Sanepid Booklet for Hairdressers

Does a hairdresser have to have a Sanepid booklet (książeczka sanepidowska)? The question comes up with every first employee and every candidate with experience from another salon. The answer has two parts. A document called a "Sanepid booklet" no longer exists. What exists is a medical certificate for sanitary-epidemiological purposes (orzeczenie lekarskie do celów sanitarno-epidemiologicznych), and the Act defines its scope for hairdressers only in general terms, without naming the profession. This article shows what we know from the regulations, what we could not establish, and how to arrange it in a salon. We also describe the first documents of an employee in the article on documents for your first employee.

Key takeaways

• "Booklet" is a colloquial name. The 2008 Act speaks of a medical certificate on fitness for work in which infection can be transmitted, or of contraindications (Article 7(2)).
• The Act does not name hairdressers. It covers people doing work in which there is a possibility of transmitting infection (Article 6(1)(5)). We did not find a list of such work in the regulations currently in force.
• Sanitary stations treat hairdressers as covered by the obligation. The station in Iława writes this, among others. This is station guidance, not a legal act.
• The employer or the person commissioning the work pays for the employee's examinations (Article 8(4)). A candidate who goes on their own pays themselves (Article 8(4a)).
• Occupational medicine examinations are a separate track. They come from the Labour Code and do not replace the sanitary-epidemiological certificate.

Does a hairdresser have to have a Sanepid booklet

Let us start with what is in the Act. Mandatory sanitary-epidemiological examinations apply to people taking up or doing work in which there is a possibility of transmitting infection or an infectious disease to other people, who do not hold a current medical certificate (Article 6(1)(5)). Which work that is was to be determined by a Minister of Health regulation under Article 10(2)(5). In the Sejm's ELI database we found earlier lists of work (from 2003 and 2006), but they are not in force, and the 2006 regulation lost effect on 2 January 2012. We did not find a list that is currently in force.

What does this mean for a hairdresser? The provision is general and the boundary is set by the risk of the work. The Sanitary and Epidemiological Station in Iława writes on its website outright that the people covered by this provision include those providing cosmetic and hairdressing services. This is not the position of the Chief Sanitary Inspector or the Ministry of Health, so treat it as a strong hint, not as an interpretation. We did not find a different position from any authority. The practical conclusion: a person who works on the client's skin, and especially one who shaves with a razor, should have the certificate. Resolve doubts, for example about a receptionist, with your station. We described the infection-protection rules and the procedures under Article 16 in the article on what Sanepid checks in a barbershop.

Sanitary-epidemiological examinations: who needs them

The Act indicates who refers people for examinations. For people under Article 6(1)(5), it is the employer or the person commissioning the work (Article 6(2)(3)). People seeking employment or other paid work in which infection can be transmitted take the examination at their own request and state what kind of work the certificate is to cover (Article 6(2a)). The course looks like this:

1. The medical examination is carried out by a primary care doctor or an occupational medicine doctor (Article 7(1)).
2. Laboratory tests, if needed, are carried out by accredited laboratories of the State Sanitary Inspection or others with which the inspection has contracts (Article 7(4)).
3. The doctor issues a certificate of fitness for the work or of contraindications and gives it to the examined person and to the employer or the person commissioning the work (Article 7(2)), then enters it in the examination card (Article 7(3)).

The Act does not give a set of laboratory tests for a hairdresser, and we did not find an implementing regulation on this. The doctor determines the scope, so ask the clinic before the visit.

The obligation to remove someone from work is also important. If the doctor finds temporary or permanent contraindications, the person may not do that work, and the employer or the person commissioning the work must remove them immediately, preserving confidentiality (Article 10(1)). How to handle daily reporting of symptoms is explained in the text on a sick barber at work.

Initial and periodic examinations of an employee: occupational medicine

This is the second, separate track. The Labour Code provides that people taken on for work are subject to initial medical examinations (Article 229 § 1(1)), and that the employee is subject to periodic examinations (Article 229 § 2). The employer may not allow an employee to work without a current medical certificate stating no contraindications for work in a given position (Article 229 § 4). The examinations are carried out on the basis of a referral issued by the employer (Article 229 § 4a), at the employer's expense (Article 229 § 6).

Feature	Sanitary-epidemiological certificate	Occupational medicine examinations
Basis	Act on preventing infections (Articles 6, 7)	Labour Code (Article 229)
Who it concerns	People doing work with a possibility of transmitting infection, including contractors	Employees employed under an employment relationship
Who refers	Employer or person commissioning the work (Article 6(2)(3)); candidate at their own request (Article 6(2a))	Employer, by referral (Article 229 § 4a)
Who pays	Employer or person commissioning the work (Article 8(4)); candidate themselves (Article 8(4a))	Employer (Article 229 § 6)

Both examinations can be carried out by an occupational medicine doctor, but they are two different certificates. Ask the clinic whether it will issue both documents and whether you can handle them during one visit. The doctor will give the dates of periodic examinations in the certificate. Do not write them down "from memory", enter the date from the document into the register.

What the inspector checks in an employee's file

The sanitary inspector has the right to demand that documents be produced and data made available (Article 25(1)(3) of the Act on the State Sanitary Inspection). Which documents the inspector will want to see depends on the inspection. It is sensible to prepare in each person's file:

• the medical certificate for sanitary-epidemiological purposes,
• the occupational medicine certificate, if the employee is employed under an employment contract,
• confirmation of training in hygiene procedures (see sanitary training for the team),
• confirmation of having read the salon's procedures.

The infectious diseases act does not say where you should keep the certificates. In catering there is a separate provision on this in food law, but it does not apply to hair salons. The original in the file and a copy in the salon is our practice, not a requirement of a regulation.

A salon owner without employees: what obligations

This is where the Act is most silent. Article 6(2) indicates who refers people for examinations: the employer, the person commissioning the work, or the person seeking work. It does not name a self-employed person who has no employer. We did not find a regulation or an authority's position that settles this situation. The wording of Article 6(1)(5), however, speaks of people "doing work", which by its nature includes you too. That is our interpretation, not a ruling. If you work alone, take the examination at your own request, and if you have doubts, call the district station.

A barber who rents a chair from you on a B2B basis is a separate situation. Whether renting a station amounts to "commissioning the work" within the meaning of Article 6(2)(3) is not stated by the provision. We discuss the details of the agreement in the article on chair rental. In practice: write in the agreement that the collaborator provides their own current certificate.

A foreign employee's health documents

The regulations do not differentiate the obligation by citizenship. A person from Ukraine or Georgia who works with clients is subject to the same rules as a Polish citizen. The question remains whether to recognise a document issued abroad. The Act says that the certificate is issued by primary care or occupational medicine doctors (Article 7(1) and (2)). We did not find a provision recognising a foreign document as such a certificate. So plan the examination in Poland before the person starts working with clients. We describe instructions and documents in two languages in the text on a barber from Ukraine.

Frequently asked questions

Does a hairdresser have to have a Sanepid booklet?

The booklet in its old form no longer exists. The Act requires a medical certificate from people doing work in which infection can be transmitted (Article 6(1)(5)). It does not name hairdressers, but sanitary stations, for example in Iława, indicate them as covered by the obligation. If in doubt, ask your station.

Will occupational medicine examinations replace the sanitary-epidemiological certificate?

Do not treat them as the same thing. The Labour Code examinations (Article 229) and the sanitary-epidemiological certificate have different bases, and an occupational medicine doctor can issue both documents. Ask for both.

Who pays for a hairdresser's sanitary-epidemiological examinations?

If you refer an employee or contractor for the examination, the cost is borne by the employer or the person commissioning the work (Article 8(4)). When a candidate comes on their own before finding a job, they pay themselves (Article 8(4a)). Price lists vary and we do not give them, because they depend on the clinic.

Does the owner of a one-person salon have to have the certificate?

The provision does not name a self-employed person directly, but it speaks of people doing work with a risk of transmitting infection. In our view it is safer to have one. That is an interpretation, not the position of an authority.

Is a certificate issued in Ukraine enough?

We did not find a provision that recognises a foreign document as a certificate under Article 7. The certificate is issued by primary care or occupational medicine doctors, so plan the examination in Poland.

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Legal status as of: 2 November 2026
Legal basis: Act of 5 December 2008 on preventing and combating infections and infectious diseases in humans (consolidated text Journal of Laws 2025, item 1675, text in ELI; Articles 6, 7, 8, 10; we checked the 2026 amendments for the purposes of these articles); Act of 26 June 1974, the Labour Code (consolidated text Journal of Laws 2026, item 1245; Article 229 §§ 1, 2, 4, 4a, 6); Act of 14 March 1985 on the State Sanitary Inspection (consolidated text Journal of Laws 2024, item 416, as amended; Article 25(1)(3)); status of the 2003 and 2006 regulations (list of work) according to the Sejm's ELI database. The information on hairdressers comes from the website of the station in Iława (accessed 2 November 2026, it refers to an earlier consolidated text of the Act) and is not a legal act. We did not check: the position of the Chief Sanitary Inspector or the Ministry of Health on hairdressers (we did not find one), the Code of Petty Offences and sanctions for not having the certificate, the regulations under Article 229 of the Labour Code (scope of examinations), price lists of examinations, the rules on legalising the work of foreigners, or the model certificate. The conclusions on self-employed people and chair rental are our interpretation. This text is not legal advice.
Last review: 2 November 2026