license in New Hampshire?
Who licenses permanent makeup artists in New Hampshire?
Does a cosmetology or esthetician license cover microblading in New Hampshire?
Plan the rest
Licensed and ready to book clients
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- What New Hampshire requires to open a salon or studio
- What New Hampshire inspectors check in a salon
- Renting a room or a chair? Start from a booth rental agreement
Microblading rules in other states
Ready when you are
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