Cosmetology / Barber License from Washington to Virginia: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Does Virginia accept a Washington cosmetology license?
Both Washington and Virginia have enacted the Cosmetology Licensure Compact, but multistate licenses are not yet being issued (as of 2026-10-29). Until the compact activates, transfer your cosmetology license the standard way: apply for licensure by endorsement.
Verify this exact pair in the checker
Same data, interactive — with share link and board links.
Verdict
Compact enacted — not yet issuing
Interim path until the compact activates: licensure by endorsement.
This move runs downhill. Washington trained you to 1,600 hours; Virginia requires only 1,000. 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.
Both states have enacted the Cosmetology Licensure Compact. That changes nothing today — the compact is not yet operating as a multistate network — but once the compact activates, a multistate license could cover work in Virginia without a separate Virginia license (changing your home state would still mean licensing there). If your timeline is flexible, check cosmetologycompact.gov before filing.
What's different between Washington and Virginia
Computed from both states' verified data rows, in both directions, and from the route every other origin gets into Virginia. Exam notes are our summary of each board's published rules, with sources below.
- Route, each way
Washington to Virginia (this page): Compact enacted — not yet issuing; until it issues, licensure by endorsement.
Virginia to Washington (the reverse move): Compact enacted — not yet issuing; until it issues, licensure by endorsement.
The route is the same in both directions.
- Does coming from Washington matter?
Coming from Washington matters here: only 12 of 50 origins (the other 49 states and DC) get this result for a move into Virginia.
The others get: licensure by endorsement (38).
- CLC membership
Washington and Virginia have both enacted the Cosmetology Licensure Compact, which is not issuing yet, so it does not cover this move today.
- Application fee
Virginia lists $134.50 for an out-of-state applicant and Washington lists $60 for the reverse move; neither may be the full cost.
- Training hours
Virginia's first-time-applicant standard is 1,000 training hours for the standard license; Washington's is 1,600.
Virginia's is 600 training hours lower than Washington's.
- Exam rules on record
Virginia and Washington carry different exam notes (our summaries, below); any state law or jurisprudence exam is listed with each state's requirements.
- Virginia (this 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)
- Washington (the reverse move): No Washington exams if you passed your licensing jurisdiction's approved exams; applicants who have not taken exams must pass the Washington written and practical exams before licensure
What changes, Washington → Virginia
| Washington (current) | Virginia (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| CLC status | CLC enacted — not yet issuing | CLC enacted — not yet issuing |
| Training hours | 1,600 | 1,000 |
| Application fee | $60 (Reciprocity/Out-of-jurisdiction fee, $60 per license (DOL form 638-040); third-party exam fees apply if Washington exams are required) | $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) |
| Processing time | not published; DOL states online applications are issued faster than mail | no processing time published on the board pages reviewed |
| Licensing authority | Washington State Department of Licensing (DOL) — Cosmetology Program | Virginia Board for Barbers and Cosmetology (DPOR) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Virginia sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Virginia's current requirements on the Virginia Board for Barbers and Cosmetology (DPOR) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Virginia Board for Barbers and Cosmetology (DPOR) (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state.
- Hold a current valid cosmetology license in another state.
- Training (hours and content) must be substantially equivalent to Virginia's; if it is not (for cosmetology, under 800 hours), document three years of licensed work experience in another state on the board's form instead (18VAC41-20-30 C).
- Submit a Certification of Licensure / Letter of Good Standing dated within the last 60 days from the state board where you passed your examinations.
- If you trained in a different jurisdiction than the state of your current license, an additional certification from the original jurisdiction is required.
- 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.
- 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)
- WA DOL — Get your license: Cosmetology (license by reciprocity, 1,600 hours) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- WA DOL — Fees: Cosmetologists ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- WA DOL form 638-040 — License, Renewal, Reinstatement, or Reciprocity Application ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- RCW 18.16.410 — cosmetology licensure compact adopted as of June 1, 2028 ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
Reviewed by the License Reciprocity Editorial Team · verified against primary sources 2026-10-29
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