Initial license applications are processed within 15 business days. All applications are reviewed in the order they are received. Incomplete applications are returned by standard mail for corrections, which will delay licensure. When you resubmit your application, it is subject to the same processing time when it is received back in the Board office. The fees you paid will carry forward until the license is issued.
To find out if you have become licensed, search your first and last name using the License Lookup. If you have a public Licensee Profile Page showing active license status, you are licensed and eligible to work even before you have received your certificate in the mail. Potential employers can use the same link to verify your licensure.
Yes. For a $150.00 expediting fee, the processing time will be reduced from 15 business days to five business days. Incomplete applications are still returned by standard mail for corrections, which will delay licensure. When you resubmit your application, it is subject to the same expedited processing time when it is received back in the Board office. You would not repay the expediting fee.
License cycles are three years long, which means licenses must be renewed every three years. When a new individual license is issued, the third year ends on the last day of the month in which the licensee was born.
A license cannot be issued for longer than three years. When a new individual license is issued, the third year ends on the last day of the month in which the licensee was born. Depending on when your birthday falls, your new license could be valid for 25 months at the least, or 36 months at the most. For example, if someone born in May is issued a license in October 2017, the license will expire on May 31, 2020. It cannot expire on May 31, 2021, because that would be longer than three years.
New applicants are not eligible to offer services until their license is issued. This includes applicants who have a license from another state or country. There is no pending or temporary status while an application is being processed. In addition, it is unlawful for a licensed salon to allow any unlicensed person to offer or perform any cosmetology regulated service, even if they’re not being paid (MN Rule 2105.0322, Subpart 2).
To find out if you have become licensed, search your first and last name using the License Lookup. If you have a public Licensee Profile Page showing active license status, you are licensed and eligible to work even before you have received your certificate in the mail. Potential employers can use the same link to verify your licensure.
Proof of high school graduation, a recognized equivalent, or a GED is NO LONGER required for initial application.
Before you can submit an application to the Board, any documents that originated in another country, such as high school diplomas or cosmetology training transcripts, must be formally evaluated by a Board-approved credentialing agency per MN Rule 2105.0183, Subpart 5. Visit the Foreign Documents page to get started.
If you completed cosmetology training in another country, see the question below: "I'm licensed in another state/country. What do I do?"
If you are or have ever been licensed in another U.S. state, you may apply for a Minnesota license using the Domestic License Transfer Application. If you are or have ever been licensed in another country and were never licensed in the U.S., you may apply for a Minnesota license using the Foreign License Transfer Application. Be aware it is illegal to offer services in Minnesota without a Minnesota license, even temporarily. There is no other license issued in or outside of the U.S. that can be used in Minnesota.
Minimum required training hours in Minnesota:
If you are or have ever been licensed in another U.S. state, refer to the flowchart on page three of the Domestic License Transfer Application for help in determining if you may need to complete additional training or a Skills Course in order to become licensed in Minnesota. Bear in mind that whether or not you will need to take any additional training and/or exams other than the Minnesota State Laws & Rules Examination depends entirely on what your other state(s) of licensure verify to the Board in their license certification letters.
If you were a practitioner in another country who never became licensed in the U.S., you need to apply to a licensed Minnesota cosmetology school as a transfer student before you can apply for a license here. You also will need to have all appropriate non-U.S. documents credentialed and verified before you begin the licensing process. Refer to the instructions on the Foreign License Transfer Application and the Foreign Documents page.
Licensing > Individual Applications
All written exams and instructor exams are taken in person at a PSI testing center. Contact PSI at 1-800-733-9267 or www.psiexams.com to schedule. Exam fees are set by PSI and are not included in license fees.
Exam resources are available under Licensing>Testing, including links to exam outlines and current laws (MN Statutes Chapter 155A) and rules (MN Rules Chapters 2105 and 2110). The Board does not offer practice exams.
No. In order to offer cosmetic hair care services in Minnesota, you also must be trained and licensed to offer cosmetic skin and nail care services. If you were licensed in another state or country just to do hair, you will need more cosmetology training in Minnesota before you can apply for a license.
No. Manager/master licenses are not eligible for transfer. You must first apply for and obtain a Minnesota operator license, then complete the requirements to apply for and obtain a salon manager license. Refer to the Salon Manager License Application for requirements. Work experience from a licensed salon outside of Minnesota may be used to meet the work experience requirement.
Licensing > Indvidual Applications
Yes, under certain conditions. Refer to the Instructor License Application for requirements. Be aware you must apply for and obtain a Minnesota operator license before you can obtain an instructor license.
Licensing > Individual Applications
No. All paper applications must be submitted by mail or in person to the Board office with fee payment by check or money order. Exact cash is accepted when you submit an application in person. Credit card payments are not accepted for initial applications.
Licensing > Individual Applications
Board staff cannot share application information with anyone other than the applicant due to data privacy laws. This includes whether or not an application has ever been received in the Board office. Once an applicant becomes licensed, their license information becomes public. You may use the License Lookup to verify if someone is licensed.
Course Completion Certificates are valid for five years from the completion date, so you have up to five years to obtain a license without returning to school. After five years, you will need to take and pass a Skills Course before you can apply for a license. Be reminded that written exam results are valid for one calendar year from the date the exam is passed, so you may need to retake those exams before applying.
Previous cosmetology rules required graduates to retake their entire course of training if they did not obtain a license within three years of graduation. This changed when revised rules took effect on September 13, 2016.
