Minnesota beauty licenses

Minnesota cosmetology license requirements

Q: How do you get a nail technician license in Minnesota?

Minnesota calls it a Nail technician license, issued by the Minnesota Board of Cosmetologist Examiners. It takes 350 hours of training, general theory test, written practical test, and Minnesota laws and rules test, $195 (initial practitioner license $155 plus initial license application fee $40) in state fees. It renews every 3 years, $115.

Q: How do you get an esthetician license in Minnesota?

Minnesota calls it an Esthetician license, issued by the Minnesota Board of Cosmetologist Examiners. It takes 600 hours of training, general theory test, written practical test, and Minnesota laws and rules test, $195 (initial practitioner license $155 plus initial license application fee $40) in state fees. It renews every 3 years, $115.

Q: How do you get a barber license in Minnesota?

Minnesota calls it a Registered barber license, issued by the Minnesota Board of Barber Examiners. It takes 1,500 hours of training, practical demonstration and written test, $85 in state fees. It renews every year, $80.

To work as a cosmetologist in Minnesota you need a Cosmetologist license from the Minnesota Board of Cosmetologist Examiners. It takes 1,550 hours of school and $195 in state fees. Exams: general theory test, written practical test, and Minnesota laws and rules test. Barbers, nail technicians and estheticians each need a license of their own, below. Every figure is quoted from the state's official pages, read on October 22, 2026.

Cosmetology hours: 1,550
Barber hours: 1,500
Nail tech hours: 350
Esthetics hours: 600

Licensed by the Minnesota Board of Cosmetologist Examiners.How to apply License lookup The state's own words

Cosmetologist

Minnesota cosmetology license

License: Cosmetologist
Issued by: The Minnesota Board of Cosmetologist Examiners
Training: 1,550 hours1,550 hours at a Minnesota-licensed cosmetology school; out-of-state training may need transfer hours. About 10 months of full-time school at 35 hours a week (our estimate, not a state rule).
Exams: General theory test, written practical test, and Minnesota laws and rules test
Who can apply: At least 17 years old
State fees, first license: $195 (initial practitioner license $155 plus initial license application fee $40)
Renewal: Every 3 years, $115
Continuing education: 8 hours per renewal

Minnesota's 1,550 hours are more than the 1,500 hours of the middle state.

Barber

Minnesota barber license

Minnesota calls it the Registered barber license.

License: Registered barber
Issued by: The Minnesota Board of Barber Examiners
Training: 1,500 hours1,500 hours in a board-approved barber school; more hours are required if school was finished more than four years before the exam. About 10 months of full-time school at 35 hours a week (our estimate, not a state rule).
Exams: Practical demonstration and written test
Who can apply: Completed ten grades of education
State fees, first license: $85
Renewal: Every year, $80
Continuing education: Not stated

Minnesota's 1,500 hours are more than the 1,250 hours of the middle state.

Nail technician

Minnesota nail technician license

License: Nail technician
Issued by: The Minnesota Board of Cosmetologist Examiners
Training: 350 hours350 hours at a Minnesota-licensed cosmetology school; out-of-state training may need transfer hours. About 2 months of full-time school at 35 hours a week (our estimate, not a state rule).
Exams: General theory test, written practical test, and Minnesota laws and rules test
Who can apply: At least 17 years old
State fees, first license: $195 (initial practitioner license $155 plus initial license application fee $40)
Renewal: Every 3 years, $115
Continuing education: 8 hours per renewal

Minnesota's 350 hours are the same as the 350 hours of the middle state.

Esthetician

Minnesota esthetician license

License: Esthetician
Issued by: The Minnesota Board of Cosmetologist Examiners
Training: 600 hours600 hours at a Minnesota-licensed cosmetology school; out-of-state training may need transfer hours. About 4 months of full-time school at 35 hours a week (our estimate, not a state rule).
Exams: General theory test, written practical test, and Minnesota laws and rules test
Who can apply: At least 17 years old
State fees, first license: $195 (initial practitioner license $155 plus initial license application fee $40)
Renewal: Every 3 years, $115
Continuing education: 8 hours per renewal

Minnesota's 600 hours are the same as the 600 hours of the middle state.

Doing lashes, lifts, waxing or threading? See which license Minnesota requires for each. Microblading or permanent makeup? See what Minnesota requires for it. Microneedling, peels, dermaplaning or lasers? See what an esthetician may do in Minnesota.

Moving here

Licensed in another state?

By endorsement: an applicant licensed in another state who completed the required training hours needs certification of licensure from each state, passing Minnesota's laws and rules test, and the fees in Minnesota Statutes 155A.25; with fewer hours, the applicant needs an active out-of-state license for at least three years or additional training at a Minnesota school, plus the Minnesota laws and rules test.

Good to know in Minnesota

An advanced practice esthetician license is a separate license that supersedes the esthetician license.
Individual cosmetology licenses expire on the last day of the holder's birth month of the year due.
Barber registrations must be renewed every year, not every three years.

Sources

What Minnesota's official pages say

Each figure above, in the words of the state's own pages, rules or statutes, read on October 22, 2026. Fees and rules change: confirm with the board before you enroll or apply.

Cosmetologist: license: “Applicants for a cosmetologist, nail technician, esthetician, or eyelash technician license who have not been licensed in other states”
revisor.mn.gov
Cosmetologist: training hours: “1,550 hours for a cosmetologist; 600 hours for an esthetician; 350 hours for a nail technician”
revisor.mn.gov
Cosmetologist: exams: “original passing test results no more than one year old of the following board-approved tests for the license sought:”
revisor.mn.gov
Cosmetologist: who can apply: “must be at least 17 years old and must provide the items required in items A to D:”
revisor.mn.gov
Cosmetologist: fees: “$155 for each initial license”
revisor.mn.gov
“$40 for each initial license application fee”
revisor.mn.gov
Cosmetologist: renewal: “$115 renewal of practitioner license, divided as follows:”
revisor.mn.gov
“Three-year license fees are as follows:”
revisor.mn.gov
“Licenses shall be renewed every three years”
revisor.mn.gov
“must complete a total of eight hours of CE credits from board-approved providers”
revisor.mn.gov
Barber: license: “A person is qualified to receive a certificate of registration as a registered barber if the person:”
revisor.mn.gov
Barber: issued by: “A Board of Barber Examiners is established to consist of four barber members and one public member”
revisor.mn.gov
Barber: training hours: “has successfully completed 1,500 hours of study in a board-approved barber school”
revisor.mn.gov
Barber: exams: “The examination of applicants for certificates of registration as barbers shall include a practical demonstration and a written test”
revisor.mn.gov
Barber: who can apply: “has successfully completed ten grades of education”
revisor.mn.gov
Barber: fees: “examination and certificate, registered barber, $85”
revisor.mn.gov
Barber: renewal: “renewal of registration, registered barber, $80”
revisor.mn.gov
“CERTIFICATES OF REGISTRATION MUST BE RENEWED ANNUALLY.”
revisor.mn.gov
Nail technician: license: “Applicants for a cosmetologist, nail technician, esthetician, or eyelash technician license who have not been licensed in other states”
revisor.mn.gov
Nail technician: training hours: “1,550 hours for a cosmetologist; 600 hours for an esthetician; 350 hours for a nail technician”
revisor.mn.gov
Nail technician: exams: “original passing test results no more than one year old of the following board-approved tests for the license sought:”
revisor.mn.gov
Nail technician: who can apply: “must be at least 17 years old and must provide the items required in items A to D:”
revisor.mn.gov
Nail technician: fees: “$155 for each initial license”
revisor.mn.gov
“$40 for each initial license application fee”
revisor.mn.gov
Nail technician: renewal: “$115 renewal of practitioner license, divided as follows:”
revisor.mn.gov
“Three-year license fees are as follows:”
revisor.mn.gov
“Licenses shall be renewed every three years”
revisor.mn.gov
“must complete a total of eight hours of CE credits from board-approved providers”
revisor.mn.gov
Esthetician: license: “Applicants for a cosmetologist, nail technician, esthetician, or eyelash technician license who have not been licensed in other states”
revisor.mn.gov
Esthetician: training hours: “1,550 hours for a cosmetologist; 600 hours for an esthetician; 350 hours for a nail technician”
revisor.mn.gov
Esthetician: exams: “original passing test results no more than one year old of the following board-approved tests for the license sought:”
revisor.mn.gov
Esthetician: who can apply: “must be at least 17 years old and must provide the items required in items A to D:”
revisor.mn.gov
Esthetician: fees: “$155 for each initial license”
revisor.mn.gov
“$40 for each initial license application fee”
revisor.mn.gov
Esthetician: renewal: “$115 renewal of practitioner license, divided as follows:”
revisor.mn.gov
“Three-year license fees are as follows:”
revisor.mn.gov
“Licenses shall be renewed every three years”
revisor.mn.gov
“must complete a total of eight hours of CE credits from board-approved providers”
revisor.mn.gov
Licensed in another state: “evidence of an active license for at least three years in another state”
revisor.mn.gov
Also good to know: “An AP esthetician license supersedes an esthetician license.”
revisor.mn.gov
Also good to know: “All licenses expire on the last day of the individual's birth month of the year due”
revisor.mn.gov
Also good to know: “CERTIFICATES OF REGISTRATION MUST BE RENEWED ANNUALLY.”
revisor.mn.gov

Questions

Minnesota beauty licenses, answered

How many hours do you need for a cosmetology license in Minnesota?

1,550 hours of training for a Cosmetologist license. About 10 months of full-time school at 35 hours a week (our estimate). Minnesota's 1,550 hours are more than the 1,500 hours of the middle state.

How much does a cosmetology license cost in Minnesota?

The state's fees for a first Cosmetologist license are $195 (initial practitioner license $155 plus initial license application fee $40), and it renews every 3 years, $115. School tuition is the much larger cost, and testing companies may charge their own exam fees.

How do you renew a cosmetology license in Minnesota?

The Cosmetologist license renews every 3 years for $115. Each renewal needs 8 hours of continuing education. Renew with the Minnesota Board of Cosmetologist Examiners before the license expires.

How do you get a nail technician license in Minnesota?

Minnesota calls it a Nail technician license, issued by the Minnesota Board of Cosmetologist Examiners. It takes 350 hours of training, general theory test, written practical test, and Minnesota laws and rules test, $195 (initial practitioner license $155 plus initial license application fee $40) in state fees. It renews every 3 years, $115.

How do you get an esthetician license in Minnesota?

Minnesota calls it an Esthetician license, issued by the Minnesota Board of Cosmetologist Examiners. It takes 600 hours of training, general theory test, written practical test, and Minnesota laws and rules test, $195 (initial practitioner license $155 plus initial license application fee $40) in state fees. It renews every 3 years, $115.

How do you get a barber license in Minnesota?

Minnesota calls it a Registered barber license, issued by the Minnesota Board of Barber Examiners. It takes 1,500 hours of training, practical demonstration and written test, $85 in state fees. It renews every year, $80.

Can you transfer a cosmetology license from another state to Minnesota?

Do you need a separate license to open a salon in Minnesota?

Usually, yes: the business needs its own establishment license on top of each person's license. See what Minnesota requires to open a salon, with its fees, inspection and booth rental rules.

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