Delaware Esthetician License Requirements

Delaware licenses estheticians as “Aestheticians” through the Board of Cosmetology and Barbering, part of the Division of Professional Regulation (DPR). You can qualify through school training or a supervised apprenticeship, then must pass the national NIC exam administered by Prometric.

1. Meet the education prerequisite. You must have completed an education equivalent to at least the 10th grade, verified with a transcript, GED certificate, or affidavit.
2. Complete your training. Finish at least 600 classroom hours at a Board-registered school of aesthetics, or complete 1,200 hours in a registered apprenticeship under a licensed aesthetician (no more than 10 hours a day or 40 hours a week), finished within 2 years.
3. Register with Prometric. Apply online through Prometric's Candidate Management System for the NIC written and practical exams. Have your school send transcripts directly to Prometric.
4. Pass both the written and practical NIC exams. Once Prometric issues your Authorization to Test, register for your exam date through IQT Testing.
5. Apply for licensure and pay the fee. Submit your license application through DELPROS along with the $101 application fee once your exam results are on file.

Delaware requires at least 600 classroom hours at a Board-registered school of aesthetics under 24 Del. C. § 5127(a)(2), or 1,200 hours in a registered apprenticeship under a licensed aesthetician of at least 36 months' standing.

• School path: Schools must maintain a course of study of not less than 600 hours, spread over a maximum of 160 hours per month, with a regular daily class schedule (24 Del. C. § 5134).
• Apprenticeship path: 1,200 hours under a licensed aesthetician, capped at 10 hours per day and 40 hours per week, and must be completed within 2 years.

Delaware's Board Rules and Regulations break the required curriculum into theory and practical instruction covering sanitation, hygiene and equipment safety; facial massage and treatment, skin care, hair removal, and make-up application; and related topics tested on the NIC exam. Training completed in another U.S. state or territory generally transfers; foreign training requires a credential evaluation acceptable to the Board.

Delaware requires the nationally developed NIC written and practical examinations under 24 Del. C. § 5128, administered through Prometric.

Registration

First-time applicants create an account with Prometric's Candidate Management System and submit their application online. Your high school must mail your transcript directly to Prometric at its NIC Delaware Cosmetology Processing address. Once your documents are approved, Prometric emails an Authorization to Test (ATT) with a unique login for scheduling through IQT Testing.

Practical Exam Dates and Location

Practical exams are held at the Hilton Wilmington Christiana in Newark, DE on scheduled dates roughly once a month throughout the year. Exams scheduled before August 1, 2024 use the 2017 NIC content outline; exams scheduled on or after that date use the 2022 outline.

Temporary Permits and Deadlines

Applicants who are eligible to test may request a 30-day temporary permit to practice under supervision. If you fail an exam, the permit can be extended if you register for the next available date. If you do not pass both exams within two years of applying for the permit, it expires; you must then wait one year, repeat all training hours, and retake both exams.

Delaware aesthetician licenses expire on March 31 of each even-numbered year (e.g., 2026, 2028), alongside barbering, nail technician, and electrology licenses. A renewal notice is emailed before your expiration date with instructions to renew online through DELPROS using a credit card. DPR notifies you of the exact renewal fee amount at the time you renew; the Board’s published application/reciprocity fee for aestheticians is $101.

Continuing Education

Delaware does not require continuing education to renew an aesthetician license.

Late and Expired Renewals

You may submit a late renewal up to 5 years after your license expires, but you must pay a late fee equal to 50% of the renewal fee in addition to the renewal fee itself, and you cannot legally practice until DPR confirms your license is active. If you do not renew within the 5-year late period, the license terminates and you must file a full reinstatement application.

Delaware defines the aesthetician scope of practice in 24 Del. C. § 5124(1). A licensed Delaware aesthetician may:

• Skin care: Cleanse, stimulate, manipulate, and beautify the skin by hand or with mechanical or electric apparatus or appliances
• Lash services: Apply lash extensions, additions, or enhancements, including eyelash permanent waving and tinting (Delaware requires a Cosmetologist or Aesthetician license to apply eyelashes and eyelash extensions)
• Hair removal: Remove superfluous hair
• General treatments: Give treatments to keep the skin healthy and attractive

The statute is explicit that an aesthetician “is not authorized to prescribe medication or provide medical treatment in the same manner as a dermatologist.” You must hold your license and practice out of a registered aesthetics shop, and permanent make-up (a form of body art) requires a separate permit from the Division of Public Health, not an aesthetician license. Verify any practitioner through DPR’s Search & Verify License tool.