You cannot obtain an umbrella cosmetology license in Oregon but a license in one of four beauty practitioner disciplines shown below. You have to attend a licensed school and complete the minimum required training hours before you can take the state’s board exams for these disciplines. These required training hours are specified by the Oregon Board of Cosmetology. After you pass the exam you can apply for the license. The total fee for the license is $100, which is broken down into $35 for the field of practice (FOP) exam, $35 for the Oregon Laws and Rules exam, $20 for the individual license, and $10 Service Fee.
Minimum required training hours
- Hair Design license: 1450 hours
- Barbering license: 1100 hours
- Esthetics license: 250 hours
- Nail Technlogy license: 350 hours
Mandatory training of 150 hours in Safety/Infection Control and 100 hours of Career Development is also required for initial certification.
Examinations are already stressful but a lack of information or misinformation only adds unnecessary stress. The exams in Oregon are administered by the Oregon Health Licensing Agency (OHLA). Therefore, we advise every applicant to read through the Examination Information (find them here) and contact the Board if you have further questions.
Contact Information Oregon Board of Cosmetology
The Board of Cosmetology is an entity within the Oregon Health Licensing Agency (OHLA)
Address
Oregon Health Licensing Agency
1430 Tandem Ave NE, Suite 180
Salem, OR 97301
Phone : 503-378-8667
Email: ohla.info@state.or.us
Cosmetology License Renewal
The individual Cosmetology licenses in Oregon are renewed every two years. At the moment no continuing education (CE) are required for individual license renewal. For all individual licenses of the above-mentioned beauty practitioner disciplines the renewal fees are $40 if renewed online or $45 if renewed in person or mail.
Out-of-state license / Out-of-country license
Licensed in another state
An out-of-state license does not automatically qualify you for a cosmetology license in Oregon. But you may qualify for what is called reciprocity. Reciprocity allows practitioners to transfer their active certificate or license from another state to the State of Oregon (also see the Board’s information about reciprocity). However, your license has to be in good standing in your home state and you must resolve any unresolved disciplinary actions and/or outstanding civil fines before obtaining certification in Oregon. Follow these three steps to obtain your Oregon certificate for barbering, esthetics, hair design, or nail technology by reciprocity:
Step 1: Verification of your license form you home state
The out-of-state regulatory authority must deliver the affidavit of licensure to the Oregon Health Licensing Agency (OHLA) in a sealed envelope or via a pre-approved electronic transmission. It is important that this affidavit of licensure is sent directly from your state’s licensing authority to the board (see address above)
Step 2: Preparation
As soon as the OHLA receives your verification, it will determine which Oregon certifications your out-of-state license will qualify you to obtain. Please note that Oregon does not have an umbrella cosmetology certification.
If your verification includes an address, OHLA will mail you the agency’s findings along with additional information. You may also call OHLA at (503) 378-8667 to verify whether your verification has been received.
Step 3: Testing
You need to pass the Oregon Laws and Rules examination as well as pass the examination for each field of practice in which you wish to obtain certification to obtain an Oregon licensure through reciprocity.
The fees required for licensure include:
- Application for each field of practice
- Oregon Laws and Rules examination
- Each field of practice examination
After passing the examinations, you also need to pay a certification fee for each field of practice.
Testing in Oregon is on a walk-in basis. Applicants should arrive at the OHLA office with enough time in the day to take all the examinations required, which would typically be before 2 pm. Applicants arriving after 2 pm will not be able to take all of the examinations required for licensure and will be turned away.
To study for the Oregon Laws and Rules examination, review the Practitioner Application Packet (download it from the forms page). This packet includes the Oregon Laws and Rules. For individual field of practice examinations, questions and answers are taken from the Milady and Pivot Point text books.
Please also bring two forms of acceptable original identification issued by a federal, state or local government agency of the United States. One form of identification must be photographic.
After passing the required examinations and paying all fees, you will receive your Oregon license the same day.
Licensed in another country
Please contact the board.
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Disclaimer: We don’t guarantee the accuracy of the above information. Ultimately the Oregon Board of Cosmetology determines license requirements and will provide you with all needed information. We are not affiliated with the Board in any way. If you have questions or comments please contact us here. The information on this page was last updated on 7/24/2017.