Cosmetology / Barber License from Maine to Illinois: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-07-21 · source: Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR) ↗
A cosmetology license transfers from Maine to Illinois by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR), verify your Maine license, and meet Illinois's endorsement requirements. Exams are not retaken if your out-of-state license is the same as or substantially similar to the Illinois cosmetologist license; endorsement applicants who cannot satisfy all requirements may be required to submit additional information, take additional coursework, and/or pass the Illinois examination.
Verify this exact pair in the checker
Same data, interactive — with share link and board links.
Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
Maine and Illinois require identical training hours (1,500), which removes the usual friction from a cosmetology transfer. What remains is Illinois's administrative checklist below.
What changes, Maine → Illinois
| Maine (current) | Illinois (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| CLC status | Licensure by endorsement | Licensure by endorsement |
| Training hours | 1,500 | 1,500 |
| Application fee | $41 (nonrefundable endorsement fee ($20 application + $21 license), payable to Maine State Treasurer) | $45 (endorsement fee per 68 Ill. Adm. Code 1175.100(a)(7)) |
| Processing time | no timeframe published; application status can be tracked in real time on the OPOR website | IDFPR does not publish a processing time for cosmetologist endorsement |
| Licensing authority | Maine Barbering and Cosmetology Licensing Program (Office of Professional and Occupational Regulation) | Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Illinois sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Illinois's current requirements on the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR) (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state.
- Hold a current, active cosmetologist license in another U.S. state or jurisdiction.
- Submit official certification of licensure from the jurisdiction of original licensure and from the jurisdiction where currently licensed and practicing, if different.
- License must be the same or substantially similar to Illinois's; licenses obtained through reciprocity in another state may not qualify.
- Provide school transcripts and/or verification of work experience if requested.
- Complete a Department-approved abnormal skin growth (melanoma) education course for applications on or after January 1, 2026.
- Pay the fees ($45 (endorsement fee per 68 Ill. Adm. Code 1175.100(a)(7))) and allow IDFPR does not publish a processing time for cosmetologist endorsement.
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does Illinois accept a Maine cosmetology license?
A cosmetology license transfers from Maine to Illinois by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR), verify your Maine license, and meet Illinois's endorsement requirements. Exams are not retaken if your out-of-state license is the same as or substantially similar to the Illinois cosmetologist license; endorsement applicants who cannot satisfy all requirements may be required to submit additional information, take additional coursework, and/or pass the Illinois examination.
Will Illinois make me retake the cosmetology exams?
Exams are not retaken if your out-of-state license is the same as or substantially similar to the Illinois cosmetologist license; endorsement applicants who cannot satisfy all requirements may be required to submit additional information, take additional coursework, and/or pass the Illinois examination.
What does the Maine-to-Illinois transfer cost and how long does it take?
$45 (endorsement fee per 68 Ill. Adm. Code 1175.100(a)(7)); processing IDFPR does not publish a processing time for cosmetologist endorsement.
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-07-21.
- IDFPR — Qualifications for Licensure: Cosmetologist (011), rev. 9/2025 ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- IDFPR — Cosmetology profession page ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- 68 Ill. Adm. Code 1175.100 — Fees ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Maine OPOR — License by Endorsement application (Barbering and Cosmetology) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- 32 MRS 14226 — Qualifications; cosmetology ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- 10 MRS 8003-H — Licensure by endorsement ↗ (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]