Cosmetology / Barber License from Ohio to Connecticut: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-07-21 · source: Connecticut Department of Public Health — Hairdresser and Cosmetician Licensure ↗
A cosmetology license transfers from Ohio to Connecticut by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Connecticut Department of Public Health — Hairdresser and Cosmetician Licensure, verify your Ohio license, and meet Connecticut's endorsement requirements. No Connecticut exam is required if your licensing state required education/training and passage of an examination; applicants licensed in a state with no exam requirement instead document at least five years of licensed practice.
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Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
Ohio and Connecticut require identical training hours (1,500), which removes the usual friction from a cosmetology transfer. What remains is Connecticut's administrative checklist below.
What changes, Ohio → Connecticut
| Ohio (current) | Connecticut (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| CLC status | CLC enacted — not yet issuing | Licensure by endorsement |
| Training hours | 1,500 | 1,500 |
| Application fee | $73.5 (non-refundable reciprocity application fee paid via the eLicense portal) | $100 (application fee; applications accepted online only) |
| Processing time | board publishes no review timeline; applications are reviewed after submission and documentation via eLicense | no timeframe published by DPH |
| Licensing authority | Ohio State Cosmetology and Barber Board | Connecticut Department of Public Health — Hairdresser and Cosmetician Licensure |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Connecticut sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Connecticut's current requirements on the Connecticut Department of Public Health — Hairdresser and Cosmetician Licensure website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Connecticut Department of Public Health — Hairdresser and Cosmetician Licensure (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state.
- Hold a current hairdresser/cosmetician license in another state, DC, or a U.S. territory at the time of application.
- Submit license verification from every state where you hold or have held a license.
- If your licensing state did not require an examination, document five years of licensed practice with correspondence from former employers, coworkers or clients plus tax returns showing cosmetology as your occupation.
- Have no pending professional disciplinary action or unresolved complaints in any jurisdiction.
- Pay the fees ($100 (application fee; applications accepted online only)) and allow no timeframe published by DPH.
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does Connecticut accept a Ohio cosmetology license?
A cosmetology license transfers from Ohio to Connecticut by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Connecticut Department of Public Health — Hairdresser and Cosmetician Licensure, verify your Ohio license, and meet Connecticut's endorsement requirements. No Connecticut exam is required if your licensing state required education/training and passage of an examination; applicants licensed in a state with no exam requirement instead document at least five years of licensed practice.
Will Connecticut make me retake the cosmetology exams?
No Connecticut exam is required if your licensing state required education/training and passage of an examination; applicants licensed in a state with no exam requirement instead document at least five years of licensed practice.
What does the Ohio-to-Connecticut transfer cost and how long does it take?
$100 (application fee; applications accepted online only); processing no timeframe published by DPH.
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-07-21.
- CT DPH — Hairdresser Licensure Based on an Out-of-State License ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- CT DPH — Hairdresser Licensure by Examination (1,500-hour requirement) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Ohio State Cosmetology and Barber Board — Reciprocity ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
Reviewed by Billy Reiner, Editor · verified against primary sources 2026-07-21
How we verify · All sources · spot an error? [email protected]