Cosmetology / Barber License from Kansas to Virginia: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Does Virginia accept a Kansas cosmetology license?
Both Kansas and Virginia have enacted the Cosmetology Licensure Compact, but multistate licenses are not yet being issued (as of 2026-10-29). Until the compact activates, transfer your cosmetology license the standard way: apply for licensure by endorsement.
Verify this exact pair in the checker
Same data, interactive — with share link and board links.
Verdict
Compact enacted — not yet issuing
Interim path until the compact activates: licensure by endorsement.
This move runs downhill. Kansas trained you to 1,500 hours; Virginia requires only 1,000. With the hour test cleared by a margin, your transfer is administrative — license verification, application, fee — and the requirements below read as a checklist rather than an obstacle course.
Both states have enacted the Cosmetology Licensure Compact. That changes nothing today — the compact is not yet operating as a multistate network — but once the compact activates, a multistate license could cover work in Virginia without a separate Virginia license (changing your home state would still mean licensing there). If your timeline is flexible, check cosmetologycompact.gov before filing.
What's different between Kansas and Virginia
Computed from both states' verified data rows, in both directions, and from the route every other origin gets into Virginia. Exam notes are our summary of each board's published rules, with sources below.
- Route, each way
Kansas to Virginia (this page): Compact enacted — not yet issuing; until it issues, licensure by endorsement.
Virginia to Kansas (the reverse move): Compact enacted — not yet issuing; until it issues, licensure by endorsement.
The route is the same in both directions.
- Does coming from Kansas matter?
Coming from Kansas matters here: only 12 of 50 origins (the other 49 states and DC) get this result for a move into Virginia.
The others get: licensure by endorsement (38).
- CLC membership
Kansas and Virginia have both enacted the Cosmetology Licensure Compact, which is not issuing yet, so it does not cover this move today.
- Application fee
Virginia lists $134.50 for an out-of-state applicant and Kansas lists $75 for the reverse move; neither may be the full cost.
- Processing time
Kansas lists 3+ weeks for the reverse move; Virginia has no verified processing-time figure on file, so the two cannot be compared here.
- Training hours
Virginia's first-time-applicant standard is 1,000 training hours for the standard license; Kansas's is 1,500.
Virginia's is 500 training hours lower than Kansas's.
- Exam rules on record
Virginia and Kansas carry different exam notes (our summaries, below); any state law or jurisprudence exam is listed with each state's requirements.
- Virginia (this move): Exams are not retaken when your out-of-state license was earned with substantially equivalent training and examination; the certification of licensure must come from the state board where you passed your exams. If your state used only one licensing examination (written or practical), you take the other one in Virginia (18VAC41-20-30 B)
- Kansas (the reverse move): Board written and practical exams are waived if you completed at least 1,500 training hours and hold an active license in another state — only a 20-question open-book exam on Kansas laws is required; applicants with fewer hours or an expired license must take the board exams
What changes, Kansas → Virginia
| Kansas (current) | Virginia (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| CLC status | CLC enacted — not yet issuing | CLC enacted — not yet issuing |
| Training hours | 1,500 | 1,000 |
| Application fee | $75 (nonrefundable out-of-state application fee; exam fees are additional only if board exams are required) | $134.50 (total License by Endorsement application fee (practitioner) on the current DPOR application (A450-1213END-v25, 07/01/2026), which includes DPOR's Technology Fee of $7.25 per year under 2026 House Bill 30; the underlying License by Endorsement fee set by 18VAC41-20-140 is $120; application fees are not refundable) |
| Processing time | 3+ weeks (board states the out-of-state process typically takes no less than 3 weeks after all documentation is received; allow 7-10 business days per document review) | no processing time published on the board pages reviewed |
| Licensing authority | Kansas Board of Cosmetology (KBOC) | Virginia Board for Barbers and Cosmetology (DPOR) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Virginia sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Virginia's current requirements on the Virginia Board for Barbers and Cosmetology (DPOR) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Virginia Board for Barbers and Cosmetology (DPOR) (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state.
- Hold a current valid cosmetology license in another state.
- Training (hours and content) must be substantially equivalent to Virginia's; if it is not (for cosmetology, under 800 hours), document three years of licensed work experience in another state on the board's form instead (18VAC41-20-30 C).
- Submit a Certification of Licensure / Letter of Good Standing dated within the last 60 days from the state board where you passed your examinations.
- If you trained in a different jurisdiction than the state of your current license, an additional certification from the original jurisdiction is required.
- Pay the fees listed above, and allow for the processing time shown there.
Official links
Related guides
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-10-29.
- DPOR — How to Transfer a License from Another State (Board for Barbers and Cosmetology, rev. 01/05/2026) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- DPOR — Barber and Cosmetology License by Endorsement application (A450-1213END-v25, 07/01/2026) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- DPOR — Cosmetology curriculum requirements (1,000-hour program) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- DPOR — Board for Barbers and Cosmetology (forms, Technology Fee notice, FAQ) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- 18VAC41-20-30 — License by endorsement (Barbering and Cosmetology Regulations) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- 18VAC41-20-140 — Fees (License by Endorsement $120) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- DPOR — Barber & Cosmetology Universal License Recognition application (A450-1213ULR-v5, 07/01/2026) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- KBOC — Application for Out-of-State Licensure (cosmetology professions, K.S.A. 65-1904b) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- KBOC — Forms and Applications ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- Cosmetology Licensure Compact — official commission site (compact not yet active) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
Reviewed by the License Reciprocity Editorial Team · verified against primary sources 2026-10-29
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