To get a funeral director license in NY, you complete a set sequence overseen by the New York State Department of Health’s Bureau of Funeral Directing: qualify on good moral character, finish an approved 60-credit funeral service program, pass the National Board Examination, complete a one-year supervised residency at a New York funeral firm, pass the state law exam, and pay a $125 license fee. The profession is governed by New York Public Health Law Article 34.1New York State Senate. New York Public Health Law Article 34 – Funeral Directing Order matters. Doing steps out of sequence, or missing a registration filing, can cost months.
Who Qualifies
Before you enroll in a funeral service program, sit for an exam, or apply for a license, you have to submit evidence of good moral character to the Department of Health. The statute treats this as a gating requirement at each of those three stages, not a one-time check.2New York State Senate. New York Public Health Law 3421 – Funeral Directing Requirements for License to Practice
You must also be a United States citizen or a noncitizen lawfully admitted for permanent residence.2New York State Senate. New York Public Health Law 3421 – Funeral Directing Requirements for License to Practice The statute sets no minimum age, though the education and residency together take at least two to three years after high school.
Register as a Student and Complete an Approved Program
You need a course of collegiate-level study in funeral service totaling at least 60 semester credits or 90 quarter credits, in a program approved by the Department of Health or by an accrediting agency the department recognizes.2New York State Senate. New York Public Health Law 3421 – Funeral Directing Requirements for License to Practice Most candidates meet this with an Associate in Applied Science degree in mortuary science.
The primary accrediting body is the American Board of Funeral Service Education, recognized by both the U.S. Department of Education and the Council on Higher Education Accreditation.3American Board of Funeral Service Education. American Board of Funeral Service Education Confirm your school holds current ABFSE accreditation before enrolling. Credits from a non-accredited program may not count toward licensure, and unwinding that mistake is expensive.
Coursework covers embalming, restorative art, anatomy, pathology, chemistry, funeral service law, grief counseling, and business management. When you enter the program, register separately as a student with the Department of Health and pay a $50 registration fee.2New York State Senate. New York Public Health Law 3421 – Funeral Directing Requirements for License to Practice This filing is distinct from enrolling at your school. Missing it can create problems later.
Pass the National Board Examination
After completing the education requirement, you sit for the National Board Examination administered by the International Conference of Funeral Service Examining Boards. It has two sections. Funeral Service Arts covers arranging, marketing, sociology of funeral service, history, and funeral service law and ethics. Funeral Service Sciences tests embalming, restorative art, microbiology, pathology, chemistry, and anatomy.4The International Conference of Funeral Service Examining Boards. The International Conference of Funeral Service Examining Boards
You must pass both. The exam is scaled, so there is no published minimum percentage. You get a pass or fail result on screen when you finish, and if you fail a section you receive a performance feedback chart identifying weak content areas rather than a numerical score.5The International Conference of Funeral Service Examining Boards. National Board Exam Results – What to Expect
The fee for both sections is $570 to the Conference.4The International Conference of Funeral Service Examining Boards. The International Conference of Funeral Service Examining Boards New York also charges a $40 examination fee to the Department of Health when you apply to take the exam.2New York State Senate. New York Public Health Law 3421 – Funeral Directing Requirements for License to Practice
Complete the One-Year Residency
After passing the national exam, you spend a year as a registered resident at an approved New York funeral firm. This is full-time work under the direct supervision of a licensed and registered funeral director or undertaker and embalmer, who serves as your manager or designated sponsor.2New York State Senate. New York Public Health Law 3421 – Funeral Directing Requirements for License to Practice The regulations require the schedule to be “of sufficient scope to include training in all aspects of funeral service,” which in practice means a standard full-time schedule covering embalming, arrangement conferences, regulatory paperwork, and client interactions.
File the Application for Registration as a Funeral Director Resident (Form DOH-1960) with the Bureau of Funeral Directing before your first day. The form requires the funeral firm’s registration number and the supervising director’s license details. Hours worked before this paperwork is on file generally do not count.
During or after the residency, the Department of Health may call you and your supervisor in for an oral interview to evaluate your qualifications for full licensure. It is not routine, and the department decides whether to hold one.
Pass the New York State Law Exam
During or after your residency, you take a second exam focused specifically on New York laws, rules, and regulations relating to funeral directing.2New York State Senate. New York Public Health Law 3421 – Funeral Directing Requirements for License to Practice The Department of Health prepares or approves it, and it covers Public Health Law, the State Sanitary Code, and the commissioner’s administrative rules. The Bureau of Funeral Directing posts exam dates on its website, typically offering several sittings a year.6New York State Department of Health. Bureau of Funeral Directing
Candidates who breezed through the national exam sometimes stumble here. The state test drills into New York-specific requirements like registration obligations, preneed contract rules, and sanitary code compliance. Studying the relevant sections of Article 34 and 10 NYCRR Part 77 directly is the most reliable preparation.
Apply for the License
Once both examinations are passed and the residency is complete, you apply for your license by paying a $125 fee to the Department of Health.2New York State Senate. New York Public Health Law 3421 – Funeral Directing Requirements for License to Practice The application package should include verified transcripts, proof of residency completion, and your exam results. Your initial registration does not require the separate biennial registration fee. That first shows up at renewal.7New York State Senate. New York Code PBH 3428 – Funeral Directing Registration of Licenses Fees
After approval, the state issues a wall certificate and a pocket identification card. Processing typically takes several weeks after the Bureau receives a complete application.
What It Costs
Direct state and exam fees across the licensing path:
- Student registration with the Department of Health: $50 when you enter an approved program.2New York State Senate. New York Public Health Law 3421 – Funeral Directing Requirements for License to Practice
- State examination application: $40 to the Department of Health.2New York State Senate. New York Public Health Law 3421 – Funeral Directing Requirements for License to Practice
- National Board Examination: $570 for both sections, paid to the International Conference of Funeral Service Examining Boards.4The International Conference of Funeral Service Examining Boards. The International Conference of Funeral Service Examining Boards
- License fee on approval: $125.2New York State Senate. New York Public Health Law 3421 – Funeral Directing Requirements for License to Practice
- Biennial registration renewal starting at first renewal: $125.7New York State Senate. New York Code PBH 3428 – Funeral Directing Registration of Licenses Fees
Tuition for the mortuary science degree is a separate, much larger expense that varies by institution.
Keeping the License
Every licensed funeral director in New York renews registration biennially, with renewal periods starting July 1 of each even-numbered year.8Legal Information Institute. 10 NYCRR 77.6 – Registrations The renewal fee is $125. If you register during the second year of a biennial period, the fee drops to $25. Late registration adds $10 for every 30 days, or part of 30 days, past the deadline.7New York State Senate. New York Code PBH 3428 – Funeral Directing Registration of Licenses Fees
Each biennium you complete 12 hours of continuing education, including at least two hours specifically on New York laws and regulations related to funeral directing, embalming, and preneed services. At least half of the 12 hours must be live classroom instruction. The rest can be video, teleconference, internet coursework, or similar formats.9New York State Senate. New York Public Health Law 3429 – Continuing Education
Eligible CE topics include aftercare, business administration, natural sciences, preneed services, restorative arts and embalming, funeral service counseling, sanitation and infection control, and hospice outreach, among others. Failing to complete the required hours can lead to suspension or non-renewal of your registration.
If You’re Already Licensed in Another State
If you hold a funeral director license in another state, New York may endorse it without a second national exam. The commissioner has discretion to grant endorsement upon payment of a $300 fee, provided four conditions are met:10New York State Senate. New York Public Health Law 3426 – Funeral Directing Reciprocity of Licenses
- Your home state’s qualification and examination standards are substantially equivalent to New York’s.
- Your home state similarly recognizes and endorses New York licenses.
- You have been actively practicing funeral directing for at least three years since receiving your out-of-state license.
- You are currently practicing and in good standing in every state where you have held a license.
Endorsement is not automatic. The commissioner evaluates each application individually, not every state’s standards will qualify as substantially equivalent, and a history of discipline or a lapse in another jurisdiction can disqualify you. If endorsement is denied, you would need to go through the full New York process.
A Note on Federal Requirements
State licensing is not the whole picture once you begin practicing. Every funeral director must also comply with the Federal Trade Commission’s Funeral Rule, which governs price disclosure and the sale of funeral goods and services nationwide, with violations carrying penalties of up to $53,088 per incident.11Federal Trade Commission. Complying with the Funeral Rule It sits alongside your New York license rather than being part of it.