Georgia Esthetician License Requirements

Georgia licenses estheticians through the Georgia State Board of Cosmetology and Barbers. You can qualify either by completing a Board-approved school program or by working as a registered apprentice, then passing the national PSI exam.

1. Complete your training. Finish a 1,000-hour esthetician program (minimum nine months) at a school licensed by the Board, or complete an apprenticeship of at least 18 months and 2,000 hours under a licensed Master Cosmetologist, Hair Designer, Esthetician, or Nail Technician who has held their own license for at least 36 months.
2. Register for the PSI exam. Contact PSI online at psiexams.com or by phone to schedule the written and practical NIC examinations for estheticians.
3. Pass both parts of the exam. If your training hours were completed on or after July 1, 2018, you have 48 months to pass both sections before you must repeat your training.
4. Apply for your license. Submit your application through the GOALS licensing portal along with the $30 non-refundable application fee. Board sanctions and criminal history are reviewed before licensure, regardless of exam results.

Georgia requires 1,000 hours of training over at least nine months at a school licensed to teach esthetics, under Board Rule 240-16-.02. The curriculum is split into two levels:

• Level 1 — Theory (250 hours): Taught by a licensed master cosmetology or esthetician instructor before a student may perform services on clients. Covers Professional Practices (150 hours — bacteriology, disinfection, personal hygiene, public health and safety, OSHA and EPA standards, infection control, and communicable diseases), Professional Ethics (20 hours), and Business Practices (80 hours — Board rules and laws, salon development, insurance, client records, and job-seeking skills).
• Level 2 — Service Application (750 hours): Clinic-floor training on live subjects, available only after a student completes the 250 theory hours with a minimum grade of 75%.

As an alternative to school, Georgia allows an apprenticeship path: at least 18 months and 2,000 hours training under a licensed cosmetologist, hair designer, esthetician, or nail technician who has held a license for 36 months or longer. Apprentices licensed after July 1, 2019 must pass the theory portion of the state exam within their first 12 months.

Georgia uses the national NIC examinations administered by PSI. You must pass both a written and a practical exam to become licensed.

Registration

Register with PSI online at psiexams.com, by touch-tone phone 24 hours a day, or by speaking with a PSI registrar Monday–Friday, 7:30 am–8:00 pm, or Saturday, 11:00 am–5:00 pm Eastern Time.

Time Limit and Retakes

If your training hours were completed on or after July 1, 2018, you have 48 months from that date to pass both sections of the exam; after that, you must repeat your training hours. If you fail one section, you retake only that section, and there is no limit on the number of attempts for initial licensure — the exam fee applies each time you sit.

If you disagree with your exam results, you can request a reevaluation directly through PSI using the same contact methods.

Georgia esthetician licenses expire every two years, on August 31 of odd-numbered years. The standard renewal fee is $45. A late renewal submitted within 30 days of expiration costs $90; after that, the license lapses and requires a $200 reinstatement application.

Continuing Education

Your first renewal after initial licensure does not require continuing education. Every renewal after that, you must complete 5 hours of CE in the two years before your renewal date: 3 hours must be a health and safety course developed or approved by the Technical College System of Georgia, and 2 hours must come from a Board-registered course in industry trade shows, health and safety, industry trends, computer skills, business management, or your area of practice. Licensees who have held a license for 25 years or longer, or who demonstrate hardship, may request a CE waiver — but reinstatement applications are never eligible for a waiver.

How to Renew

Renew online through the GOALS portal using a credit card. You will be asked whether you have completed your CE requirement, whether you have any new convictions or Board sanctions, and whether you are a U.S. citizen. Mailed-in renewals are not accepted, and your license must show an active, unexpired status before you can continue working.

Georgia defines the esthetician scope of practice in O.C.G.A. § 43-10-1(8). A licensed Georgia esthetician may, for compensation:

• Facial and body treatments: Massage the face, neck, décolletage, or arms
• Eyebrow and eyelash services: Trim, tweeze, shape, or thread eyebrows; dye eyelashes or eyebrows; and apply eyelash extensions
• Skin care and hair removal: Wax, thread, stimulate, cleanse, or beautify the face, neck, arms, torso, or legs by hand or with mechanical or electrical apparatus, or with a cosmetic preparation

Georgia law is explicit that esthetics does not include diagnosing, treating, or providing therapy for any dermatological condition, medical aesthetics, or the use of lasers. You must also work in a Board-registered salon or shop, and both your individual license and the salon license must be posted where clients can see them. You can verify any practitioner through the Board’s Licensee Search tool.