Barber and stylist licence in Puerto Rico: the two routes, the paperwork and what it costs

Who issues the licence, and why there are two offices

The profession is regulated by Act No. 146 of 27 June 1968, and the licence is issued by the Barbers and Hair Stylists Examining Board, which sits under the Department of State.

But there is a second door that catches many people out. On top of the Department of State licence, the law requires you to join the Puerto Rico Barbers and Hair Stylists Association. It is not optional and it is not a club: without the membership certification, they simply do not send you the licence.

The licence process is done online through Professional Credential Services (PCS), at pr.pcshq.com. The Department of State only accepts applications through that portal, so do not waste a trip showing up in person with a folder of paperwork.

The two routes: school, or two years as an apprentice

This is what most people do not know, and what can change the plan for someone who cannot afford an academy. The law gives you TWO routes to qualify, and they count equally.

The first is the usual one: pass a barbering course at a Commonwealth vocational school or at a barbering college accredited by the Department of Education.

The second is spelled out in Article 6 of the law: having worked as a barber's apprentice for a term of two years. The Board accredits as salons fit for apprenticeship those that meet the basic theory and practice teaching requirements it sets.

So you can start working and learning in a barbershop, getting paid, and get licensed after two years without having paid for an academy. If you go that way, the barber supervising you must sign a sworn statement before a notary saying how long you worked with them.

The apprentice licence starts at 16

Article 7 of the law sets the barber apprentice requirements, and they are short: be sixteen years old, be of good moral conduct and be in good health.

Sixteen. For a kid who already knows barbering is their thing and does not want to wait, that is the route: get the apprentice permit, work two years, and at eighteen you are ready for the exam and the full licence.

The apprentice licence is valid for two years, which is exactly the apprenticeship period the law asks for.

The exam has three parts, and one gets forgotten

The exam is taken before the Examining Board, or before three barbers authorised by it, who then certify the result.

It has a theory part and a practical part, and you have to pass both. Fail one and you do not qualify.

And there is a third thing the law requires that almost nobody studies: the applicant is required to have a basic knowledge of the laws and regulations that apply to the profession. That is on the exam. It is not just cutting.

If you already hold a barber licence from another state or country where substantially the same requirements apply, the law lets you sit the exam here directly.

The paperwork, in full

This is the list PCS asks for the initial licence. Gather all of it before opening the application, because the portal will not let you move forward without the documents:

• An active email account in your name.
• Barbering course diploma, or the apprentice licence within its two-year validity.
• Study certification (the form is printed from the portal and completed by the academy).
• Results of the theory and practical exams, both passed.
• A recent passport-size colour photo with a dark background, in JPEG. A white background is not accepted.
• Original, current criminal record certificate. Note: it expires 30 days after issue.
• ASUME negative debt certification, required by Article 30 of Act 86 of 1994. If you owe, you need a payment plan.
• Original health certificate, public or private. If public, it must carry the Health Department's colour seal.
• Original birth certificate, issued 2010 or later.
• Sworn statement before a notary, with the internal revenue stamp cancelled and a recent photo of you.
• Act 300 of 1999 negative certification, issued less than a year ago.
• If you are going the apprenticeship route: the sworn statement from the barber who supervised you.

What it actually costs

The licence application is $25, paid by Visa, Master Card or Discover on the portal.

But that is not the real cost. Mandatory membership in the Barbers and Stylists Association is $100 a year, and without it you do not receive the licence. Add the criminal record certificate, the ASUME certification, the health certificate, the birth certificate, the notary and the internal revenue stamp.

Budget for the exam too and, if you go the school route, for the course, which is by far the big expense of the two paths.

The association step: where people get stuck

The order matters and many people do it backwards. First PCS approves your licence and sends you a letter with your number. With that letter you go to the Barbers and Stylists Association, join, and they give you a certification. You upload that certification back to your PCS account.

Until PCS receives that certification, it does not send you the licence. It is literal: you have the approval and you do not have the document.

To join they ask for a 2x2 photo, a copy of current photo ID, a copy of the Department of State letter with your licence number, a copy of the course diploma, and the $100 fee. The Association's phone is 787-758-5790.

Barbershop stylist: barber first

The barbershop stylist licence is not an alternative to the barber licence, it is a step above it. The law requires that you already be a barber licensed by the Board.

On top of that: be in good health and of good moral conduct, have passed a stylist course at a school recognised by the Department of Education, and pass a styling exam before the Board or before three licensed stylists it authorises.

As with the barber licence, if you hold a stylist licence from another state or country with substantially the same requirements, you can sit the exam here.

It renews every three years

The barber and barbershop stylist licences are renewable every three years.

To renew, the law asks for a medical certificate attesting you are in good health, and a certification from the Association that you remain an active member. So the membership fee is not a one-off: it stays with you throughout your career.

Barbering is not the same as beauty

Worth saying before someone spends on the wrong process. This guide covers the Barbers and Hair Stylists Examining Board, under Act 146-1968.

Cosmetologists, beauty specialists, nail technicians and other salon trades are governed by their own examining board, with its own law and its own requirements. If your thing is nails or cosmetology, ask about that board and not this one.

If a job posting does not make clear which one it wants, ask the employer before you start spending.