Body Art Licensing System (BATLS) Frequently Asked Questions

To complete the technician application in one sitting, be sure to have on hand:

• a photocopy of a legal ID showing you are 18 years of age or older.
• documentation of hours.
• body art establishment information where you worked.
• your supervisor’s name and Minnesota body art license number.
• documented completion of bloodborne pathogens training.
• body art licenses from other states (if applicable).
• form of payment.

To complete the temporary technician application in one sitting, be sure to have on hand:

• a photocopy of a legal ID showing you are 18 years of age or older.
• the signed supervisor agreement.
• form of payment.

To complete the guest technician application in one sitting, be sure to have on hand:

• a photocopy of a legal ID showing you are 18 years of age or older.
• body art establishment information or temporary body art event where you will work.
• your sponsor’s name and Minnesota body art license number.
• documented completion of bloodborne pathogens training.
• body art license from another state. 
• form of payment.

To complete the renewal in one sitting, be sure to have on hand:

• documented completion of bloodborne pathogens training.
• form of payment.

Once an application is submitted through the Body Art Technician Licensing System, a technician’s identified supervisor must approve the application. Then MDH staff will verify all proper documents have been received. At this point the application is considered “complete.” From this point, we anticipate issuing licenses within 7 to 10 business days after the application is complete. You will receive an email with instructions to print your own license on your personal printer.

Once an application is submitted through the Body Art Technician Licensing System, a technician’s identified supervisor must approve the application. Then MDH staff will verify all proper documents have been received. At this point the application is considered “complete.” From this point, we anticipate issuing licenses within 7 to 10 business days. You will receive an email with instructions to print your own license on your personal printer.

We are excited for the time savings the new Body Art Technician Licensing System will generate. We anticipate issuing renewals within five business days.

Once an application is submitted through the new Body Art Technician Licensing System, a technician’s identified sponsor must approve the application. Then MDH staff will verify all proper documents have been received. At this point the application is considered “complete.” From this point, we anticipate issuing licenses within five business days after the application is complete. You will receive an email with instructions to print your own license on your personal printer.

If you are completing a renewal, exit and log back in. The system will bring you back to where you left off.

If you are submitting a new application, exit, and log back in after you’ve submitted the demographic information. The system will bring you back to where you left off. If you exit before you have completed the demographic information, you will need to re-enter the information.

Yes! You can submit renewals and new license applications at any time of day or night. Plus the system is mobile-optimized, which means you can complete your renewal or application on a smart phone, tablet, or computer.

During the renewal period, you are able to make corrections to your contact information within the system. If you find an error outside of the renewal period, or need to make an update to your contact information, please email us at health.ba@state.mn.us for assistance.

If you need to update your contact information outside of the renewal period, email us at health.ba@state.mn.us for assistance.

All applications and renewals are received and processed through the Body Art Technician Licensing System because it is secure and the process moves along more quickly, therefore, MDH will not accept paper applications and renewals.

Yes. You will print your license on your personal printer. The print size is formatted for letter size paper (8.5” x 11”). We recommend printing on white paper. You can print it in color or black and white and you can print multiple copies. This is helpful if you work in multiple locations because the license must be prominently displayed wherever you are providing body art services. As a result, we will no longer send license certificates or wallet cards.

No. All certificates are printed by the technician using a personal printer. The renewal certificate is formatted for letter size paper (8.5” x 11”).

No, wallet cards are no longer available.

We encourage everyone to pay licensing fees through the Body Art Technician Licensing System because it is secure and payments are processed immediately, which moves the renewal or application process along more quickly. Both credit card and ACH (direct payments from a checking account) are accepted. If you must pay by check, indicate your intention in the “Additional Information” space. Please also email us at health.ba@state.mn.us to alert the staff of your intention. When mailing a check, attach a note stating your name, license number (if available), and the type of license being applied for so that the payment is properly applied.

US Bank processes the payments for the MDH Body Art Technician Licensing System. You may use an ACH (Automated Payment Clearinghouse), which is a secure funds transfer from your checking or savings account to US Bank to pay your license fees. The advantage is the ACH method does not have a service fee. You may also pay with a debit or credit card. However, US Bank will charge a service fee for card payments.

Late fees will be waived during the COVID-19 peacetime emergency. The new body art licensing system will not charge late fees during this time. Once the emergency is rescinded, the late fees will be reinstated.

Protecting your information is a top priority with MDH and Minnesota IT Services. We protect your information in the following ways:

Encryption. When you visit our website, we require the use of a secure browser with encryption. Using encryption protects the information by scrambling it as it is sent from your computer or device to MDH and vice versa. It helps to keep your information secure and private. All information we store in our database is also encrypted.

System monitoring. We regularly review activity logs and perform security scans of applications to identify potential problems.

Patches. We update our systems frequently so that we are using current security technology.

Limited access. We restrict access to your personal information to MDH employees who need to know that information to process your request or maintain our website. Those that have access to your information are subject to strict confidentiality obligations and may be disciplined or terminated if they fail to meet these obligations.

The public license portal shows a license holder’s name, license number, license type, license effective date and expiration date. Details for any disciplinary action can be found here:  Body Art Disciplinary Actions

Public view of licenses reinforces technicians have met the health and safety requirements established by the State of Minnesota.

No. Establishments must continue to follow the current process. Information can be found at Body Art Establishment Information.