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

What's different between Texas and Montana

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

Route, each way

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

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

The route is the same in both directions.

Does coming from Texas matter?

Coming from Texas does not change the answer: every origin (the other 49 states and DC) gets the same result for a move into Montana.

CLC membership

Neither Texas nor Montana has enacted the Cosmetology Licensure Compact.

Application fee

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

Training hours

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

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

Exam rules on record

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

• Montana (this move): Applicants licensed in one of the 33 states on the board's cosmetology substantial-equivalency list are processed as routine applications as to the education, examination, and experience requirements (ARM 24.121.615), so they are not re-examined; applicants licensed in any other state must pass the NIC cosmetology theory and practical exams (at least 75%) — a prior NIC pass counts with proof, otherwise register through the board's contractor, Prov (ARM 24.121.616, 24.121.611)
• 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 → Montana

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

Step by step

1. Confirm Montana's current requirements on the Montana Board of Barbers and Cosmetologists (Department of Labor & Industry, Business Standards Division) website (linked below) — rules change.
2. Submit the endorsement application to the Montana Board of Barbers and Cosmetologists (Department of Labor & Industry, Business Standards Division) (application linked below).
3. Arrange license verification from your current state.
4. Hold an active license in good standing from another state (37-1-304 MCA).
5. Submit official license verification from every state or jurisdiction in which you hold or have ever held a professional license.
6. Be at least 18 years old and have graduated high school or its equivalent.
7. If your state is not on the board's substantial-equivalency list, show a 1,500-hour course (or a Montana registered apprenticeship) or attest to 3,000 hours of work as a licensed cosmetologist, and provide proof of passing the NIC theory and practical exams (or register to take them through Prov).
8. Apply and pay through the state online licensing portal (Accela).
9. Pay the fees listed above, and allow for the processing time shown there.

Official links

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