Cosmetology / Barber License from New Mexico to Michigan: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Does Michigan accept a New Mexico cosmetology license?
A cosmetology license transfers from New Mexico 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 New Mexico 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
This move runs downhill. New Mexico trained you to 1,600 hours; Michigan requires only 1,500. 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.
What's different between New Mexico 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
New Mexico to Michigan (this page): Licensure by endorsement.
Michigan to New Mexico (the reverse move): Licensure by endorsement.
The route is the same in both directions.
- Does coming from New Mexico matter?
Coming from New Mexico 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 New Mexico nor Michigan has enacted the Cosmetology Licensure Compact.
- Application fee
Michigan lists $63 for an out-of-state applicant and New Mexico lists $100–$150 for the reverse move; neither may be the full cost.
- Processing time
New Mexico lists 1–4 weeks 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; New Mexico's is 1,600.
Michigan's is 100 training hours lower than New Mexico's.
- Exam rules on record
Michigan and New Mexico 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)
- New Mexico (the reverse move): No New Mexico exam is required to obtain the expedited (reciprocity) license, but exam credit does not fully transfer; under 16.34.6.12 NMAC an expedited licensee must pass the board's practical and written examinations as a prerequisite to first license renewal
What changes, New Mexico → Michigan
| New Mexico (current) | Michigan (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| CLC status | Licensure by endorsement | Licensure by endorsement |
| Training hours | 1,600 | 1,500 |
| Application fee | $100–$150 (16.34.14.8 NMAC sets a $100 cosmetologist original license fee (I) and a $150 expedited license (original) fee (P); the board FAQ does not state which applies to an out-of-state (reciprocity) applicant, exact total shown at payment in NM-PLUS) | $63 (application fee plus 2-year license fee; same $63 total for licensure by examination or reciprocity) |
| Processing time | 1–4 weeks (board FAQ says applications are approved within 3-5 business days of completion; 16.34.6.10 NMAC requires issuance of the expedited license within 30 days of a complete application) | LARA does not publish a processing timeframe in the cosmetology licensing guide |
| Licensing authority | New Mexico Board of Barbers and Cosmetologists (Regulation and Licensing Department) | 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 New Mexico 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)
- NM RLD Barbers and Cosmetologists — FAQs (reciprocity process, jurisprudence exam, fees) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- 16.34.6 NMAC — Expedited licensure for out-of-state licensees ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- 16.34.5 NMAC — Cosmetologist license (1600 hours or equivalent credit) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- 16.34.14 NMAC — Fees ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
Reviewed by the License Reciprocity Editorial Team · verified against primary sources New Mexico 2026-10-29, Michigan 2026-07-21
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