Cosmetology / Barber License from New Mexico to Pennsylvania: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Does Pennsylvania accept a New Mexico cosmetology license?
A cosmetology license transfers from New Mexico to Pennsylvania by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Pennsylvania State Board of Cosmetology, verify your New Mexico license, and meet Pennsylvania's endorsement requirements. Exams are not retaken — an applicant who meets the criteria for licensure by reciprocity may obtain the license without examination (49 Pa. Code 7.31(b)).
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; Pennsylvania requires only 1,250. 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 Pennsylvania
Computed from both states' verified data rows, in both directions, and from the route every other origin gets into Pennsylvania. Exam notes are our summary of each board's published rules, with sources below.
- Route, each way
New Mexico to Pennsylvania (this page): Licensure by endorsement.
Pennsylvania 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 matters here: only 8 of 50 origins (the other 49 states and DC) get this result for a move into Pennsylvania.
The others get: reciprocity agreement (30), compact enacted — not yet issuing; until it issues, reciprocity agreement (11), and compact enacted — not yet issuing; until it issues, licensure by endorsement (1).
- Reciprocity agreements
Pennsylvania's reciprocity agreement list names 41 states, not including New Mexico.
New Mexico's row names no reciprocity agreement states.
- CLC membership
Pennsylvania has enacted the Cosmetology Licensure Compact; New Mexico has not.
- Application fee
Pennsylvania lists $89 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; Pennsylvania has no verified processing-time figure on file, so the two cannot be compared here.
- Training hours
Pennsylvania's first-time-applicant standard is 1,250 training hours for the standard license; New Mexico's is 1,600.
Pennsylvania's is 350 training hours lower than New Mexico's.
- Exam rules on record
Pennsylvania and New Mexico carry different exam notes (our summaries, below); any state law or jurisprudence exam is listed with each state's requirements.
- Pennsylvania (this move): Exams are not retaken — an applicant who meets the criteria for licensure by reciprocity may obtain the license without examination (49 Pa. Code 7.31(b))
- 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 → Pennsylvania
| New Mexico (current) | Pennsylvania (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| CLC status | Licensure by endorsement | CLC enacted — not yet issuing |
| Training hours | 1,600 | 1,250 |
| 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) | $89 (licensure by reciprocity / Act 41 endorsement application fee, applied for through the PALS portal) |
| 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) | the board's processing guide describes a three-phase timeline but publishes no fixed durations |
| Licensing authority | New Mexico Board of Barbers and Cosmetologists (Regulation and Licensing Department) | Pennsylvania State Board of Cosmetology |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Pennsylvania sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Pennsylvania's current requirements on the Pennsylvania State Board of Cosmetology website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Pennsylvania State Board of Cosmetology (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state.
- Hold a current license with a minimum of two years of licensed work experience, documented by signed employer certifications.
- Provide criminal history records checks, dated within 180 days, from every state where you lived, worked, or trained during the past five years.
- Be licensed in a state with which Pennsylvania holds a reciprocal agreement; applicants from the eight non-reciprocal states apply by Act 41 endorsement instead.
- 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.
- PA Department of State — Cosmetology Licensure Guide (reciprocity section) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- PA Department of State — Cosmetologist Licensure Snapshot ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- 49 Pa. Code Chapter 7 — State Board of Cosmetology ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- Cosmetology Licensure Compact Commission — Pennsylvania becomes 13th state to enact (SB 331) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- Cosmetology Licensure Compact Commission — FAQ (compact not yet active) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- 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 2026-10-29
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