Barber and beauty specialist license in Puerto Rico

Two boards, two kinds of license

Two examining boards (juntas examinadoras) at the Departamento de Estado license these trades:

• Junta Examinadora de Barberos y Estilistas en Barbería, under Ley 146 of 1968: the barber license (barbero), the barbershop stylist license (estilista en barbería) and the barber apprentice permit (aprendiz de barbero).
• Junta Examinadora de Especialistas en Belleza, under Ley 431 of 1950: the beauty specialist license (especialista en belleza). The law's definition covers work on hair, scalp, face, neck, arms, hands and nails.

If your work is lashes, tattoos, massage or another trade, ask the Departamento de Estado which rules apply to you instead of assuming one of these does.

Barber license: what you need

• Age: 18 or older.
• Training: a barbering course at a school the education authorities recognize, or two years with a barber apprentice permit.
• Exams: a theory exam and a practical exam, both through Didaxis. The Departamento de Estado lists them at $100 and $60.
• Documents, uploaded to the PCS portal: your diploma or apprentice permit, proof you finished your studies, your exam results, a recent 2×2 color photo, a certificado de antecedentes penales (valid 30 days), an ASUME certificate of no child-support debt or a payment plan, a health certificate, a notarized sworn statement, a birth certificate issued in 2010 or later, and a Ley 300 negative certification less than a year old.
• Fee: by card. It was $25 until June 30, 2026; PCS announced a $25 increase from July 1, 2026, which includes a wallet-size license card. Check the current amount with PCS.
• Colegio: once PCS approves you, you upload proof of active membership in the Colegio de Barberos y Estilistas en Barbería. PCS doesn't send the license until it has it.

The license lasts three years. To become an estilista en barbería, you need a barber license first, plus a styling course and the stylist exam.

Barber apprentice permit

To learn while you work, you need to be 16 or older and work under the direct supervision of a licensed barber whose license and Colegio membership are current. The permit costs $30 and lasts two years, and after two years with it you can apply for the barber exam.

Colegio membership

Ley 60 of 1988 created the Colegio de Barberos y Estilistas en Barbería de Puerto Rico and says nobody can work as a barber or barbershop stylist without being a member. Members pay yearly dues that the Colegio sets in its own regulation. A member who doesn't pay is suspended until the dues are paid in full.

Under Ley 146, working without membership is a reason the Junta can suspend or revoke a license, and every renewal asks for a Colegio certification that your dues are current. Ask the Colegio for the amount and due date.

Renewing a barber license

• How often: every three years.
• When: complete the renewal 30 days before the license expires. A late renewal can cost you part of the three years.
• Documents: a recent photo, a copy of the license, the Colegio certification, and new copies of the certificates from your first application: antecedentes penales, ASUME, medical and Ley 300.
• Fee: $25, plus the increase PCS announced from July 1, 2026. Check the current amount with PCS.
• If it lapses: if you don't renew within three years after it expires, you pay a $10 fine for each year that goes by. After 10 years expired, the license is canceled through a hearing with the Junta.

Beauty specialist license: what you need

• Age: 16 or older when you apply. Under the law, applicants from 16 to 18 also include an employment certificate.
• Education: eighth grade or more.
• Training: at least 1,000 hours at a beauty school accredited by the Departamento de Educación or recognized by the Junta. Didaxis says a certification from the Consejo de Educación doesn't count as a diploma.
• Exams: theory and practical, $100 each, through Didaxis.
• Documents (the Junta's 2017 applicant manual): a 2×2 color photo, a certificado de antecedentes penales less than a month old, an ASUME certificate less than three months old, a health certificate, your eighth-grade diploma, the 1,000-hour diploma or transcript, your exam results and the payment.

Does a beauty specialist license expire?

Ley 431 says every license it issues, except a provisional one, is permanent (de carácter vitalicio), though the Secretario de Estado can require license holders to take a physical exam. The Junta also has a regulation, Reglamento 8663 of 2015, which we couldn't review, so confirm with the Junta before you count on it.

Where to apply

• Exams for both boards: Didaxis, which also publishes the exam calendar. Phone 787-296-8385.
• Barber licenses, renewals and apprentice permits: PCS, the Departamento de Estado's online portal for this board.
• Beauty specialist licenses: Didaxis, which the Departamento de Estado names as the company that processes this board's license applications.

In your last months of school

1. Ask your school for your diploma or a transcript that shows your hours, and confirm the school is accredited.
2. Check the exam calendar on Didaxis and write down the application deadline. Late applications aren't accepted.
3. Leave the documents that expire quickly for last, such as the certificado de antecedentes penales.
4. If you're going for the barber license, plan your Colegio membership so you can upload the proof as soon as PCS approves you.

In Bookeao Pro

Bookeao Pro's paperwork calendar will show license renewal dates to professionals in Puerto Rico, next to the IVU and patente dates. Dates only: what you file, and where, stays between you and the Junta.