Frequently Asked Questions

Please send inquiries to MQA.Electrolysis@FLHealth.gov.

You may file a complaint by accessing the Florida Health Care Complaint Portal.

You may use our  License Look-Up Search Screen

To obtain an electronic listing of active and inactive licensee’s mailing addresses and license status for DOH/ MQA regulated professions use our Licensee Data Information service. Please note: The department does not maintain email addresses, fax or telephone numbers in the normal course of business.

Section 119.083(4), F.S., requires only that the agency provide electronic data in some common format such as, but not limited to, the American Standard Code for Information Interchange (ASCII) text format. Therefore, the download files provided on this page are formatted as ASCII text, pipe delimited.

Financial information, medical information, school transcripts, examination questions, answers, papers, grades and grading keys, which are confidential and exempt from s. 119.07(1), F.S., will be withheld pursuant to Chapter 456, Florida Statutes. Social Security numbers will also be redacted pursuant to 42 U.S.C. 405(c)(2)(C)(vii)(1).

Council members are appointed by the Board of Medicine. You may apply by completing the Member Questionnaire and submitting the application at least 45 days prior to a scheduled Electrolysis Council meeting.

Council meetings are held via conference call and open to the public.  Agendas and conference call information are available on Electrolysis Council  page at least 2 weeks prior to each scheduled meeting.

The agenda outlines are posted approximately 2 weeks prior to each Electrolysis Council meeting. Alternatively, you may request to be placed on the Council’s Interested Parties List to receive a copy by email, fax or U.S. mail. Staff routinely sends out agenda outlines 7-10 days prior to an upcoming council meeting.

Send the item to the council’s staff office with a letter requesting that it be included on the next meeting’s agenda. Advance notice to the Electrolysis Council  is mandatory. The deadlines for all agenda items is one month prior to the date of the meeting. If you miss the deadline, you will be scheduled for the following meeting.

Occupational licenses are obtained through the city or county where an individual will be practicing. The council office does not handle anything regarding occupational licenses.

Council office staff cannot interpret or provide opinions on the profession’s laws and rules, however, staff may be able to point you to applicable laws and rules that may be helpful.  Questions regarding the interpretation of the laws and rules may be directed to your business or private attorney, or, a Petition for Declaratory Statement may be filed with the council to obtain a legally binding opinion regarding how the laws and rules might impact a specific practice scenario.

Petitions must be received a minimum of 45 days prior to a scheduled  Electrolysis Council meeting to allow time for review by the council’s attorney and the required public noticing of the petition.

Beginning July 1, 2023, licensees will be able to retrieve duplicate licenses, at no cost, by logging into the MQA Online Services Portal. The PDF version of the license will be available under the “Licensure Documents” menu on the licensee’s personal dashboard. Should you need a duplicate license prior to July 1, please reach out to the MQA Customer Contact Center at 850-488-0595 for assistance.

Licensed Electrolysis Facilities relocating their practice must download, complete and submit the Transfer of Location Application Form, as well as pass inspection, prior to being able to retrieve an updated license with the new facility location address.

You may update your address through our online services with your user id and password.

A facility owner must submit a completed current Transfer of Facility application, $200 fee, and return the original facility license to the council office. Once the application has been processed by staff and is deemed complete for inspection, staff will submit the following:

1. A request for inspection to the appropriate field office
2. A completion letter will be submitted to the facility owner.

Once the completion letter is received and not before then, the facility owner may permit electrolysis services to be rendered in the facility.

Submit the request in writing to the council office at 4052 Bald Cypress Way, Bin #C05, Tallahassee, FL 32399.

Requests may also be faxed to 850-414-6860.

Once an application has been received, it takes approximately 1-3 days for revenue to validate the fees submitted with the application. The application is then delivered to the council office for staff to process. Staff has 30 days to process an application once it has been validated by revenue.

Upon review of your application, Council staff will provide a letter via e-mail and U.S. mail to indicate any deficiencies in the application that you will need to address to complete your file. 

For Exam Applicants: Once an Examination application is deemed complete, you will receive an exam eligibility letter via e-mail and regular U.S. mail.  If you requested a Temporary Permit, the permit will be issued at the same time the eligibility letter is mailed.

For Endorsement Applicants: Once an Endorsement application is deemed complete, the applicant will receive a notice of the Council meeting at which the application will be considered.

Submission of the Florida Electrologist licensure application, official documentation of an active electrologist license or other authority to practice electrolysis, the regulations in effect at the time you were licensed as an electrologist in the other state or jurisdiction being endorsed and proof of completion of a Florida-approved 2-hour prevention of medical errors course.

Please see our listing of approved schools for more information.

Yes. Rule 64B8-53.001(3), F.A.C. states: “The didactic portion of the required training may include online or home study courses.”

Licensees for renewal may take up to 10 hours of approved “home study” courses. The courses used for renewal must be taken during the biennium period, which is the period between the issue date of your license and the expiration date of your license.

Continuing education contact hours must be completed on or before May 31 of every even-numbered year.

Continuing education must be completed before you renew your license. View continuing education information for details about preparing for the mandatory reporting of your continuing education hours with CE Broker at least 30 days prior to the next expiration renewal date of May 31, 2022.

Please visit CE Broker and use the “Course Search” function for “Electrologists” to search for approved providers and home study courses.

Prospective applicants for Licensure by Examination will now be able to apply directly to sit for the AEA/IBEC Licensure Examination, through Prometric, without first applying to the Electrolysis Council  for approval. Once the exam is passed, the applicant would then be ready to submit the licensure application, and other required supporting documentation to the council office, for review and issuance of the license once all requirements have been verified and the official passing score has been transmitted from Prometric to the council office.

Please contact our office at mqa.electrolysis@FLHealth.gov with any questions.

Exceptions would include the following scenarios:

1. Temporary Permit Requests

The student would like to obtain a one‐time, non‐renewable Temporary Permit to engage in practice while preparing to sit for the examination. In this case, the student should:

• Apply for the AEA/IBEC Licensure exam through Prometric prior to submitting the licensure application containing the temporary permit request;
• Obtain an Appointment Confirmation from Prometric verifying his or her chosen exam date and confirmation number (Prometric will e‐mail this confirmation to the candidate automatically after the exam is scheduled in its system); and
• Submit the official Prometric Appointment Confirmation to the Council Office along with the application form and other required supporting documents.

Temporary permit expiration dates will be set 4 weeks beyond each applicant’s individual scheduled exam date. This will allow time for Prometric to provide scores to the Council Office and Council staff to process passing scores for issuance of the license, or notify no-shows or failing applicants of permit expiration and the need to re‐take the examination.

2. Credentials or History Review Required

Credentials: The student has an irregularity in his or her proof of meeting the licensure requirements and would prefer to seek review by the Electrolysis Council to determine whether he or she will be able to obtain a license after passing the examination. Example: A person who obtained his or her Electrolysis training outside of Florida would require review by the Council to determine whether the training will be accepted for licensure.

History: The applicant has a criminal, disciplinary or other personal history background that he or she would prefer to have reviewed and cleared prior to incurring the expense of the exam. Once the review is completed, the Council Office would notify the applicant of whether he or she has been cleared and approved to sit for the examination.

Once the department receives your application, the fees can take anywhere from 3‐5 days to be processed. After the fees have been processed, the Electrolysis Council  office will receive your application. Upon receipt, we have 30 days to process your application.

When we review your application, we look for all documents listed on the checklist. If you are missing a document, money or a question is answered incorrectly, you application is INCOMPLETE and will not be COMPLETE until you contact our office and correct the deficiency.

Even if we have your application in our office before or by the deadline, and your application is DEFICIENT or INCOMPLETE, council staff will be unable to approve you for licensure if your file is not complete. If you are unsure about the status of your application, please contact our office.

Deficient or incomplete means that your application is missing one or more of the following: fees, proof of electrolysis training, proof of date of birth, a high school or college transcript or diploma (and a translation if in a foreign language), a mailing address and practice location, verification of licensure in another jurisdiction, proof of successfully registering for the exam with your appointment date and time, OR if a question is answered incorrectly or a field is left blank.

Your application will be not be complete and you will not be licensed until you have corrected all deficiencies. Please contact our office if you have questions about your application.

You will select your preferred exam date and preferred location within the registration/scheduling system. The examination vendor will send confirmation of your examination date, time and location to your email address, and will follow up with a phone call to confirm the information a day before your scheduled testing date.

Yes, once you have received notice of your failed attempt to successfully pass the licensure exam, you can go back to Prometric and register to take the exam again.

Each time you register to take the exam you will have to pay the $150 examination fee.

The $150 examination fee is paid directly to the examination vendor, currently Prometric, upon its notification on completion of the exam registration process.

The field offices have 60 days to complete an inspection request.

Since a facility license is not issued before the initial inspection has been completed and it has been noted that the facility is in compliance, the field offices try to make these requests “priorities.” Therefore, it may not take the full 60 days for the inspector(s) to complete the facility inspection(s).

You may begin practicing at the new location once you have received your letter that your transfer of location inspection has been requested by council staff.

A facility owner must submit a completed current Transfer of Facility application, $200 fee, and return the original facility license to the council office.

Once the application has been processed by staff and is deemed complete for inspection, staff will submit the following:

1. A request for inspection to the appropriate field office
2. A completion letter will be submitted to the facility owner

Once the completion letter is received and not before then, the facility owner may permit electrolysis services to be rendered in the facility.

You can download a copy for your use: Rule 64B8-51.006, Florida Administrative Code

For examination applicants, the permanent license is issued once the state licensure examination is passed.

For endorsement applicants, the permanent license will be processed upon completion of the application and approval by the Electrolysis Council .

The $100 application fee is a non-refundable fee. You must submit a written request, including your original signature, to withdraw your application in order to be refunded the $100 licensure fee and the $5 unlicensed activity fee.

Renewal notices are mailed out approximately 120 days prior to the expiration of the biennium period.

Yes.  The electrology rules require that you must renew your license by the expiration date, whether you receive notice from the Department or not.  Your license expiration date is printed on the hard copy of your license and also viewable on the Department of Health’s public licensure verification page.

You will be charged a $100 delinquency fee in addition to the current renewal fee.

Facility licenses that are not renewed by the expiration date of the biennium period will automatically become delinquent for 6 months. If the facility owner fails to renew within 6 months of the expiration date, the license will automatically become “null and void” and electrolysis may not be performed in that facility.

In addition, electrolysis may not be performed under a delinquent license as well.

A facility owner would then need to completely reapply for facility licensure, and he/she must cease practice until the facility is licensed. Activity occurring in an unlicensed facility may result in disciplinary action by the board, a fine, and possible denial of licensure.

Similar to licensed electrologists, temporary permittees providing laser hair removal services are only required to have direct supervision by a licensed medical doctor or osteopathic physician.

Direct supervision is not required when traditional electrolysis services are being provided.

No, the licensed Electrologist supervisor must be available to consult and direct a permittee in an emergency, although the supervisor does not have to be on the premises while the permittee is delivering electrolysis services.

Rule 64B8-56.002(1)(d), F.A.C., requires licensed electrologists to perform laser hair removal under the “direct supervision and responsibility of a physician properly trained in hair removal and licensed pursuant to the provisions of Chapter 458 or 459, F.S.”

Rule 64B8-2.001(1)(a), F.A.C., defines direct supervision as: “Direct supervision shall require the physical presence of the supervising licensee on the premises so that the supervising licensee is reasonably available as needed. When this term is used in probationary terms of a Final Order, it requires that the licensee practice medicine only if the approved supervisor is on the premises.”

Endorsement candidates can receive a temporary permit. However, staff cannot issue the temporary permit until the Electrolysis Council  has deemed the individual(s) eligible to receive one.

When staff has processed the application, and the application has been deemed complete, then the individual is eligible to receive a temporary permit. Candidates appearing before the Electrolysis Council  as an individual consideration will not be granted a temporary permit until approved, and the Electrolysis Council  will then direct staff to issue the individual the temporary permit.

If you are working on a temporary permit, you must cease working immediately upon notification of your failing results and return your temporary permit to the council office.

No. An applicant can have only one temporary permit and it cannot be extended.

No. A temporary permit shall not be issued to an applicant for licensure who has previously failed the examination and has not subsequently passed the examination.