Cosmetologist License Requirements in Hawaii
- Training hours
- 1800 hrs
- Upfront cost
- $42
- Exam
- Cosmetology Theory Examination
- Renewal cycle
- Every 2 years
- Issuing board
- Hawaii Board of Barbering and Cosmetology (Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, Professional and Vocational Licensing Division)
How to get licensed
- 1
Meet the prerequisites
Be at least 16 years old, High school graduate or an education equivalent to completion of high school; one year of experience as a licensed beauty operator in another jurisdiction can satisfy this requirement instead.. There is no blanket criminal-history/fingerprint check required of every applicant. The application does ask disclosure questions about prior license complaints, unlicensed-activity charges, and criminal convictions (questions 6-8); if an applicant answers "yes" to the criminal-conviction question, they must submit a signed explanatory statement, court records, and a current Hawaii Criminal History Record Check (plus an out-of-state record check for any conviction outside Hawaii). Applicants must also be a U.S. citizen, U.S. national, or an alien authorized to work in the U.S., and must provide a Social Security Number. [1]
- 2
Complete approved training
Complete 1800 hours of training at a state-approved program. 1800 hours of beauty school training in the Cosmetologist category (hairdressing, esthetics, and nail technology) OR 3600 hours of apprenticeship training under a licensed beauty operator, per the Board's own Beauty Operator License Application. A combination of beauty school and apprenticeship hours is allowed (2 apprenticeship hours = 1 beauty school hour), provided the training is not more than 3 years old. Beauty schools follow curricula set under Hawaii Administrative Rules (HAR) chapter 16-78/16-79 ("Cosmetology"); the exact hour breakdown by subject lives in the Board's Beauty School Curriculum exhibit, which is referenced by HAR but was not available as a standalone document during this research, so it is not quoted here. Applicants must be at least 16 years old and a high school graduate or equivalent (one year of experience as a licensed beauty operator in another jurisdiction can satisfy the education requirement). [1]
- 3
Cosmetology Theory Examination
Pass the Cosmetology Theory Examination. Written/theory examination only (no separate practical/skills exam is described for the Beauty Operator license); tests theoretical knowledge of cosmetology practice and Hawaii cosmetology law and rules (HAR §16-78-26). A grade of not less than 75.00 points is a passing score (HAR §16-78-27). Conducted only in English; no interpreters permitted (HAR §16-78-30). Applicants have one year from qualifying to pass or must reapply. Vendor confirmed via the Board's own exam-information page and its December 12, 2025 memo announcing the Prometric-to-PSI transition — do not assume Prometric, which several third-party/candidate-report sources (and PSI's own generic bulletin template) still reference. PSI's current per-exam fee for Hawaii candidates is disclosed only inside PSI's candidate portal (test-takers.psiexams.com/hitrade), which requires account registration and does not expose a static, publicly fetchable fee page; a generic PSI "Cosmetology Operator License Examination" bulletin found via search turned out to be Texas TDLR's bulletin, not Hawaii's, so it was not used. The $20 fee referenced elsewhere is the Board's own non-refundable application fee (see fees), not a PSI exam fee. Set to null rather than carrying over the prior (now invalid) Prometric fee or another state's PSI fee. [2]
- 4
Submit your application
Submit your application to Hawaii Board of Barbering and Cosmetology (Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, Professional and Vocational Licensing Division) with the $20 application fee. Typical processing time: Completed applications are reviewed by the Licensing Branch, then ratified by the Board at its monthly meetings; approved applicants generally receive a license card about 2-3 weeks after the ratifying meeting and a wall certificate about 4-6 weeks after the meeting.. [3]
- 5
Receive your license
Once your application is approved, Hawaii Board of Barbering and Cosmetology (Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, Professional and Vocational Licensing Division) issues your Beauty Operator License (Cosmetologist category) for Hawaii.
Fees
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Application fee [1] | $20 |
| License fee [1] | $22 |
| Renewal fee [1] | $146 |
| Cosmetology Theory Examination [2] | None specified |
| Compliance Resolution Fund (CRF) fee, paid with initial license issuance in an odd-numbered year [1] | $50 |
| Optional Temporary Permit application fee [1] | $40 |
| Written license verification request [1] | $15 |
Application fee is $20, non-refundable, attached to the Beauty Operator license application (per the application form and Board FAQ). The $22 license-issuance fee and $50 CRF fee are documented on the application form specifically for applicants using the NIC-exam-waiver pathway ($92 total if licensed in an odd-numbered year: $20 application + $22 license + $50 CRF); if licensed in an even-numbered year the CRF rises to $100 and a $23 half-renewal proration is added ($165 total), since all Beauty Operator licenses expire December 31 of odd-numbered years regardless of issue date. The Board's FAQ states that applicants who pass Hawaii's own PSI exam instead receive a personalized "Fees Due" notice rather than a flat published figure, but the license/CRF fee structure is expected to be the same generic DCCA fee schedule; this is not explicitly confirmed for the exam-track pathway. Renewal fee ($146, active status, biennial in odd-numbered years) is from the Board's current published fee schedule.
Renewal & continuing education
Renew every 2 years.
All Beauty Operator licenses, regardless of issue date, expire December 31 of every odd-numbered year (a biennial cycle). No continuing education is required to renew a beauty operator license, per the Board's own FAQ.
Reciprocity
Endorsement/reciprocity from another state is available.
The Board's own FAQ states there is no blanket reciprocal arrangement: "licensees from other states or jurisdictions must qualify and apply for a Hawaii beauty operator licensure." However, out-of-state applicants are not starting from zero — verified out-of-state beauty-school or apprenticeship training hours are credited if substantially equivalent to Hawaii's requirements (HAR §16-78-19, §16-78-20), one year of licensed beauty-operator experience in another jurisdiction can satisfy Hawaii's general-education requirement, and an applicant who has already passed the NIC (National Interstate Council) Cosmetology Theory Examination in another jurisdiction can waive Hawaii's own PSI examination entirely and proceed directly to paying the license fee (see fees). No interstate cosmetology compact is referenced anywhere on the Board's site; a Cosmetology Licensure Compact exists at a national level but Hawaii's membership/enactment was not found on any official compact-commission source, so it is omitted here.
3 state-approved training providers in Hawaii — browse programs and compare schools on tradecolleges.org.
Cost calculator
- $20
- $22
Frequently asked questions
How many training hours does Hawaii require to become a licensed Cosmetologist?
1800 hours of beauty school training, or 3600 hours of apprenticeship training under a licensed beauty operator. A combination of the two is allowed (2 apprenticeship hours count as 1 beauty school hour), and you must also be at least 16 years old with a high school diploma or its equivalent.
Who administers the Hawaii cosmetology licensing exam, and what does it cover?
PSI Services, LLC administers the Cosmetology Theory Examination as of January 1, 2026 (replacing the previous vendor, Prometric). It is a written, English-only exam covering cosmetology practice plus Hawaii cosmetology law and rules; a score of at least 75.00 points is passing.
Does Hawaii reciprocate cosmetology licenses from other states?
Not automatically — the Board has no blanket reciprocal arrangement with other states' cosmetology boards, so every applicant must file a Hawaii application. That said, verified out-of-state training hours and at least one year of licensed experience elsewhere can count toward Hawaii's requirements, and applicants who already passed the NIC Cosmetology Theory Exam in another jurisdiction can skip Hawaii's own exam and go straight to paying the license fee.
How often do I need to renew my Hawaii Cosmetologist license, and is continuing education required?
Every 2 years — all Beauty Operator licenses expire December 31 of odd-numbered years regardless of when they were issued. No continuing education hours are required to renew.
What does it cost to apply for a Hawaii Cosmetologist license?
There is a non-refundable $20 application fee. After qualifying, additional license-issuance and Compliance Resolution Fund fees apply (documented as $22 license + $50-$100 CRF depending on whether you're licensed in an odd- or even-numbered year), plus a $146 fee every two years to renew an active license. An optional temporary work permit costs an additional $40.
Sources
- [1] cca.hawaii.gov/pvl/files/2025/12/PVL_FORM_BEAUTY_OPERATOR_LICENSE_APPLICATION_2025-12.pdf — accessed 2026-07-10
- [2] cca.hawaii.gov/pvl/boards/barber/application-deadline-examination-dates/ — accessed 2026-07-10
- [3] cca.hawaii.gov/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/BarberingCosmetology-FAQs_20250429.pdf — accessed 2026-07-10