Cosmetology / Barber License from Michigan to Delaware: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-07-21 · source: Delaware Board of Cosmetology and Barbering (Division of Professional Regulation) ↗
A cosmetology license transfers from Michigan to Delaware by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Delaware Board of Cosmetology and Barbering (Division of Professional Regulation), verify your Michigan license, and meet Delaware's endorsement requirements. Delaware does not retest reciprocity applicants; you must show you already passed a professionally developed, nationally used written and practical examination in a licensing jurisdiction.
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Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
Michigan and Delaware require identical training hours (1,500), which removes the usual friction from a cosmetology transfer. What remains is Delaware's administrative checklist below.
What changes, Michigan → Delaware
| Michigan (current) | Delaware (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| CLC status | Licensure by endorsement | Licensure by endorsement |
| Training hours | 1,500 | 1,500 |
| Application fee | $63 (application fee plus 2-year license fee; same $63 total for licensure by examination or reciprocity) | $128 (cosmetologist reciprocity application fee, paid through DELPROS; non-refundable) |
| Processing time | LARA does not publish a processing timeframe in the cosmetology licensing guide | no timeframe published by the Division of Professional Regulation |
| Licensing authority | Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA), Bureau of Professional Licensing — Cosmetology | Delaware Board of Cosmetology and Barbering (Division of Professional Regulation) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Delaware sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Delaware's current requirements on the Delaware Board of Cosmetology and Barbering (Division of Professional Regulation) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Delaware Board of Cosmetology and Barbering (Division of Professional Regulation) (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state.
- Hold a current cosmetologist license in another state, U.S. territory, or DC.
- Apply under Method 1 if at least one jurisdiction where you are licensed requires hours equal to or greater than Delaware's.
- Apply under Method 2 with proof of one full, uninterrupted year of full-time licensed work experience within the last five years if all your licensing jurisdictions require fewer hours than Delaware.
- Have license verification sent directly from each licensing jurisdiction to the board, and submit copies of all current licenses.
- Pay the fees ($128 (cosmetologist reciprocity application fee, paid through DELPROS; non-refundable)) and allow no timeframe published by the Division of Professional Regulation.
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does Delaware accept a Michigan cosmetology license?
A cosmetology license transfers from Michigan to Delaware by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Delaware Board of Cosmetology and Barbering (Division of Professional Regulation), verify your Michigan license, and meet Delaware's endorsement requirements. Delaware does not retest reciprocity applicants; you must show you already passed a professionally developed, nationally used written and practical examination in a licensing jurisdiction.
Will Delaware make me retake the cosmetology exams?
Delaware does not retest reciprocity applicants; you must show you already passed a professionally developed, nationally used written and practical examination in a licensing jurisdiction.
What does the Michigan-to-Delaware transfer cost and how long does it take?
$128 (cosmetologist reciprocity application fee, paid through DELPROS; non-refundable); processing no timeframe published by the Division of Professional Regulation.
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-07-21.
- Delaware DPR — Cosmetology License by Reciprocity ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Delaware DPR — Cosmetology and Barbering Fee Schedule ↗ (accessed 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)
Reviewed by Billy Reiner, Editor · verified against primary sources 2026-07-21
How we verify · All sources · spot an error? [email protected]