Cosmetology / Barber License from Missouri to Michigan: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Does Michigan accept a Missouri cosmetology license?
A cosmetology license transfers from Missouri to Michigan by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA), Bureau of Professional Licensing — Cosmetology, verify your Missouri license, and meet Michigan's endorsement requirements. Michigan does not re-examine licensure-by-endorsement applicants; instead you must show your licensing state's requirements were substantially equal — a theory and practical examination plus at least 1,500 hours of prelicensure training or a 2-year apprenticeship (training-hour shortfalls may be substituted with work experience at 100 hours of training per 6 months of work experience).
Verify this exact pair in the checker
Same data, interactive — with share link and board links.
Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
Missouri and Michigan require identical training hours (1,500), which removes the usual friction from a cosmetology transfer. What remains is Michigan's administrative checklist below.
What's different between Missouri and Michigan
Computed from both states' verified data rows, in both directions, and from the route every other origin gets into Michigan. Exam notes are our summary of each board's published rules, with sources below.
- Route, each way
Missouri to Michigan (this page): Licensure by endorsement.
Michigan to Missouri (the reverse move): Licensure by endorsement.
The route is the same in both directions.
- Does coming from Missouri matter?
Coming from Missouri does not change the answer: every origin (the other 49 states and DC) gets the same result for a move into Michigan.
- CLC membership
Neither Missouri nor Michigan has enacted the Cosmetology Licensure Compact.
- Application fee
Michigan lists $63 for an out-of-state applicant and Missouri lists $100 for the reverse move; neither may be the full cost.
- Processing time
Missouri lists about 1 week for the reverse move; Michigan has no verified processing-time figure on file, so the two cannot be compared here.
- Training hours
Michigan's first-time-applicant standard is 1,500 training hours for the standard license; Missouri's is 1,500.
The two standards are the same.
- Exam rules on record
Michigan and Missouri carry different exam notes (our summaries, below); any state law or jurisprudence exam is listed with each state's requirements.
- Michigan (this move): Michigan does not re-examine licensure-by-endorsement applicants; instead you must show your licensing state's requirements were substantially equal — a theory and practical examination plus at least 1,500 hours of prelicensure training or a 2-year apprenticeship (training-hour shortfalls may be substituted with work experience at 100 hours of training per 6 months of work experience)
- Missouri (the reverse move): Written and practical examinations are not retaken; reciprocity applicants need only pass the Missouri online state law test with a score of at least 75%
What changes, Missouri → Michigan
| Missouri (current) | Michigan (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| CLC status | Licensure by endorsement | Licensure by endorsement |
| Training hours | 1,500 | 1,500 |
| Application fee | $100 (reciprocity application fee for operators and instructors; nonrefundable) | $63 (application fee plus 2-year license fee; same $63 total for licensure by examination or reciprocity) |
| Processing time | ~1 week (board states current processing is 3-5 business days from receipt for both paper and online (MOPRO) applications) | LARA does not publish a processing timeframe in the cosmetology licensing guide |
| Licensing authority | Missouri Board of Cosmetology and Barber Examiners (Division of Professional Registration) | Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA), Bureau of Professional Licensing — Cosmetology |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Michigan sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Michigan's current requirements on the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA), Bureau of Professional Licensing — Cosmetology website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA), Bureau of Professional Licensing — Cosmetology (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state.
- Hold an active license or registration in good standing from another state authorizing you to perform cosmetology services.
- Establish education equivalent to completion of the ninth grade.
- Have license verification submitted directly to LARA by the licensing agency of every state where you hold or ever held a cosmetology-related license.
- Apply and pay fees through the MiPLUS online licensing portal.
- 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 Missouri 2026-10-29, Michigan 2026-07-21.
- LARA — Cosmetology (profession page) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- LARA — Michigan Cosmetology Licensing Guide (PDF) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Michigan Admin Code R 338.2121b — Licensure by endorsement ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Missouri Board of Cosmetology and Barber Examiners — Application for Reciprocity (form MO 375-0401) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- Missouri Board of Cosmetology and Barber Examiners — Forms (processing times, MOPRO) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- Missouri Revised Statutes 329.050 — qualifications and required hours (board Statutes & Regulations PDF) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
Reviewed by the License Reciprocity Editorial Team · verified against primary sources Missouri 2026-10-29, Michigan 2026-07-21
How we verify · All sources · Corrections log · spot an error? hello@licensereciprocity.com