Apply for Reciprocity for Cosmetology and Barbering Licenses

To complete an application, enter all required information and upload the following documents: 

Out of State Applications:

• One 2” x 2” photo

• A copy of your driver’s license
• A copy of your cosmetology, aesthetics, manicuring, barber, or electrologist license from another state
• A license verification. You must have the state in which you are licensed send a verification (also sometimes called a certification) of your license directly to the Board of Cosmetology and Barbering. This step must be completed whether or not your license is current. This verification or certification should indicate the status of your license, information on any pending actions, and any disciplinary information. Verifications may be emailed from your state's licensing board directly to cosmetologyandbarberingboard@mass.gov
• NOTE: If you obtained your current license in another state through reciprocity, you must also arrange to have the state where you were originally licensed send the Board a verification of your original license, even if it is expired.

• An official transcript from your cosmetology school in an envelope sealed by the school showing the subjects and the number of hours in each subject that you completed, and your graduation from the program. If your school is closed, and you are unable to provide a transcript, you must include a letter or communication from the State where your school was located confirming that it is closed. 
• Proof of passage of a licensure examination in a state or jurisdiction in the United States. This can be confirmed on the verification letter from your state or your exam score results.
• A notarized Division of Occupational Licensure Criminal Offender Record Information (CORI) Acknowledgment Form

Exam Requirement for Out of State Applicants:

Applicants are required to take an exam if any of the following apply:

• You do not have a current license in another state or jurisdiction
• You have completed a program in a school substantially equivalent to the Board’s requirements, but you do not have a license in any state or jurisdiction
• You have not passed an exam for your license in a state or jurisdiction in the United States
• Your license(s) in another state or jurisdiction have been suspended or revoked at any time.
• Your completed education is less than the Board’s required education hours:
  • 1000 hours for cosmetology, including 50 hours of manicuring and 80 hours of aesthetics
  • 600 hours for aesthetics after June 1, 2019; 300 hours of aesthetics prior to June 1, 2019
  • 100 hours for manicuring
  • 1000 hours for barbering
  • 1100 hours for electrology
• You completed your training through an apprenticeship rather than a school
• Your license in another state or jurisdiction does not cover all of the services that the Board’s license covers (for example, a hairstyling license that does not cover manicuring or aesthetics services or a barber license that does not cover chemical services).
  • Please note that you will also need to go back to school to obtain the Board’s required hours in any area that you have not received training in that is applicable to the license you are applying for. For example, if you have a hairstyling license that does not include a manicuring or aesthetics services, you will need to obtain 50 hours in manicuring and 80 hours in aesthetics training in a school to meet the Board’s requirement for a cosmetologist license. Required training hours can be found in the Board’s school regulations: Statutes and Regulations (Cosmetology and Barbering) | Mass.gov

Applicants do not have to take an exam if all the following applies:

• You have a current license in another state or jurisdiction
• You have obtained a related license by passing an exam in a state or jurisdiction in the United States
• None of your licenses have ever been suspended or revoked
• You have completed a school program substantially equivalent to the Board’s requirements (see hour requirements above)
• Your current license’s scope is equivalent to the scope of practice of the license you are applying for (for example, your cosmetologist license from another state must permit you to provide hairdressing, manicuring, and aesthetics services)

Out-of-Country Applications

• One 2” x 2” passport-style photo
• A copy of your passport
• A notarized Criminal Offender Record Information (CORI) Acknowledgment Form
• One of the following:

Either:
An affidavit/transcript from your school notarized in the country where you went to school certifying the dates of your enrollment and your completion of the course of study, as well as the exact number of hours of training in each subject. An affidavit from your school must specify the exact hours in each subject. For example, “300 hours in skin care” is too vague and will not be accepted, but “25 hours in waxing, 8 hours in skin diseases,” etc. is more specific and will be accepted. Your school affidavit must be accompanied by official documentation from the country’s government showing that the school was authorized or licensed to operate and when it was authorized or licensed. The documentation must show that the school was authorized or licensed when you attended.

Or:
An affidavit (Cosmo Affidavits, Barbering Affidavits) from your employer notarized in the country where you worked, certifying that you worked for at least two years as a cosmetologist, barber aesthetician, or manicurist. For self-employed applicants, a notarized affidavit from your landlord certifying that you operated a salon or barber shop for at least two years is acceptable.

All supporting documents must be originals and translated by an accredited agency.