* Q: My school says they cannot find my hours. I took the class in the early 90’s and I am now ready to test. What can I do?.

A: Schools are required to keep student records for seven (7) years. These records must be avail to the student upon request. If the hours earned are more than seven years old, it is possible that they may not be able to be recovered. If the time frame is less than seven years, you may file a complaint against the school with the Office of Professional Compliance at 1-800-822-2113.

Also someone else wanted to know about the reciprocity and whether or not PA participated in the NIC so the information listed below is for them and was also found on the PA state board site.

Reciprocity (licensure without examination) can be granted to individuals licensed in those states with which Pennsylvania has an understanding of reciprocity. To qualify for licensure by reciprocity, an individual must have a current license and two (2) years of working experience from the original licensure date. If the applicant does not meet the requirements for reciprocity, the Pennsylvania examination (theory and practical) must be successfully completed.

PENNSYLVANIA Stopped PARTICIPATING IN THE NIC NATIONAL EXAM AS OF JUNE 1997
PENNSYLVANIA RESUMED PARTICIPATING IN THE NIC EXAM AS OF MARCH 2006

I’m trying to figure out how to stop all comments for the time being because I feel guilty when I see a question from someone and all they need to do is go to that state board and find the answer themselves. All the links are provided in the sidebar please use them because information will not be updated here on a regular basis and you can always find the answer you are seeking by visiting the state site you are interested in or sending them a direct e-mail yourself or direct these questions if you’re in school to your Admin.

Many times I have stated that laws, rules, and regulations for any state may change at any time and I really don’t have the time or desire to look up all that information it’s simply too much work and I don’t want to do it. I simply want to have fun with this blog and make a couple dollars with it and not feel like it’s become a burden for me. If anyone has information that they would like to share about their state I will keep the comments open so you may do so, but I really don’t have the time to do research I hope you understand.

I received a comment from an educator in Oregon which I will post below so it will be seen and if you are an Oregon student the information provided by Bryan may be useful to you. If more people would take the time to leave helpful information it would be much appreciated. 

Bryan’s Comment:

Your website is a great resource for many students, but with the many variances in licenses from state to state, your pat answer of check with the state you are moving to or etc. is safe.

I would like to pass on some information that I have as a Director of a School in Oregon. First, the 1450 that you have listed above is strictly for Haircutting in the state of Oregon, if you want to do hair services with chemical services i.e. color and texture services, you need 1700 hours, similar to Barber in CA. If you want Esthetics it is 500 hours, if you want Nail Technology it is 600 hours.

 There are 100 hours of career development and 150 hours of safety, sanitation, and infection control hours that overlap in each fields training. Oregon does not have a “cosmetologist” license by itself, one must be fully certified in Hair Design, Nails and Esthetics to be the equivalent of a “cosmetologist” in another state. That combined education requirement is 2300 hours, unless the student attends a “competency based” education program which is a whole other rant.

I did just recently have a graduate of my Hair Design program inquire about being a Barber in CA and was told that the education would be recognized , he would just be required to take the exams. Thought you might find this information helpful. Sincerely, Bryan Speight, Administrative Director, Image Designers, College of Cosmetology, Portland Oregon

I am assuming no one catches the broken links because no one is actually looking any further than the page that Google sent you to. I am not a genius and I do not possess a photographic memory so when you ask me for information I have to take the time to go do the research for you. I know people get impatient and want answers right now and I don’t mind helping when I can.

People try to find information, but they really don’t look very far, they kind of like for someone else to do the leg work for them. Like I said I really don’t mind helping when I see that people have earnestly checked through the information I have here and couldn’t find what they were looking for.

When I see that they don’t even bother to look and just want the answer from me I sometimes get irritated because then I have to stop what I’m in the middle of and search for it myself. I tried to make it easy to sort through, but maybe I need to restructure this blog also, but even though categories are now named and one in particular says RECIPROCITY no one looks. Sorry for shouting, but I feel much better now.

Martha: I’m a student in California and moving to Virginia. I should have the 1500 hours required for Virginia before I move, how would I go about applying for a test in Virginia?
Thank you

It’s not always easy to find the information that my readers require because a lot of the state board sites aren’t very user friendly, but I’m always willing to try and after figuring out how Virgina stores their information I found  the answer to your question and you can read it below, but here is the link that you can follow. Also listed below is info for nail technician.

You will actually have to get in touch with your state board and have them send your certified school hours to Virginia or transcript of hours. You will have to pay a fee for that and it’s non-refundable. Virginia would then decide if you will be accepted to apply for licensure.

Training outside of the Commonwealth of Virginia, but within the United States and its territories.

a. Any person completing a barber or cosmetology training program that is substantially equivalent to the Virginia program but is outside of the Commonwealth of Virginia must submit to the board documentation of the successful completion of 1,500 hours of training to be eligible for examination.

If less than 1,500 hours of barber or cosmetology training was completed, an applicant must submit a certificate, diploma or other documentation acceptable to the board verifying the completion of a substantially equivalent barber or cosmetology course and documentation of six months of barber or cosmetology work experience in order to be eligible for examination

b. Any person completing a nail technician training program that is substantially equivalent to the Virginia program but is outside of the Commonwealth of Virginia must submit to the board documentation of the successful completion of 150 hours of training to be eligible for examination

If less than 150 hours of nail technician training was completed, an applicant must submit a certificate, diploma or other documentation acceptable to the board verifying the completion of a substantially equivalent nail technician course and documentation of six months of nail technician work experience in order to be eligible for the nail technician examination.

Sebastian: I went to the Aveda Institute in NYC and just moved to Texas. I haven’t yet taken the test in NY to get my license, but was going to fly back to do so, and then see about transferring my license to Texas. I’ve called the Tx. Dept of Licensing and they say that there should be no problem getting a Texas license and that I won’t have to redo hours. But from everything I’ve looked at on the web, nothing says that Texas and NY have reciprocity. Am I not understanding them correctly?

I know the hours between NY and TX are not equal — I just want to make sure I can get my TX license as quickly as possible so I can start working. Another option I asked about was if I didn’t bother going to NY to take the exam to get licensed, but instead transfered my hours down here and took the test in Texas. The Dept. of Lic. said that “maybe” I would be allowed to take the test without doing extra hours, but it depends on the “mood” of the examiner. Hah. This is awfully confusing — any clarity would be appreciated.

My Answer:

I seriously doubt that Texas would let 500 needed hours slip past regardless the mood of the examiner. If you had your license already and had work experience then that would be documented and probably accepted.

It’s true that New York doesn’t reciprocate with many states and Texas is not on their list and usually those states react in kind so it’s very important to have everything clarified up front and make sure you get it in print so you will have proof of what was said.

If I were you I would have my certified school hours sent to Texas and finish the hours there and take the test just to make everything simple. It can get pretty expensive flying back paying fees waiting for your license, paying fees to have your certified licence proof sent to Texas Paying Texas fees to have your license approved.

Waiting to find out if your license will be accepted no return policy on fees if it’s not. Havi ng to take a course for extra hours anyhow then reapplying. Way too complicated for me. I like the simple direct approach and besides from the time you apply to take your boards till you go through the reciprocity process could be around 3 months and you might not be approved.

I had a comment yesterday from a reader that was upset with Louisiana and Tashiana Chrysanthus said:

” Louisiana stating that they “trade state for state ” is very misleading and pretty much a lie to complicate the reciprocity action. They still require an exam, even if you’ve been licensed for 15 years and have had Continuing Education every year (which Louisiana DOES NOT require). All of these websites should inform anyone looking into it and mostly Louisiana needs to step up and let applicants know of this.”

I am assuming that Tashiana has firsthand knowledge from applying for reciprocity with Louisiana and simply felt the need for a rant which is fine.Most states will have all the information you need under the Faqs page or their rules and regulations of what is required when you do reciprocate.

It is up to you the applicant to find all the information you need beforehand and if something isn’t clear, you should contact them by phone or e-mail and make sure of all requirements because once you send in your fee it is nonreturnable if you change your mind. Like I said most state board sites do give you the information, but sometimes it seems hidden, but this is a very good point to keep in mind.

Always make sure you know what is expected from you up front when applying, that way there are no hidden surprises later and you will be well prepared. A lot of states decide these things on an individual bases and with the way statutes and rules change sometimes it’s hard to keep up with all the changes. It would be great if everything was the same for every state it would make things so simple then.

jillmarie000: This is the biggest headache. Why can’t there just be national requirements? I have been licensed as an Esthetician and Cosmetologist for three years in Washington, but now that I am moving to Utah I have to jump through a thousand hoops, and I still have to go back to school! How annoying is this?!

Answer: You are so right and maybe someday they will do that. I know more and more states now require you to take a national exam, but not all. It is a big hassle. Almost all states will except work experience in lieu of the extra hours that may be required.

If I were you I would contact Utah Dept of licensing and tell them you have 3 years of experience. You would have to have your hours verified, but they will tell you exactly what you need to do for that.

I did a little checking on their site and found this Utah application and was wondering if you had checked it? Go all the way down to C it will give you information on how to proceed using your work history. Plus it has all the information anyone else would need if they are moving to Utah from any where else.

Hopefully you were working full time in those 3 years and have 4,000 hours of full time paid employment in your field and they can be verified then you wouldn’t have to go back for more training. I wasn’t sure if you were just making a comment in passing or if you wanted me to answer so I decided it might help someone else.

Donna L Boettger: I would like to renew my license from Pa. I don’t have a copy of my license so I don’t know the number. My D.O.B. is 2-13-44. I believe I was licensed in October,1963 and have kept it since then, but moving around it has gotten lost in transit. Please reply. Thank you

Answer: In cases like this all states will have a page that the public can go to to verify that someone has a license and all of your information will come up. You can either search by name or license number or use a wild card if your not sure of the spelling of a name and it will bring up every listing they have for the letter that the name starts with.

In your case it was very simple and you popped right up Issue Date: 11/30/1963 Expires: 1/31/2009 Last Renewed: 11/28/2006 Standing: This license is in good standing. I wont post everything I’ll let you have the fun of doing that discovery yourself and discovering how easy it is. When your information comes up it will show your license number and your problem will be solved.

If you click on your license number then more information will be shown. As I said before, this information is all made public so consumers and customers can check and see if someone has been reported for anything, has any violations and if they are current and legitimate. You’d be surprised how many people work without a license.

Maybe I will get a list of every states verification page so other people will be able to find the state they need at a glance. I had never really thought about this issue before so thank-you very much for your comment. I moved your comment to this post so it might be of use to others.

Pennsylvania License Verification

Tanisha: What number do I need to call to transfer my GA license to MO?

Answer: This is what Missouri says to do:

Reciprocity
Cosmetology Operators. Upon making application to the board, the board shall issue
a Missouri certificate of registration or license without an examination to a person who holds a current cosmetology license in another state, territory, or District of Columbia, provided the requirements for licensure, including but not limited to the training and examination requirements therein are substantially equal or superior to those in Missouri at the time of application. The application shall be properly completed on a
form supplied by the board and shall be accompanied by the following: (A) An affidavit completed by the state licensing agency verifying the type of license held by the applicant in that state; (B) Two (2) bust photographs measuring two inches by two inches (2? × 2?) taken within the last two (2) years; and (C) The cosmetology reciprocity fee.

Contact Information
Missouri State Board of Cosmetology
P.O. Box 1062
Jefferson City, MO 65102
573-751-1052 (phone)
573-751-8167(fax)

Amy: Hey! I am a licenses esthetician in the state of California and am moving to St. Louis Missouri. What will i need to do in order to begin working as an esthetician in Missouri?

Answer: You would need to have your certified license sent to MO and if you have work history you should have that verified and sent also because there is a 100 hours difference in state requirements. Check with them directly for the most up to date info.

Lan Tran: I’m currently holding a manicuring license from California but planning to move to Missouri, do you know if the CA license is valid in MO? Thanks!

Answer: Since the hours in both states are equal you can file for reciprocity without taking their exam.