StateLicensed

Esthetician License Requirements in Montana

Verified · July 2026
Training hours
650 hrs
Upfront cost
$180
Exam
Esthetician Theory Examination (NIC), Esthetician Practical Examination (NIC)
Renewal cycle
Every 2 years
Issuing board
Montana Board of Barbers and Cosmetologists (Department of Labor and Industry, Business Standards Division)

How to get licensed

  1. 1

    Meet the prerequisites

    Be at least 18 years old, High school diploma or its equivalent.. Per Mont. Code Ann. § 37-31-304, applicants must be at least 18 years old and provide proof (birth certificate or driver's license) plus proof of high school graduation or equivalent. The application checklist includes 'personal history questions' requiring a detailed explanation and supporting documentation (licensing board, federal agency, or court records) if answered affirmatively — this is a self-disclosure requirement rather than a described mandatory fingerprint-based background check, so backgroundCheck is recorded as false. [1]

  2. 2

    Complete approved training

    Complete 650 hours of training at a state-approved program. 650-hour esthetics course from a licensed school, per Mont. Code Ann. § 37-31-304 and Admin. R. Mont. 24.121.604. Sourced from the Board's own 'Esthetician Licensing Requirements and Application Checklist' (updated 8/10/24). [1]

  3. 3

    Esthetician Theory Examination (NIC)

    Pass the Esthetician Theory Examination (NIC) (fee: $80). Computer-based written exam at a Prov testing center; minimum passing score of 75% per Admin. R. Mont. 24.121.611. Per Prov's own Candidate Information Bulletin, 'Prov is only contracted to administer the theory exam for the State of Montana' — the fee is the same whether testing for the first time or retaking. [2]

  4. 4

    Esthetician Practical Examination (NIC)

    Pass the Esthetician Practical Examination (NIC). Minimum passing score of 75% per Admin. R. Mont. 24.121.611. Fee is recorded as null because neither the Board's application checklist nor Prov's Candidate Information Bulletin publishes a practical-exam fee (Prov's bulletin covers only its own theory-exam fee). [1]

  5. 5

    Submit your application

    Submit your application to Montana Board of Barbers and Cosmetologists (Department of Labor and Industry, Business Standards Division) with the $100 application fee. [3]

  6. 6

    Receive your license

    Once your application is approved, Montana Board of Barbers and Cosmetologists (Department of Labor and Industry, Business Standards Division) issues your Esthetician License for Montana.

Fees

Fee Amount
Application fee [3] $100
License fee [3] None specified
Renewal fee [3] $100
Esthetician Theory Examination (NIC) [2] $80
Esthetician Practical Examination (NIC) [1] None specified
Late renewal fee [3] $100

The $100 fee is paid online at application and covers issuance of the license, so 'license' is null. ARM 24.121.401(1) sets a single 'Original and renewal license' fee covering barbering, barbering nonchemical, cosmetology, electrology, esthetics and manicuring. The Board amended that rule as proposed in MAR Notice 2025-221, effective November 22, 2025, raising the fee from $80 to $100; the same amount is charged for the original license and for each biennial renewal, and there is no separate license-issuance fee beyond it. Several of the Board's own license-information pages still display the pre-increase $80 figure — they have not been refreshed since the amendment took effect. Exam fees are billed separately by the Board's contracted exam vendor and are not set in the rules. A late-renewal fee equal to 100% of the renewal fee applies if the license is not renewed by March 1.

Renewal & continuing education

Renew every 2 years.

Biennial renewal, with the regular renewal window running January 2 through March 1 (late renewal available online for 45 additional days, until April 15, with a late fee). No continuing-education-hour requirement for the Esthetician license was found on the Board's licensing pages or FAQ.

Reciprocity

No reciprocity or endorsement route was found.

The Board's own FAQ states directly: 'You cannot transfer a license nor does Montana have reciprocity agreements with any other jurisdictions.' An applicant who is actively licensed in another state has their application considered under Montana's 'out-of-state' licensing rule, but this does not waive Montana's own training/exam requirements — the application checklist requires official license verification from every state/jurisdiction where the applicant holds or has held a license, plus passage of the same NIC theory and practical exams at 75%, so endorsementAvailable is recorded as false (no exam waiver) rather than true. No interstate esthetics/cosmetology compact was found — the Cosmetology Licensure Compact has been enacted in some states but is not yet operational anywhere, including Montana, so compacts is recorded as empty.

3 state-approved training providers in Montana — browse programs and compare schools on tradecolleges.org.

Cost calculator

  • $100
  • $80
Total$180

Frequently asked questions

How many training hours does Montana require for an Esthetician license?

650 hours in a licensed esthetics school.

Who administers Montana's esthetician exam?

Prov, Inc. administers the NIC theory exam ($80); Prov's own bulletin states it is contracted to administer only the theory portion in Montana, so the practical exam is handled separately. Both portions require a minimum score of 75%.

What does a Montana Esthetician license cost?

An $80 application fee, with an $80 renewal fee due biennially between January 2 and March 1 (late fee of an additional $80 applies after March 1).

What are the minimum age and education requirements?

Applicants must be at least 18 years old with a high school diploma or its equivalent.

Can an out-of-state esthetician get a Montana license without retaking the exam?

No. Montana's Board states directly that it has no reciprocity agreements with any other state — an out-of-state applicant's license is considered under Montana's 'out-of-state' licensing rule but must still meet Montana's training and NIC exam requirements.

Sources

  1. [1] boards.bsd.dli.mt.gov/_docs/cos/skn-app-checklist.pdf — accessed 2026-07-11
  2. [2] provexam.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/MT-Cosmetology-2022.3.31.pdf — accessed 2026-07-11
  3. [3] boards.bsd.dli.mt.gov/_docs/cos/2025-221adp-arm.pdf — accessed 2026-07-27
  4. [4] boards.bsd.dli.mt.gov/barber-and-cosmetologists/license-information/esthetician — accessed 2026-07-11
  5. [5] boards.bsd.dli.mt.gov/_docs/cos/cos-faq-gen.pdf — accessed 2026-07-11