Cosmetology / Barber License from Texas to Mississippi: Does It Transfer? (2026)

What's different between Texas and Mississippi

Computed from both states' verified data rows, in both directions, and from the route every other origin gets into Mississippi. Exam notes are our summary of each board's published rules, with sources below.

Route, each way

Texas to Mississippi (this page): Licensure by endorsement.

Mississippi to Texas (the reverse move): Licensure by endorsement.

The route is the same in both directions.

Does coming from Texas matter?

Coming from Texas matters here: only 23 of 50 origins (the other 49 states and DC) get this result for a move into Mississippi.

The others get: reciprocity agreement (27).

Reciprocity agreements

Mississippi's reciprocity agreement list names 27 states, not including Texas.

Texas's row names no reciprocity agreement states.

CLC membership

Neither Texas nor Mississippi has enacted the Cosmetology Licensure Compact.

Application fee

Mississippi lists $55 for an out-of-state applicant and Texas lists $100 for the reverse move; neither may be the full cost.

Training hours

Mississippi's first-time-applicant standard is 1,500 training hours for the standard license; Texas's is 1,000.

Mississippi's is 500 training hours higher than Texas's.

Exam rules on record

Mississippi and Texas carry different exam notes (our summaries, below); any state law or jurisprudence exam is listed with each state's requirements.

• Mississippi (this move): No practical exam for reciprocity applicants; the Mississippi written/theory exam is required unless you were licensed in 2025 or later by a state on the board's published reciprocity list, in which case the exam is waived and you proceed to the license form upon application approval
• Texas (the reverse move): No Texas examinations are required when TDLR recognizes your state's license and training as equivalent (License by Reciprocity); TDLR's out-of-state eligibility tool sets this state by state: school-trained cosmetologists from most states qualify with no minimum period of licensure, some states (for example Arizona, California, Connecticut, Florida, Indiana, Nebraska and South Dakota) require at least one year of licensure, and applicants with less may apply now but must pass the Texas written and practical exams; licensees whose state or apprenticeship training Texas does not currently recognize may request an individual credential assessment or enroll in a Texas school

What changes, Texas → Mississippi

The destination column is what you must satisfy — Mississippi sets the rules for this move.

Step by step

1. Confirm Mississippi's current requirements on the Mississippi State Board of Cosmetology and Barbering (MSBCB) website (linked below) — rules change.
2. Submit the endorsement application to the Mississippi State Board of Cosmetology and Barbering (MSBCB) (application linked below).
3. Arrange license verification from your current state.
4. Hold a practitioner license from a state or U.S. territory with educational requirements similar to Mississippi (minimum hours and 10th-grade education).
5. Submit two 2x2-inch passport-style photographs taken within the last 90 days.
6. Submit two forms of identification, at least one government-issued with photograph.
7. Submit color copies of all licenses held plus a certified letter/verification of active practice and good standing from every state board where you hold a license.
8. New Mississippi residents may instead apply under the Universal Recognition of Occupational Licenses Act (UROLA) and must pass the Mississippi Laws and Sanitation Examination within 1 year.
9. Pay the fees listed above, and allow for the processing time shown there.

Official links

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