Funeral Director

Pennsylvania Licensure Requirements

Any person engaged in the profession of a funeral director or in the care and disposition of the human dead, or in the practice of disinfecting and preparing by embalming the human dead for the funeral service, burial or cremation, or the supervising of the burial, transportation or disposal of deceased human bodies, or in the practice of funeral directing or embalming.

Degree Requirement: 

Mortuary college course completion - Each applicant shall have successfully completed two years of academic work at a college or university accredited by the Department of Education, and a one year course at a mortuary college or university accredited by the American Board of Funeral Service Education, Inc. and shall have completed one year as a resident internship.

Examination Requirement: 

2 Examinations - To qualify for licensure, an applicant shall successfully complete the following examinations: (1) The National Board Examination prepared and administered by the Conference of Funeral Service Examining Boards. (2) Written and oral examinations on the clinical practice of funeral directing, the act and this chapter, prepared and administered by a qualified and approved professional testing organization authorized by the Bureau.

Experience Requirement:

12 Months - A resident intern shall complete 12 full continuous months in that capacity. An intern shall work a minimum of 40 hours per week. During the resident intern training period, a resident intern shall complete work on a minimum of 35 deceased individuals, 1 year of age or older, under the supervision of the intern's preceptor and shall maintain a case history of each deceased individual.

Continuing Education:

3 Hours (for initial licensure) 

6 Hours (when renewing license)

During each biennial renewal period, a licensed funeral director shall complete 6 hours of continuing education. A licensee is not required to complete continuing education during the biennium in which the licensee is first licensed. Of those 6 hours, 2 hours must be Board-approved continuing education in child abuse recognition and reporting. 

Initial Licensing Fee: 

$ 25.00

Licensure Renewal Fee: 

$400.00 - Biennial renewal of license.

Licensure by Reciprocity:

(a) A person licensed by a reciprocal state to practice the profession of funeral director who seeks a limited license shall apply to the Board on a form provided by the Board, including: (i) An original certification from the reciprocal state that the applicant is licensed as a funeral director in that jurisdiction and is in good standing. (ii) The fee for the license. (b) A limited license shall be subject to biennial renewal. (c) A limited license shall become inactive upon the revocation, suspension, placement upon inactive status, or other lapse of the holder's license in the reciprocal state.

Act 41 allows for portability of out-of-state professional licensees coming to work in Pennsylvania. Act 41 does this by granting all boards and commissions within the Commonwealth the authority to endorse licensees from other states, territories or jurisdictions (with substantially equivalent licensing requirements) who are active, in good standing and without discipline against their license or criminal conviction.