Cosmetology / Barber License from Virginia to Michigan: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Does Michigan accept a Virginia cosmetology license?
A cosmetology license transfers from Virginia 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 Virginia 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
The number that defines this move: Virginia licensed you at 1,000 training hours, and Michigan requires 1,500 — a 500-hour deficit on paper. That does not usually mean going back to school. It means proving the gap is covered another way: most boards in Michigan's position accept documented licensed work experience, supplemental hours, or their own exams. The requirements below are the exact menu Michigan offers.
What's different between Virginia 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
Virginia to Michigan (this page): Licensure by endorsement.
Michigan to Virginia (the reverse move): Licensure by endorsement.
The route is the same in both directions.
- Does coming from Virginia matter?
Coming from Virginia does not change the answer: every origin (the other 49 states and DC) gets the same result for a move into Michigan.
- CLC membership
Virginia has enacted the Cosmetology Licensure Compact; Michigan has not.
- Application fee
Michigan lists $63 for an out-of-state applicant and Virginia lists $134.50 for the reverse move; neither may be the full cost.
- Training hours
Michigan's first-time-applicant standard is 1,500 training hours for the standard license; Virginia's is 1,000.
Michigan's is 500 training hours higher than Virginia's.
- Exam rules on record
Michigan and Virginia 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)
- Virginia (the reverse move): Exams are not retaken when your out-of-state license was earned with substantially equivalent training and examination; the certification of licensure must come from the state board where you passed your exams. If your state used only one licensing examination (written or practical), you take the other one in Virginia (18VAC41-20-30 B)
What changes, Virginia → Michigan
| Virginia (current) | Michigan (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| CLC status | CLC enacted — not yet issuing | Licensure by endorsement |
| Training hours | 1,000 | 1,500 |
| Application fee | $134.50 (total License by Endorsement application fee (practitioner) on the current DPOR application (A450-1213END-v25, 07/01/2026), which includes DPOR's Technology Fee of $7.25 per year under 2026 House Bill 30; the underlying License by Endorsement fee set by 18VAC41-20-140 is $120; application fees are not refundable) | $63 (application fee plus 2-year license fee; same $63 total for licensure by examination or reciprocity) |
| Processing time | no processing time published on the board pages reviewed | LARA does not publish a processing timeframe in the cosmetology licensing guide |
| Licensing authority | Virginia Board for Barbers and Cosmetology (DPOR) | 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
Frequently asked questions
Virginia required 1,000 hours but Michigan wants 1,500 — do I need more school?
Not necessarily. The 500-hour gap can usually be bridged without re-enrolling: Michigan's options are listed in the requirements on this page (experience substitution and examination are the common routes). Contact the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA), Bureau of Professional Licensing — Cosmetology with your license history before paying for school hours.
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified Virginia 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)
- DPOR — How to Transfer a License from Another State (Board for Barbers and Cosmetology, rev. 01/05/2026) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- DPOR — Barber and Cosmetology License by Endorsement application (A450-1213END-v25, 07/01/2026) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- DPOR — Cosmetology curriculum requirements (1,000-hour program) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- DPOR — Board for Barbers and Cosmetology (forms, Technology Fee notice, FAQ) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- 18VAC41-20-30 — License by endorsement (Barbering and Cosmetology Regulations) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- 18VAC41-20-140 — Fees (License by Endorsement $120) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- DPOR — Barber & Cosmetology Universal License Recognition application (A450-1213ULR-v5, 07/01/2026) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
Reviewed by the License Reciprocity Editorial Team · verified against primary sources Virginia 2026-10-29, Michigan 2026-07-21
How we verify · All sources · Corrections log · spot an error? hello@licensereciprocity.com