1. How do I apply for licensure in California if I received my training in another state but did not receive a license?

If your training was completed in a different state and you did not receive a license, the California Board will determine your eligibility. Out of State applicants cannot apply online. The Board does not accept Apprentice hours. The California Board of Barbering and Cosmetology requires the following school hours, depending on your license type:

Cosmetologist = 1600 hours, Barber = 1500 hours, Esthetician = 600 hours, Electrologist = 600 hours, Manicurist = 400 hours.

A. Submit the Initial Exam Application along with the Out of State Applicant School Training Form B. Form B must be completed by the school you attended out of state. You must also sign and date the completed Form B. Submit the Initial Exam Application and Form B at the same time. B. The Board will review your Application and Form B to determine if you have enough hours to qualify for the exam or if you will need to complete additional school hours. The Board will send you a deficiency letter if you need to complete additional hours. You may complete the additional hours in the state you are currently residing or at a Board approved California school. C. A Proof of Training from the Board approved California school or a second Form B must be submitted to the California Board once the additional hours are completed. D. After your application is approved, you will be scheduled to take the written and practical exam on the same day at one of our exam sites in Northern California (Fairfield) or Southern California (Glendale). The Board will schedule you for the exam at the location you selected on your application. You will receive an admission letter 2 to 6 weeks after your application has been approved, depending on the license type and the amount of pending applications at the Board. Your exam date will be between 25 to 40 days after you have received your admission letter. E. The Board has information about the exam on our web site. We recommend that you review this information prior to your exam. Click Examination Information for more details. F. Candidates who pass both portions of the exam on the same day will be issued a license on the day of their exam.

2. I have an out of state license, do I qualify for reciprocity? What is reciprocity?

The Board issues out of state licensees a California license through reciprocity without taking the California written and practical exam, if they submit the following:

A. A complete Reciprocity Application and all fees required by the California Board. B. Proof of a current license issued by another state to practice that meets all of the following requirements: a. It is not revoked, suspended, or otherwise restricted.

b. It is in good standing.

c. It has been active for three of the last five years, during which time the applicant has not been subject to disciplinary action or a criminal conviction.

3. I qualify for reciprocity. How do I apply for a California license?

A. Contact the state board that issued your out of state license and request a certification of your licensure to be sent directly to the California Board. Note: Florida Full, Facial, and Nail Specialist licenses do not qualify for reciprocity. B. Submit a Reciprocity Application to the Board. Click Reciprocity Application to download the application or submit an application online through BreEZe. Applications submitted through BreEZe are processed up to 3 weeks faster than applications submitted through the mail. C. After your application has been received, the Board will verify your certification has been received which shows you have a current out of state license that meets the qualifying criteria, as stated above. If the certification has not been received, the board will send you a deficiency letter. Once the certification is received, the application will be re-evaluated. D. After your application is approved, PSI will send you a reciprocity approval packet, noting the various PSI locations throughout California. You will then go to the nearest PSI location where they will take your photo and issue your license. Please call PSI at 1-800-733-9267 to confirm the business hours of the location nearest to you. You can only receive a California license by going to a PSI location in California. You do not need to make an appointment to obtain the license from PSI.

4. My license from another state is expired. Do I still qualify for reciprocity?

No, you must have a current license to qualify.

5. How do I submit proof of my out of state licensure to qualify for reciprocity?

The Board requires the state where you hold your license to submit a certification of your license to us. There is usually a fee associated with this. Please check with the state where you hold a current license. Florida Full, Facial, and Nail Specialist licenses do not qualify for reciprocity.

6. If I hold two or more licenses issued in different states, will I qualify for reciprocity?

If one of the out of state licenses is current and you have held it for less than three years, you may qualify for reciprocity if the same license type was issued in an earlier year by another state board and is now expired. In this situation, you will need to order license certifications from both state boards to be sent to our office as verification.

7. What is Form B (Out of State Applicant School Training Record) for?

The Out of State Applicant School Training Form B completed by your school certifies your training hours and is used by the Board to determine if you have enough hours to qualify for the exam.

8. How do I apply for licensure in California if I am licensed in another state but have not held that license for three years or more?

The Board does not accept Apprentice hours. The California Board of Barbering and Cosmetology requires the following school hours, depending on your license type:

Cosmetologist = 1600 hours, Barber = 1500 hours, Esthetician = 600 hours, Electrologist = 600 hours, Manicurist = 400 hours.

A. Contact the state board that issued your out of state license and request a certification of your licensure to be sent directly to the California Board. If you do not have enough hours and are licensed, you can substitute hours for experience. Include a completed Affidavit of Experience Form C with your application. Each three months of practice shall be deemed the equivalent of 100 hours of training. Example: your state requires 1400 hours; we require 1500 hours. If you worked in your state for 3 full months with that license, we will credit you with an additional 100 hours. You can find Form C on our website by clicking Exam Application Optional Attachments. B. Submit your completed Initial Exam Application with the required fee to the Board at the address listed at the top of the application. You may apply for the exam at the same time you request certification of licensure from the state where you are licensed. The Initial Exam Application can be downloaded from our website by clicking on Examination Application. Please choose the appropriate application type, as the application fee is non-refundable. Out of State applicants cannot submit an online application. C. After your application has been received, the Board will verify your certification has been received. If the certification has not been received, the Board will send you a deficiency letter. After the certification is received, the application will be re-evaluated. D. Once your application is approved; you will be scheduled to take the written and practical exam on the same day at one of our exam sites in Northern California (Fairfield) or Southern California (Glendale). The Board will schedule you at the location you selected on your application. You will receive an admission letter 2 to 6 weeks after your application has been approved, depending on the license type and the amount of pending applications the Board has. Your exam date will be between 25 to 40 days after you receive your admission letter. E. The Board has information about the exam on our web site. We recommend that you review this information prior to your exam. Click Examination Information for more details. F. Candidates who pass both portions of the exam will be issued a license on the day of their exam.

9. If I do not have enough hours to qualify for the exam, can I use my experience as a licensed person in my current state?

Yes, attach a completed Affidavit of Experience Form C to your application. Every 3 full months you worked as a licensed person in your state is equal to 100 hours to be applied toward your training hours. Example: Your state requires 1400 hours; we require 1500 hours. You worked in your state for 3 months. We will credit you with an additional 100 hours. You can find Form C on our website by clicking Exam Application Optional Attachments.

10. How do I apply for licensure in California if I am licensed in another country?

A. Submit a completed Initial Exam Application with the required fee to the Board at the address listed at the top of the application along with documents related to your foreign training and experience. For school training submit: certificates, diplomas, transcripts with a course breakdown of hours for each course, and school training record (Form B). For work experience submit: employment contracts, tax records and bank statements showing income from working in a salon, paystubs, letters from employers detailing the dates you worked and services performed, and an Affidavit of Experience (Form C) for each location worked. The documents must show the length of time worked and the work experience must be after your graduation date from the training in your profession and be in the country where you completed your training. Submit your documents in the native language and include certified translations. B. If necessary, the Board will request additional information to verify the education you received meets the Board’s requirements. C. Once your application is approved, you will be scheduled to take the written and practical exam on the same day at one of our exam sites in Northern California (Fairfield) or Southern California (Glendale). The Board will schedule you at the location you choose on the application. You will receive an admission letter 2 to 6 weeks after your application has been approved, depending on the license type and the amount of pending applications the Board has. Your exam date will be between 25 to 40 days after you receive your admission letter. D. The Board has information about the exam on our web site. We recommend that you review this information prior to your exam. Click Examination Information for more details. E. Candidates who pass both portions of the exam on the same day will be issued a license on the day of their exam.

11. I am licensed in California and moving to another state. How do I transfer my license?

Contact the licensing agency of the state you are moving to for licensing requirements. All states have different requirements.

You may need to request a Certification of Licensure from the Board. You can request a Certification online through BreEZe or through the mail. Certifications submitted online generally take 2 to 4 weeks to be processed, mailed and received by the other state. Certification requests submitted through the mail generally take 4 to 6 weeks to be processed, mailed and received by the other state board. The fee is $10.00 for each certification requested. The Board will send one certification of licensure directly to the state indicated. All certifications indicate the following information: required hours needed to take the examination in California for the license you hold, whether the examination was taken or the license was issued through reciprocity, the license number, and the issue and expiration date of the license.

That the Board does not retain school transcripts of your school hours. If the state you are moving to requires transcripts, you must obtain these from the school you attended.