Licensure Requirements, Applications, and Renewal
Eligibility and application
Mississippi licensure is competency-based: the applicant must meet the age and education requirement, complete a Board-approved massage program (the commonly tested threshold is 500 clock hours), pass the MBLEx or Board-accepted exam, and clear a criminal background check. The application is made under oath; false statements, omitted arrests, or undisclosed discipline are independent grounds for denial.
Renewal and lapse
Continuing education is required each renewal period, and the licensee must renew before expiration. Practicing on an expired license is unlicensed practice, even if renewal is later approved. Reinstatement after lapse may require a late fee, evidence of CE, and Board review; a suspended or revoked license cannot be revived by paying a fee.
Worked example
An applicant completed 500 hours at a school that was not Board-approved, passed the MBLEx, and checked yes to a 2019 misdemeanor but omitted a 2021 charge. The Board may deny for insufficient approved education and for a false or incomplete application. Passing the exam does not cure either defect.
Traps
National certification is not a Mississippi license. A background check is not a one-time formality if the application asks for updates. Keep proof of CE. Do not assume a felony conviction is an automatic bar, because the Board evaluates factors, but do not conceal it.