Opening a nail salon in Virginia: the salon licence
What Virginia Board for Barbers and Cosmetology (DPOR) publishes about licensing the salon itself, checked on September 7, 2026.
- Who needs it
- The Code of Virginia requires any individual or entity operating a nail care salon to hold a salon licence (type Nail Salon), and every person practising in it to hold a practitioner licence. One does not substitute for the other.
- Source: Virginia DPOR - Salon, shop, spa and parlor application instructions (PDF) · Checked September 7, 2026
- Fees
- The application fee for a Nail Salon licence is $234.50 per licence type, non-refundable (form A450-1213BUS v24, dated 1 July 2026). Under 2026's House Bill 30, DPOR also charges a technology fee of $7.25 per year. A licence expired more than two years cannot be reinstated; the owner applies as new.
- Source: Virginia DPOR - Salon, shop, spa and parlor licence application (PDF) · Checked September 7, 2026
- Paperwork and review time
- Review takes up to 45 days, longer if the application is incomplete. It needs the application, the fee and the supporting documents. A sole proprietorship or general partnership must file the fictitious-name certificate from the local Clerk of Court. A corporation or LLC must be registered with the State Corporation Commission and trade under its registered name, Inc. or LLC included, unless a fictitious name is registered.
- Source: Virginia DPOR - Salon, shop, spa and parlor application instructions (PDF) · Checked September 7, 2026
- Instructions in Vietnamese
- The Board publishes the salon application instructions in Vietnamese, alongside Korean and Spanish. It also publishes a salon self-inspection form for owners to check their own premises.
- Source: Virginia DPOR - Salon application instructions, Vietnamese edition (PDF) · Checked September 7, 2026
Every line carries its own check date, because a page is only as trustworthy as its oldest line.
The oldest line on this page was checked September 7, 2026