How to Report a Public Hygiene Business — Hair Salons, Nail Shops, Barbershops, Bathhouses and Laundries: 3-Hour Hygiene Training, Licenses and Facility Standards

Procedure

1. 1. Decide the business type and the beauty business sub-type

   The beauty business is reported as a general beauty business (perms, haircuts, dyeing, etc.), skin care beauty business, nail beauty business, makeup beauty business, or a comprehensive beauty business that does all of these (Article 2(1)5 of the Act). Bathrooms attached to lodging businesses and body temperature control rooms of comprehensive sports facility businesses are not subject to the bathhouse business report. The lodging business is covered separately in the general lodging business report guide.

2. 2. Check the barber or beautician license and its scope

   Only licensed persons may open a barbershop or beauty business (Article 8 of the Act). The scope of a beautician license differs by qualification type and acquisition date, and a person licensed with a beautician (general) qualification acquired on or after June 1, 2016 does not have nail, skin care, or makeup work within their scope. First confirm that the beauty business type you intend to report matches the scope of the founder's license.

3. 3. Check building use and facility standards before signing a lease

   Barbershops, beauty salons, bathhouses, and laundries fall under Class 1 neighborhood living facilities under the Building Act, and the official checks the building register and the land use plan confirmation when you report. The business place must be separated from other uses by walls or floors or partitioned by partitions or curtains; barbershops and beauty businesses need sterilizers or UV sterilizers and containers for storing sterilized and unsterilized tools separately, bathhouses need bathing rooms, changing rooms, and sweating rooms with separation by gender, and laundries need a storage box for laundry chemicals (Enforcement Rule Annex 1).

4. 4. Complete 3 hours of hygiene training

   A person who intends to report a public hygiene business must complete 3 hours of hygiene training in advance and must also take it every year after opening (Article 17 of the Act, Enforcement Rule Article 23). If you cannot take it in advance due to natural disaster, illness, overseas business travel, or circumstances of the training organization, you may take it within 6 months after reporting. If you run two or more beauty businesses at the same place, training for one beauty business counts for the others.

5. 5. Submit the business report and receive the certificate

   Submit the business report in Form No. 1 with a summary of business facilities and equipment and the training certificate to the city, county, or district; you can also file through Government24. The official checks the license, the electrical safety inspection certificate, and for bathhouses the certificate of completion of safety facilities through shared administrative data, and issues the business report certificate immediately. If a facility check is needed, an on-site check is made within 30 days after issuing the certificate.

Required documents

• Business report (Enforcement Rule of the Public Health Control Act, Form No. 1, indicating the business type including the beauty business sub-type)
• Summary of business facilities and equipment
• Hygiene training certificate (if training was completed before reporting)
• Barber or beautician license (for barbershop and beauty businesses; submit directly if you do not consent to verification by the official)
• Certificate of completion of safety facilities (for bathhouses that are multi-use businesses; submit directly if you do not consent to verification by the official)
• Electrical safety inspection certificate and LPG facility completion inspection certificate (if subject to inspection)
• State property use permit or railway facility use contract (if operating inside a railway station or military facility)
• Building register and land use plan confirmation (verified by the official so not submitted, but review them before signing a lease)
• Letter of authorization (if an administrative agent submits on your behalf)

Fees

Generally in the range of tens of thousands to a few hundred thousand won. We provide a quote after consultation based on the business type and number of beauty business sub-types, the scope of building use and facility review, and whether a change report or succession report is involved. Hygiene training fees and other government or training organization costs are separate.

See fees and official charges for this service →

Legal basis and review date

• Public Health Control Act, Article 2
• Public Health Control Act, Article 3
• Public Health Control Act, Article 3-2
• Public Health Control Act, Article 6
• Public Health Control Act, Article 8
• Public Health Control Act, Article 17
• Public Health Control Act, Article 20
• Enforcement Decree of the Public Health Control Act, Article 2
• Enforcement Rule of the Public Health Control Act, Articles 2, 3, 3-2, 3-3, 14 and 23
• Enforcement Rule of the Public Health Control Act, Annex 1
• Enforcement Rule of the Public Health Control Act, Form No. 1
• Enforcement Decree of the Building Act, Annex 1, Item 3(c)

Checked against the statutes on 2026-10-16

Statutes and public notices change, so each case needs to be checked individually. Statute titles are given in English for reference. The Korean statutes are the authoritative text.

Check these first

• Changes to the trade name, business place address, an increase or decrease of 1/3 or more of the business area, the representative's name or date of birth, and a change or addition of beauty business types require a change report, and failing to file is punishable by imprisonment of up to 6 months or a fine of up to 5,000,000 won. Operating without reporting is punishable by imprisonment of up to 1 year or a fine of up to 10,000,000 won.
• A closure report must be filed within 20 days from the closure date, and it cannot be filed during a business suspension period.

Frequently asked questions