Do you need a barber licence in British Columbia?

Who regulates barbers in British Columbia?

Nobody licenses barbers in BC. SkilledTradesBC runs the voluntary hairstylist apprenticeship and certification, and its Skilled Trades Certification list — the trades where a worker must be a registered apprentice, a trade qualifier or a certified journeyperson — covers electrical, piping, refrigeration, gasfitting and sheet metal trades, with mobile and tower crane operators announced for July 5, 2027. Hairstylist and barber are not on it.

How do you get certified as a barber in British Columbia?

Certification is optional, and the credential is the hairstylist certificate. SkilledTradesBC’s hairstylist program is 3,150 hours of work-based training plus 15 weeks of technical training over two years, with a Level 1 standardized exam and the Interprovincial Red Seal exam.

• Hours: 3,150 work-based training hours.
• Technical training: 15 weeks over two years.
• Exams: Level 1 standardized level exam and the Interprovincial Red Seal exam.
• Practical assessment: required on top of the written exam; SkilledTradesBC says the assessment agency sets the fee at approximately $500.
• Experienced stylists can apply to challenge the certification exam as trade qualifiers.

Is a barber different from a hairstylist in British Columbia?

BC has no barber trade and no barber credential. A barber who wants a certificate takes the hairstylist route; the Red Seal hairstylist standard covers barbering techniques, according to the Red Seal Program.

Can an out-of-province barber work in British Columbia?

Yes, with no paperwork from SkilledTradesBC, because no certificate is required to cut hair in BC. A Red Seal hairstylist endorsement earned elsewhere is still worth keeping current: it is the credential that moves with you if you later work in Ontario, Alberta, Manitoba or Saskatchewan.

What else does a British Columbia barbershop need?

The personal-service-establishment rules in BC’s Regulated Activities Regulation (B.C. Reg. 161/2011, Part 2, under the Public Health Act) are binding: the definition of a personal service establishment in s.2 includes a barbershop, and s.3 requires hot and cold water and a hand-washing facility. The province’s Guidelines for Personal Service Establishments (November 2017, s.3.1) say to have a site plan reviewed by the local health authority and to notify it that the establishment is ready for inspection before offering services. Get a business licence from your municipality too.