Cosmetology / Barber License from Pennsylvania to Virginia: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-07-21 · source: Virginia Board for Barbers and Cosmetology (DPOR) ↗
A cosmetology license transfers from Pennsylvania to Virginia by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Virginia Board for Barbers and Cosmetology (DPOR), verify your Pennsylvania license, and meet Virginia's endorsement requirements. 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.
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Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
This move runs downhill. Pennsylvania trained you to 1,250 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.
What changes, Pennsylvania → Virginia
| Pennsylvania (current) | Virginia (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| CLC status | Reciprocity with 41 states | CLC enacted — not yet issuing |
| Training hours | 1,250 | 1,000 |
| Application fee | $89 (licensure by reciprocity / Act 41 endorsement application fee, applied for through the PALS portal) | $120 (License by Endorsement application fee (practitioner) per form A450-1213END) |
| Processing time | the board's processing guide describes a three-phase timeline but publishes no fixed durations | no processing time published on the board pages reviewed |
| Licensing authority | Pennsylvania State Board of Cosmetology | 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; applicants who completed less than 80% of the required hours are not eligible for endorsement.
- 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 ($120 (License by Endorsement application fee (practitioner) per form A450-1213END)) and allow no processing time published on the board pages reviewed.
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does Virginia accept a Pennsylvania cosmetology license?
A cosmetology license transfers from Pennsylvania to Virginia by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Virginia Board for Barbers and Cosmetology (DPOR), verify your Pennsylvania license, and meet Virginia's endorsement requirements. 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.
Will Virginia make me retake the cosmetology exams?
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.
What does the Pennsylvania-to-Virginia transfer cost and how long does it take?
$120 (License by Endorsement application fee (practitioner) per form A450-1213END); processing no processing time published on the board pages reviewed.
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-07-21.
- DPOR — How to Transfer a License from Another State (Board for Barbers and Cosmetology) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- DPOR — Barber and Cosmetology License by Endorsement application (A450-1213END) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- DPOR — Cosmetology curriculum requirements (1,000-hour program) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- PA Department of State — Cosmetology Licensure Guide (reciprocity section) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- PA Department of State — Cosmetologist Licensure Snapshot ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- 49 Pa. Code Chapter 7 — State Board of Cosmetology ↗ (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]