The popularity of tattoos has never been this high. In the past few decades, almost 30% to 40% of all Americans received at least one tattoo. Nowadays (before the coronavirus), hundreds of thousands of people attend tattoo conventions across the Western world.

So, it is safe to say that tattooing is widely accepted in the countries of the Western world, like European countries, North American countries, and certain cultures around the world.

However, there are still places where having or getting a tattoo can get you in a lot of trouble; in some cases, people are even thrown in jail for getting inked. In some regions, tattooing is considered blasphemous or linked to crime and crime-related organizations.

So, in case you were wondering where having or getting a tattoo could get you in trouble, you’re at the right place. In the following paragraphs we’ll take a look at countries where tattoos are illegal, banned, and punishable, so let’s get started.

Countries Where Tattoos Are Illegal or Limited

Iran

It is illegal in Islamic countries, like Iran, to get a tattoo. Under the claim that ‘tattooing is a health risk’ and ‘forbidden by God’, people who get a tattoo in Iran are at risk of being arrested, fined heavily, or even retained in prison. It is even a common practice to ‘parade’ the arrested people through the city, in public, so that the community can shame the person for having a tattoo.

What is interesting is that tattoos weren’t always illegal in Islamic countries and Iran. However, Iranian authorities, under Islamic law, have made tattoos illegal and punishable. It is believed that tattoos are done by criminals, thugs, or people who are not in Islam, which is considered sinful in itself.

Other Islamic countries with the same or similar tattoo prohibition are;

• Saudi Arabia – tattoos are illegal due to Sharia Law (foreigners with tattoos must cover them and they should remain covered until the person leaves the country)
• Afghanistan – tattoos are illegal and banned due to Sharia Law
• United Arab Emirates – it is illegal to get tattooed by a tattoo artist; tattoos are considered a form of self-injury, which is forbidden in Islam, but tourists and foreigners don’t have to cover them unless they’re offensive. In such a case, people can be banned from UAE for life.
• Malaysia – tattoos showing religious quotes (like quotes from the Quran), or illustrations of god or the prophet Muhammad, are strictly forbidden, illegal and punishable
• Yemen – tattoos aren’t strictly forbidden, but a person with a tattoo can be subjected to the Islam Sharia Law

When it comes to these countries, foreigners, and tourists who have tattoo must cover them in public at all times, otherwise, could face fine or punishment in form of being banned from the country, especially if the tattoo is offensive to the local people and religion in any way.