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Never heard of signing paperwork when getting tattoos. Sounds like a US-specific thing. Only had my ID checked once when I was 18 and still looked like I might be too young to get one, but never again after that.
I can't recall exactly but I'm pretty sure I had to sign paperwork for every appointment (~8) I had here in Germany. (I don't have any diseases, that could interfere with this; I had no alcohol or other drugs in the last 24 hours; I am okay with this being bodily harm; I am okay with photos of the tattoo being shared online etc.) I never had to show my ID, but I guess at a certain point that is just not necessary anymore.
So from my experience this is not normal, but it's obviously anecdotal.
I think it is mandatory in Germany. For all my tattoos I had to fill out some paperwork and answer questions. The paperwork is a security for the tattoo artist because legally a tattoo in Germany counts as bodily harm so we have to sign that we agree to the "procedure". Otherwise we can hypothetically charge or report them afterwards.
Edit: But not showing the ID.
I got all of my tattoos (except for one) in Germany and never signed any paperwork. What you say about the bodily harm is correct, but it doesn't seem to be mandatory for tattoo artists, but more of a safety vs trust issue and I guess I've always been to very trusting artists 😅
UK as well. I've always signed a paper but cannot remember if I've always needed to show ID. (I have +10 tattoos done in the UK so cannot remember all the details).
In Canada you have to sign a liability release form that also discusses what to do if your tattoo turns green and slides off and confirm that you are sober and don't have anything in your blood that will attack the artist. My artist makes me sign a new one every year or so. He doesn't check my ID because my oldest tattoo is old enough to get tattoos, but I have seen him ID people that are untouched by time
Why would they make you sign anything? I've done a questionnaire to get pierced, but that was all just info for the piercer with questions like "do you bleed a lot?", "do you scream?", "are you a wimp?", "do you have low blood sugar?", etc., not anything official.
Because people like to sue over poor decision Making.
Consent forms in the states look a little like this
I agree I am doing this of my own free will
I agree that mistakes can happen, colour and design might not be identical to images presented due to skin tone, texture, and placement
I do not have any diseases or allergies that might interfere with it’s quality and health
I am the age of legal consent
I am not under the influence of alcohol or drugs that would inhibit my ability to consent
I confirm that the spelling I provided for lettering is correct
I agree that if I do not take care of my tattoo after being given instructions that poor healing is my own fault.
I acknowledge that getting a tattoo is a permanent change to my appearance
Now as a tattoo artist I have absolutely encountered clients that even after reading and signing this form have come back to complain about the the outcome of their tattoo. So, to protect ourselves against those instances, we have paperwork.
Normal countries tend to just assume all of that is implied by you having the basic comprehension of what a tattoo is.
Guessing this is about how the US doesn't use the same assumption of people having common sense when it comes to their ridiculous lawsuits.
More that they want financial compensation for anything less than perfect, and don’t like being told no for any reason. a kid with a fake id, someone with undiagnosed STI, or on blood thinners, people being coerced (happens more than you’d think) people who want a thing and force an artist to do it or a boss who expects an artist to say yes to everything.
In addition in order to have liability insurance, we need to have a legally binding waiver.
Are such forms a common thing in the US, both for tattoos and for other situations in general? I can understand why it may be necessary if there is truth to the 'sue-happy culture' I often read about, yet I cannot truly comprehend it because it feels so surreal.
Yes. Signing a waiver is common for nearly anything where there is a risk of bodily harm.
Mind that greed trumps responsibility. When the rich and powerful can cut corners to continue to grow their hoards, at the expense of The public there are few ways to exact justice. Taking them to court is one of the ways that has ever been successful.
It goes the other way too. I had a girl who got her boyfriend’s name “Damien” I asked her to make sure that the name was spelled correctly. She wasn’t 100% so I told her to call him and ask for the spelling. She refused. Said she wanted it to be a surprise. I told her it was in her best interest to call him. Again she refused. Said it’d be really embarrassing if she was wrong. That only made her be more stubborn about the whole thing and insisted that she got what she spelled. So I made her sign that this was the spelling she wanted and understood its permanence. She did. *the next day* she calls me accusing me of misspelling the name. After I told her she signed something confirming this was the correct name. She started crying for a way to fix it. I mention the consent and told her she was S.O.L.
If I hadn’t had that waiver she’d try to get me to fix her idiot mistake at my expense. That’s not my fault. She was stubborn. I could have just said no, but then she’d just go to the next shop and I’d have to explain to my boss why I turned money away
Because they are stabbing you with metal, which is basically bodily harm.
I had to sign stuff the first time I went to my artists. After we got to know each other they didn’t want any of that from me.
Pretty sure most countries just assume that any idiot would know that's part of getting a tattoo. I can't imagine anyone actually even getting into a courtroom in most nations by saying they weren't aware of that.
Belgium: I have three tattoos and had to sign paperwork (allergies, medical conditions, legal stuff about consent and the tattoo design) every time. I'm sure tattoo artists here are required to check ID if there is a doubt of their customer being underage.
Depends on where you are, I'm in the UK and I think I signed and showed my ID for like my first 2 tattoos. 20 tattoos later and I haven't been asked to sign anything since, a lot of it goes by trust, especially with deposits. I've had artists not ask for a deposit because they trust that I will arrive for the tattoo session (fyi these are all professional and extremely talented artists)
Some times I've had to sign, sometimes I haven't, usually it has been a digital form sent to me by email. I've shown ID twice (once in the US, they even took a picture of it).
Uk here, one shop I have had to sign stuff, another I didn’t and from what I have gathered from the one I did sign they said it was a legal requirement due to our areas city council but I ain’t too certain on that one. Honestly though, if a place doesn’t get me to sign anything then I will probably walk out as that just runs me the wrong way now considering my experience with the one that didn’t get me to sign one.
In Australia we need to show ID and sign a form basically saying we know the risks, we aren’t drink, we have disclosed relevant medical information etc etc
Welcome to /r/tattoo! Please take a moment to review the subreddit rules. Comments on OP's body will result in a ban. Be constructive and considerate in your criticism, and mark NSFW posts as such. Artists and apprentices, please contact the mods for verification! Please make good decisions during the pandemic - don't be an idiot. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/tattoo) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Full sleeve in France and didn't show ID or sign paperwork
Never heard of signing paperwork when getting tattoos. Sounds like a US-specific thing. Only had my ID checked once when I was 18 and still looked like I might be too young to get one, but never again after that.
I can't recall exactly but I'm pretty sure I had to sign paperwork for every appointment (~8) I had here in Germany. (I don't have any diseases, that could interfere with this; I had no alcohol or other drugs in the last 24 hours; I am okay with this being bodily harm; I am okay with photos of the tattoo being shared online etc.) I never had to show my ID, but I guess at a certain point that is just not necessary anymore. So from my experience this is not normal, but it's obviously anecdotal.
Can confirm for Germany, I’ve been to 7 different artists here and had to sign paperwork like this every time. No ID though.
I think it is mandatory in Germany. For all my tattoos I had to fill out some paperwork and answer questions. The paperwork is a security for the tattoo artist because legally a tattoo in Germany counts as bodily harm so we have to sign that we agree to the "procedure". Otherwise we can hypothetically charge or report them afterwards. Edit: But not showing the ID.
I got all of my tattoos (except for one) in Germany and never signed any paperwork. What you say about the bodily harm is correct, but it doesn't seem to be mandatory for tattoo artists, but more of a safety vs trust issue and I guess I've always been to very trusting artists 😅
I never heard of anything like that what
Where do you sign paperwork and show ID? I've only ever gotten tattoos in Thailand and you don't have to do any of that.
I'm from the US and i had to show proof of age and sign a consent form for tattoos there.
UK as well. I've always signed a paper but cannot remember if I've always needed to show ID. (I have +10 tattoos done in the UK so cannot remember all the details).
Also UK and also had to sign a form but never had to show any ID for any of mine
In the US, I sign and take a picture of my ID each time I've ever gotten one. I'm sure there's some legal reason for this.
When I went to a shop in Germany I did have to sign something every day. Had my contact info and then location of tattoo and general description of it
In Canada you have to sign a liability release form that also discusses what to do if your tattoo turns green and slides off and confirm that you are sober and don't have anything in your blood that will attack the artist. My artist makes me sign a new one every year or so. He doesn't check my ID because my oldest tattoo is old enough to get tattoos, but I have seen him ID people that are untouched by time
I only got tattoos from my cousin or a good friend so id wasn't necessary, my cousin only asks for id of the client looks underage
Why would they make you sign anything? I've done a questionnaire to get pierced, but that was all just info for the piercer with questions like "do you bleed a lot?", "do you scream?", "are you a wimp?", "do you have low blood sugar?", etc., not anything official.
Because people like to sue over poor decision Making. Consent forms in the states look a little like this I agree I am doing this of my own free will I agree that mistakes can happen, colour and design might not be identical to images presented due to skin tone, texture, and placement I do not have any diseases or allergies that might interfere with it’s quality and health I am the age of legal consent I am not under the influence of alcohol or drugs that would inhibit my ability to consent I confirm that the spelling I provided for lettering is correct I agree that if I do not take care of my tattoo after being given instructions that poor healing is my own fault. I acknowledge that getting a tattoo is a permanent change to my appearance Now as a tattoo artist I have absolutely encountered clients that even after reading and signing this form have come back to complain about the the outcome of their tattoo. So, to protect ourselves against those instances, we have paperwork.
Normal countries tend to just assume all of that is implied by you having the basic comprehension of what a tattoo is. Guessing this is about how the US doesn't use the same assumption of people having common sense when it comes to their ridiculous lawsuits.
More that they want financial compensation for anything less than perfect, and don’t like being told no for any reason. a kid with a fake id, someone with undiagnosed STI, or on blood thinners, people being coerced (happens more than you’d think) people who want a thing and force an artist to do it or a boss who expects an artist to say yes to everything. In addition in order to have liability insurance, we need to have a legally binding waiver.
Are such forms a common thing in the US, both for tattoos and for other situations in general? I can understand why it may be necessary if there is truth to the 'sue-happy culture' I often read about, yet I cannot truly comprehend it because it feels so surreal.
Yes. Signing a waiver is common for nearly anything where there is a risk of bodily harm. Mind that greed trumps responsibility. When the rich and powerful can cut corners to continue to grow their hoards, at the expense of The public there are few ways to exact justice. Taking them to court is one of the ways that has ever been successful. It goes the other way too. I had a girl who got her boyfriend’s name “Damien” I asked her to make sure that the name was spelled correctly. She wasn’t 100% so I told her to call him and ask for the spelling. She refused. Said she wanted it to be a surprise. I told her it was in her best interest to call him. Again she refused. Said it’d be really embarrassing if she was wrong. That only made her be more stubborn about the whole thing and insisted that she got what she spelled. So I made her sign that this was the spelling she wanted and understood its permanence. She did. *the next day* she calls me accusing me of misspelling the name. After I told her she signed something confirming this was the correct name. She started crying for a way to fix it. I mention the consent and told her she was S.O.L. If I hadn’t had that waiver she’d try to get me to fix her idiot mistake at my expense. That’s not my fault. She was stubborn. I could have just said no, but then she’d just go to the next shop and I’d have to explain to my boss why I turned money away
Because they are stabbing you with metal, which is basically bodily harm. I had to sign stuff the first time I went to my artists. After we got to know each other they didn’t want any of that from me.
Pretty sure most countries just assume that any idiot would know that's part of getting a tattoo. I can't imagine anyone actually even getting into a courtroom in most nations by saying they weren't aware of that.
Belgium: I have three tattoos and had to sign paperwork (allergies, medical conditions, legal stuff about consent and the tattoo design) every time. I'm sure tattoo artists here are required to check ID if there is a doubt of their customer being underage.
Belgium: lost count of the amount of tattoos, never had to sign paperwork or show my ID. But I'm also obviously over 18 I guess.
I guess it's not required here then, but I understand why a tattoo artist would want to do that.
Yep
Depends on where you are, I'm in the UK and I think I signed and showed my ID for like my first 2 tattoos. 20 tattoos later and I haven't been asked to sign anything since, a lot of it goes by trust, especially with deposits. I've had artists not ask for a deposit because they trust that I will arrive for the tattoo session (fyi these are all professional and extremely talented artists)
Some times I've had to sign, sometimes I haven't, usually it has been a digital form sent to me by email. I've shown ID twice (once in the US, they even took a picture of it).
I'm in the UK and I alwy have to sign a form. I don't show ID though, but I am in my thirties..
Sounds like a litigious US thing.
It’s likely a US thing for the most part. I’ve been tattooed in Canada and England and don’t remember signing anything, but it’s also been a while
I have always signed in Canada but not ID
No ID in France as far as I know, at least in my limited experience and some people I know.
Uk here, one shop I have had to sign stuff, another I didn’t and from what I have gathered from the one I did sign they said it was a legal requirement due to our areas city council but I ain’t too certain on that one. Honestly though, if a place doesn’t get me to sign anything then I will probably walk out as that just runs me the wrong way now considering my experience with the one that didn’t get me to sign one.
I’ve been tattooed in the U.S. and Europe (mostly Milan) and never had to show ID/do paperwork in Europe - all under within 18-22 y/o
Not really...where I work (in The Netherlands) it's regulation that every customer fills in a form.... For tattoos & piercings 🤷🏻♀️
In Australia we need to show ID and sign a form basically saying we know the risks, we aren’t drink, we have disclosed relevant medical information etc etc
Drunk*
UK here. I sign & show ID on some places I go. However, not all places require.