Getting a nail license in Oregon

Can the exam be taken in Vietnamese

Yes. The licensing office states it provides the nail technology exam and the Oregon Laws and Rules exam in Spanish and Vietnamese. A candidate who sits the English version and speaks English as a second language may request additional time, though that extra time is only given to someone sitting an exam in a language that is not their primary one.

Source: Oregon Health Licensing Office, Nail Technologist certification information · Checked September 21, 2026

Required training hours

241 hours of nail technology plus 70 practical operations, on top of 20 hours of Oregon Laws and Rules and 20 hours of career development. The Oregon school sends the official transcript and the passing practical examination score straight to the Office; a practical score stays valid for five years from the date it was passed.

Source: Oregon Health Licensing Office, Nail Technologist certification information · Checked September 21, 2026

What the exam covers

Two written exams: one for the nail technology field of practice and one on Oregon Laws and Rules. Both must be passed within two years of the date of application. The laws exam is studied from the Oregon Laws and Rules themselves; the nail technology questions and answers are taken from the Milady and Pivot Point textbooks.

Source: Oregon Health Licensing Office, Nail Technologist certification information · Checked September 21, 2026

Where you sit it and what to bring

Both written exams are taken in person at the Health Licensing Office, 1430 Tandem Ave. NE, Suite 180, Salem, OR 97301. No appointment is needed; it is walk-in. Testing hours are Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., the office closes at 4 p.m., and you get 90 minutes per exam. Bring two forms of original identification issued by a federal, state or local government agency of the United States, one of them photographic, with the names matching each other and the name on your certification, or court documentation showing how the name changed. Anyone sitting a translated exam or taking additional time has to arrive early: between 9 and 11 a.m. for one field of practice plus the laws exam, and by 9 a.m. for two fields plus the laws exam. Pass and pay everything, and the Oregon certification is handed over the same day.

Source: Oregon Health Licensing Office, Nail Technologist certification information · Checked September 21, 2026

What it adds up to

The fee table in the Board’s own rule book, OAR 817-040-0003(2), effective July 1, 2024: practitioner certificate application $30 per field of practice; nail technology examination $45; Oregon Laws and Rules examination $45; original issuance of the certificate $35 for two years. For someone trained in Oregon that adds up to $155, and every retake costs another $45. The reciprocity route is priced differently: $100 application per field of practice, $65 for the first two-year certificate, plus $50 if you use the Affidavit of Licensure form.

Source: Oregon Health Licensing Office, Board of Cosmetology administrative rules, chapter 817 (PDF) · Checked September 21, 2026

What happens if you fail

Failing is not the end. Under the Office and Board retake policy, a candidate may retake a failed examination the NEXT BUSINESS DAY, up to the tenth failed attempt. A business day here means a regular, non-holiday day the office is open to the public. After the tenth failure the Board may set qualifications before you sit again, including additional hours and practical operations from a school. Each retake still costs the $45 examination fee.

Source: Oregon Health Licensing Office, Nail Technologist certification information · Checked September 21, 2026

If you are licensed in another state

Oregon calls this Pathway Two, reciprocity, and it waives training rather than the exam. If your authorization in the other state is active and has not been disciplined, the Health Licensing Office may waive all or part of the Pathway One requirements and allow you to sit the required written examinations. You still pass a Board-approved written exam for the field of practice and a separate Oregon Laws and Rules exam, each within two years of the application date. Your home state must send verification of licensure straight to the office, or you file an Affidavit of Licensure where that state allows it, and that form has to be mailed or brought in person, never faxed or emailed. If the affidavit discloses unresolved disciplinary action or outstanding civil fines, those must be cleared before Oregon will certify you.

Source: Oregon Health Licensing Office, Nail Technologist certification information · Checked September 21, 2026

Trained in Vietnam with no license anywhere

This is Pathway Three, the route for someone trained outside Oregon who does not hold an active authorization anywhere else. The Office may waive all or part of the Pathway One requirements, but first you have to find an Oregon school willing to review your documents, run a skills assessment and carry out a practical evaluation; passing a Board-approved practical examination counts as proof of both. What you give the school can include unofficial transcripts, copies of expired licenses, certificates, diplomas or short-term industry training certificates, apprenticeship or on-the-job work records, and military training records. Documents in Vietnamese must be translated into English BEFORE you hand them to the school; the translation may be done by a professional translator, a family member or a friend. Give the school copies of both the Vietnamese documents and the translations, and never hand over originals. Only after the school reports its determination do you sit the written exams.

Source: Oregon Health Licensing Office, Nail Technologist certification information · Checked September 21, 2026

Where the certificate lets you work

A practitioner certificate alone is not enough to start work. Oregon requires everyone who provides services to work in a licensed facility, or to hold a freelance authorization allowing practice away from a licensed facility, or to register as an independent contractor if they are not under the control and direction of a facility license holder. Under OAR 817-040-0003 an independent contractor registration is $70 to apply plus $140 for one year; a freelance authorization is $35 to apply plus $140 for one year; a facility license is $140 to apply plus $155 for one year. A temporary facility permit runs for no more than 30 consecutive calendar days.

Source: Oregon Health Licensing Office, Board of Cosmetology administrative rules, chapter 817 (PDF) · Checked September 21, 2026

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