Most tattoo artists will not tattoo anyone under the age of 15 or 16 for safety and liability purposes.
Minors need verbal consent from a parent or legal guardian to receive a piercing or tattoo and the parent or guardian must be present.
In Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania and Queensland, it's a criminal offence for a tattooist to do tattoos for someone under 18 years. In the Australian Capital Territory and New South Wales, teenagers under 18 years need to get their parents' permission for tattoos.
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.
There is no federal minimum age for tattoos, and state laws vary widely.
Technically speaking, there is no limit on how young a person can be to get a tattoo. Thirty-eight states have laws that allow tattooing on minors with informed parental consent, or for the parent to be present. This does not mean a baby can just crawl in and get a tattoo, however.
It is illegal for anyone to give someone under 18 years old a tattoo. This law applies to tattoo artists as well as everyone else.
NSW. In New South Wales you have to be 18 years old to be able to get a tattoo without your parents' permission. If you're under 18 you can only get a tattoo if your parent is with you when you get it, or you have written permission from your parents.
Tattoos. 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.
If you are under 18 the parent or legal guardian must accompany the minor for the entire procedure. A government issued photo ID will be needed from both the minor and the parent or legal guardian.
The minimum age an individual can get a tattoo in Bali is 15 years old. However, a lot of professional tattoo parlors will only tattoo people 18 years and older with a valid ID.
In Victoria, it is illegal to tattoo any person under the age of 18.
As tattoo artist Yoyo Lee notes, stick-and-pokes are generally as safe as a machine tattoo, if done correctly—in some cases, they are actually even easier to take care of: "The healing process is usually shorter and more comfortable, because there's no intense itchiness."
It is illegal for minors to get a tattoo AND for minors to give a tattoo. Most states only allow tattoos to be provided by a state-licensed facility under rigorously sterile conditions. Allowing minors to have stick & poke tattoos could even be seen as child abuse.
If you have visible tattoos that are not necessarily vulgar or negative, these will often be accepted in any school system. However, most school systems will not allow excessive tattoos like full sleeves, face tattoos, or those that may be viewed negatively by parents.
Not only are their potential risks to this procedure, but it is also a matter of consent. Many physicians and piercing experts agree: Children should not be pierced before they are ready. This means infant and toddler piercing should be avoided, as they cannot decide if this is something which they want.
In New South Wales you generally need to be 18 to get a tattoo. A tattoo includes anything that results in a permanent mark being made on your skin, including branding, scarification or beading.
Goode suggests waiting until at least age 10 for a second earlobe piercing; 13 for a cartilage piercing; age 14 for nostrils, lips and navels; age 15 for a tragus; and 17 or 18 for an industrial piercing. These piercings are “a bit more intense on the pain scale,” she says, and they take longer to heal.
In most states that allow nose piercings for minors, 14 is the minimum age. Keep in mind that 14 may be too young for your teen to have a piercing. 16 and older is usually a good age to determine if your teen can handle a nose piercing.
Tattooing older skin means working with a softer, less elastic material that's far more prone to bruising. Choose a design that will work with you — and your skin: Fragile skin also means that the kind of intricate designs younger people get are far more difficult to do on seniors.
A Senior's Guide to Getting Tattooed. If you never got that “Mom” tattoo because Mom called it an eyesore, you're in luck: You can still get a tattoo at age 80!