1.2 Exam Registration, Retake Windows, License Fees, Renewal, Reinstatement and Endorsement

Registering and Scheduling with Prov

Candidates apply and schedule online through Prov. On the Prov website choose Schedule a Test, select VA – Barber & Cosmetology as the certifying body, then choose Barber. The application asks for your Social Security number or Virginia DMV control number, training verification and a passport-style photo. It is routed to your school or to the Board for approval, and you can schedule once you are approved.

The Temporary License (18VAC41-20-90)

You can request a temporary license while registering for the exams, and your sponsor must sign the request. Board rules for it:

• It is issued only to an applicant the Board finds eligible for the exam, and there is no fee.
• It lasts 90 days, and no second temporary license is issued.
• The holder works under direct supervision: a licensed barber must be present in the shop at all times while the holder serves clients. A licensed master barber may also supervise a barber temporary license holder.
• Practicing after it expires can lead to prosecution and fines under §§ 54.1-111 and 54.1-202.
• It is not issued where grounds exist to deny a license.

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Exam Timing Rules (18VAC41-20-60)

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• Pass one exam and you keep that pass, provided both exams are passed within one year of the initial exam date.
• An applicant who does not pass a reexamination within that year must submit a new application.
• An applicant who fails to apply for licensure within five years of passing both exams must retake both.
• Exam fees follow DPOR's vendor contract and cannot exceed $225 per candidate.

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The Fee Schedule (18VAC41-20-140)

All Board fees are nonrefundable and are not prorated.

Other money rules.

• Exam fees ($99 theory, $95 practical) are paid to Prov, not to DPOR.
• Technology fee. DPOR announced a separate technology fee of $7.25 per year on certain fees from July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2030 (2026 House Bill 30). Check the total on your application or renewal notice.
• Dishonored payments. DPOR charges a $50 service charge for a dishonored check, and the license is suspended if the payment is not replaced within 10 days.

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Renewal (18VAC41-20-160 and -170)

• A license expires two years from the last day of the month in which it was issued. Example: a license issued October 14, 2026 expires October 31, 2028.
• DPOR sends a renewal notice, but failing to receive the notice does not excuse a failure to renew.
• 18VAC41-20 contains no continuing-education requirement for renewing a barber license. Renewal is the notice and the $120 fee.

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Late Renewal and Reinstatement (18VAC41-20-180)

Details that appear on exams:

• The date DPOR (or its agent) receives the fee determines whether reinstatement applies.
• A reinstated license receives a new expiration date two years from the last day of the month of reinstatement.
• A licensee who reinstates is regarded as continuously licensed, so the Board keeps disciplinary authority over anything done before reinstatement. Someone who never reinstates is regarded as unlicensed from the expiration date forward.
• An individual previously licensed in Virginia for at least three years whose license has been expired more than two years must submit a new application and pass the required examination. Prov's bulletin states that candidates expired more than two years must take both the written and practical exams.

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Licensure by Endorsement (18VAC41-20-30)

A barber currently licensed in another U.S. jurisdiction may be licensed without examination if their training and their written and practical exams were substantially equivalent to Virginia's. The fee is $120. The applicant must also meet the good-standing and disclosure requirements of 18VAC41-20-20 A.

• If the home state used only one substantially equivalent exam (written or practical), the applicant may take the other exam in Virginia.
• If the training was not substantially equivalent, three years of licensed experience may substitute for training.
• A barber or master barber licensed elsewhere with a scope similar to a Virginia master barber (for example, chemical services) may be licensed as a master barber by endorsement.

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Reporting Duties That Continue After Licensure

Under 18VAC41-20-280, each of the following must be reported to the Board in writing within 30 days:

• a change of name or address, for every license held;
• a final or disciplinary action taken against any license or certificate in another jurisdiction;
• a guilty or nolo contendere plea, or a conviction, for a felony.

Since July 1, 2025 (SB 826), Virginia boards may not deny a license based on vague terms such as "good moral character." A person with a criminal record may ask the Board for a binding predetermination of whether that record is disqualifying, even before starting training.