Alabama Esthetician License Requirements

Alabama licenses estheticians through the Alabama Board of Cosmetology and Barbering (ABOCB). You can qualify either by completing a Board-licensed school program or by working as a registered apprentice, then passing the state exam through PSI.

1. Meet the eligibility requirements. You must be at least 16 years old and have completed at least the 10th grade or its equivalent.
2. Complete your training. Finish 1,000 clock hours of skin care instruction at an ABOCB-licensed esthetics or cosmetology school, or 2,000 hours as a registered apprentice under an esthetician who has held an Alabama license for at least five years, completed over a period of up to three years.
3. Submit your Written Exam Application. Your instructor or sponsor helps you complete the application once you finish your hours. Mail it with proof of education, a photo ID, your Social Security card, a 2x2 photo, an official transcript of your program hours, and the $75 written exam fee.
4. Schedule and pass your exams with PSI. Once ABOCB approves your application, PSI emails you to schedule the written exam. After passing, schedule and pass the $130 practical exam. You have 2 years from your training completion date to pass both.
5. Receive your license. Pay the $50 original license fee. ABOCB issues your esthetician license once your exam results and application are on file.

Alabama requires 1,000 clock hours of skin care instruction at a school licensed to teach esthetics or cosmetology, under Code of Ala. 1975, § 34-7B-19. Up to 50% of the total coursework may be completed through Board-approved distance learning, but distance-learning hours are not accepted for reciprocity by other states, per Rule 250-X-5-.03.

As an alternative to school, Alabama allows an apprenticeship path: 2,000 hours under the direct, in-shop supervision of an esthetician who has held an Alabama license for at least five years, completed over a period of up to three years. Rule 250-X-4-.03 sets out the required apprenticeship curriculum by subject area:

School programs must meet the same 1,000-hour minimum under Board-approved curricula, though Alabama does not publish a subject-by-subject hour breakdown for school programs the way it does for apprenticeships.

Alabama uses PSI as its exam administrator for the written and practical esthetics examinations.

Registration

After you complete your school or apprenticeship hours, your instructor or sponsor helps you complete a Written Exam Application. Mail it to the Board with proof of at least a 10th-grade education (diploma, transcript, or GED), a government-issued photo ID, a copy of your Social Security card, a 2x2 photograph, an official transcript of your completed program hours, and the $75 written exam fee. ABOCB reviews and approves the application, and only then does PSI email you to schedule your exam. Register or schedule directly with PSI at test-takers.psiexams.com/alcos or by phone at 1-800-211-2754.

Time Limit and Retakes

You have 2 years from the date you completed your training to pass both the written and practical exams. Under Code of Ala. § 34-7B-7, an applicant who fails is entitled to two additional attempts; after a third failure, the Board requires additional school training hours before you can retest. The practical exam costs $130 and is scheduled separately through PSI once you pass the written portion.

Alabama personal licenses, including esthetician licenses, expire on the last day of the licensee’s birth month in odd-numbered years, under Code of Ala. 1975, § 34-7B-7(c)(3). The renewal fee is $100. If your renewal is postmarked after your expiration date, a $54 late fee applies.

Continuing Education

Alabama does not require continuing education for esthetician license renewal — only Board-licensed instructors have a CE requirement.

Lapsed Licenses

An expired license can be reinstated within four years of expiration by paying the renewal fees for the lapsed period, the current renewal fee, and the late fee. If your license has been expired for more than four years, you must furnish proof of prior licensure, pass the required examination again, and pay reinstatement fees of up to $300 plus the current renewal fee and late fee, under § 34-7B-14.

How to Renew

Renew online through the Board’s online renewal system, where you can print your renewed license immediately after payment. You can also renew by mail using the License Renewal Form or in person at the Board’s Montgomery office; renewal payments are not accepted by phone.

Alabama defines esthetics in Code of Ala. 1975, § 34-7B-1(9), as the practice of performing acts of skin care including, but not limited to, facials, body waxing, makeup, and general esthetics procedures on the general public for compensation.

Alabama Administrative Code Rule 250-X-3-.02(8) narrows that scope further: a licensee may not perform any service outside the Board’s regulatory authority, which is confined to non-invasive services performed on the epidermis — specifically the stratum corneum — and must not alter, cut, or damage living cells. The Board publishes several specific restrictions built on this rule:

• Microblading: Not permitted unless the licensee also holds a separate permit from the Alabama Department of Public Health.
• Micro-needling: Not permitted unless performed within the scope of a medical license issued by the Alabama Board of Medical Examiners or Medical Licensure Commission.
• Prohibited tools and products: Estheticians may not use methyl methacrylate (MMA) or other unsafe products, callous razors, or foot files with holes that can cut the skin, and eyebrow or eyelash tinting products may not contain aniline derivatives.

You must hold an active personal license, displayed in a conspicuous place near your workstation, and work in a Board-licensed shop. Verify any Alabama esthetician’s license through the Board’s License Verification tool.