The hygiene permit for beauty services in Lithuania: what to know before you start

When starting a beauty business, most attention goes to equipment, prices and Instagram. But one thing has to be sorted before your first client: in Lithuania, beauty services may only be provided with a hygiene permit (leidimas-higienos pasas) issued for that activity.

This article is a general guide based on information published by the National Public Health Centre (NVSC). Always check the exact requirements for your situation with NVSC.

Who needs one

According to NVSC, beauty services include hair care, face and body care, nail care, tattooing, permanent make-up and piercing. In other words: hair salons, manicure and pedicure rooms, skincare, lash and brow services, and tattoo studios.

The permit confirms that your working conditions meet public health safety requirements. The main legal act is hygiene standard HN 117:2007 "Health safety requirements for beauty services".

Most important: the permit is tied to an address

NVSC states that if a specialist provides services at several different addresses, a separate permit is needed for each one. This matters if you:

• move to new premises;
• work in two places (e.g. at a salon and at home);
• rent a station in another salon's premises and work under your own name — check with NVSC in whose name and for which activity the permit must be issued. It's also worth writing this into your chair rental agreement.

Which documents are needed

The permit is issued by NVSC. According to NVSC, you submit:

• an application on the standard form for a hygiene permit;
• identity documents;
• a document confirming your right to use the premises at that address (ownership, lease or loan-for-use agreement).

In some cases NVSC may ask for more documents or come to inspect the premises. The current list and how to submit it are on NVSC's website.

Requirements for people

According to NVSC, people providing beauty services must:

• undergo health checks as required;
• complete the mandatory hygiene skills and first aid training and hold valid health knowledge certificates.

This applies not only to the owner but to everyone who works with clients. Put certificate expiry dates in your calendar — expired documents are one of the most common findings in inspections.

Requirements for the work itself

They're set out in detail in HN 117, but day to day the essentials are:

• instrument processing. Reusable instruments that come into contact with broken skin or mucous membranes are soaked in disinfectant, washed, dried and sterilised;
• disposables — single client only;
• cleaning and disinfection — work surfaces, equipment, hands;
• waste — collected and disposed of properly.

For services that break the skin or mucous membranes (e.g. tattooing, permanent make-up), NVSC applies stricter requirements, including client registration.

Common mistakes

1. Starting work while the permit is still being processed. Providing services without a permit is a violation, even if everything else is in order.
2. Moving and forgetting the permit. New address, new permit.
3. Expired training certificates for staff or the owner.
4. No clear instrument-processing routine — who sterilises what, when and how.

How it relates to your business form

The hygiene permit is separate from registering your business for tax purposes. You'll need both: the permit and a business form (individual activity or a business certificate — see our separate article on choosing in 2026).

What to do tomorrow

1. Open NVSC's website and check the current document list for your activity.
2. Make sure you have a document confirming your right to use the premises.
3. Check the expiry dates of your own and your staff's training certificates.
4. Write your instrument-processing routine on one page and pin it up at your station.

Sources (in Lithuanian): NVSC — guidance for category A beauty service providers, NVSC — issuing the hygiene permit.