Funeral Home or Crematorium Licence

Apply for a Funeral Home or Crematorium Licence if your business is a funeral home, crematorium or company providing funeral services or merchandise to the public.

By law, you must have a Funeral Home Licence if you provide funeral services or merchandise to the public. Your facility will be inspected before you get the licence.

If a person is found guilty of an offence under the Embalmers and Funeral Directors Act, they can be fined up to $500.

Eligibility

If you’re a funeral home, crematorium, or company providing funeral services and merchandise to the public you need to apply for a licence.

You can apply for a Funeral Home Licence, Crematorium Licence, or Funeral Home and Crematorium Licence as part of the application process.

Your funeral home, crematorium or company needs to have:

exterior signage
office
public washroom
casket display room, if the funeral home, crematorium or company doesn’t keep an up-to-date catalogue
visitation room
access to preparation room
access to a funeral coach

The manager of the funeral home, crematorium or company needs to be a licensed funeral director. Funeral directors are licensed by the Nova Scotia Board of Registered Embalmers and Funeral Directors (NSBREFD).

You need to apply separately for each business location (each location needs a separate licence). A location can be a funeral home, crematorium, or funeral home and crematorium.

How to apply

Complete the application form.
Check the application for details on all required supporting documents.
Include payment with your application.
Send your completed application, supporting documents and payment by mail or fax.
A Service Nova Scotia inspector inspects your facility.

How long it takes

It should take 2 weeks to get the licence. It can take longer if more information is needed or if your application hasn’t been filled in correctly.

Cost

$133.35 for each location.

You only need to pay 1 application fee when applying for a funeral home and crematorium licence at the same location.

Payment options

Visa, MasterCard, American Express, cheque, money order. A cheque or money order should be made payable to the Minister of Finance. Payment options may vary depending on how you apply.

Before you start

Make sure you have:

Registry of Joint Stock Companies number
name, address, position, and date of birth for you and any partners and officers
3-year employment history for you and any partners and officers
address and name of the licensed funeral director in charge of each branch

If you’re operating a crematorium, you need:

sample of the cremation record sheet
letter of compliance from the Department of Environment

Application form

Business Licensing and Registration - Funeral Home or Crematorium Application Form (PDF 240 kB)

Renewal

You need to renew your Funeral Home Licence by June 30 each year. You should get a renewal package (including instructions and reporting requirements) in the mail before the renewal date. It’s your responsibility to renew on time.