Funeral directors and embalmers in BC are licensed by Consumer Protection BC. If you train in BC, the route is the BC Funeral Association’s 2-year apprenticeship while employed by a licensed funeral provider.
Funeral directors meet families to arrange the service, the disposition and the costs, arrange transfer of the remains, plan services, coordinate burial or cremation and complete legal paperwork. Embalmers preserve, sanitize and prepare remains and do cosmetic and restorative work. source
Steps from source.
| Detail | Source | |
|---|---|---|
| Regulator · Url | Official page | source |
| Noc | 62201 Funeral directors and embalmers | source |
| Licence required | Yes: must be licensed by CPBC and employed by (or under contract to) a licensed funeral provider to act as or use the title funeral director or embalmer; apprentices need an apprentice licence | source |
| Training route | 2-year BC Funeral Services Apprenticeship Program (BC Funeral Association): 3,600 hours supervised fieldwork/practical training in BC, 50 embalming operations, direct involvement in 50 funeral arrangements; must be employed full time (1,800 h/yr) by a licensed funeral provider under a mentor licensed 2+ years | source |
| Academic alternatives | Only for people trained outside BC: CPBC assesses out-of-province qualifications. BC-trained applicants must complete the BC Funeral Association apprenticeship. | source |
| Eligibility 1 | Reside in B.C. and be proficient in English; Canadian citizenship not required | source |
| Eligibility 2 | Three letters of reference, one from a funeral provider attesting competency | source |
| Eligibility 3 | Name of the funeral provider who will employ/contract you | source |
| Apprentice licence | Apprentices must hold a CPBC apprentice licence before any embalming/funeral service work: SkilledTradesBC registration card, criminal record check, employer supervisory and facility declaration; processing up to 2 weeks | source |
| Exam | 70% pass standard for every exam and final grade (Embalming and Funeral Service Practicum are pass/fail); a practical embalming operation; no provincial or national licensing exam; SkilledTradesBC Level exam after each level | source |
| Regulator fees | 2026: licence for funeral director, embalmer or both $275; renewal $212 (more than 2 weeks before expiry) or $292 (within 2 weeks); employer change $75; reconsideration $330. 2027: $302 new, $220/$304 renewal CPBC's 2024 fee notice listed $290 for a new 2026 director/embalmer licence; the current fee page says $275 and is used | source |
| Licence term | Licences may be issued for up to 3 years; renewed by the employer through CPBC MyAccount when reminder emails arrive Exact term of an individual director/embalmer licence not stated on CPBC pages (funeral provider licences expire September 14) | source |
| Continuing education | 6 hours of approved funeral services training (directors) and 6 hours of approved embalming training (embalmers) every 2 years from first licence | source |
| Criminal record check | Required for all applicants; Canadian residents via CPBC's online supplier within one day of applying; non-residents provide a certified check from home jurisdiction | source |
| Pay | Funeral directors and embalmers (NOC 62201), B.C.: low $24.50/h, median $33.54/h, high $54.39/h; annual earnings $70,940 (B.C. LMI Office, 2025 Job Bank wage data) | source |
| Funding 1 | BC Funeral Association apprenticeship is eligible for the B.C. Employer Training Grant; employers may provide tuition assistance | source |
| Funding 2 | BC Training Tax Credit (refundable) for apprentices and employers in SkilledTradesBC-administered programs | source |
| Funding 3 | WorkBC Centres: free employment services; may fund training if needed to get a job | source |
| Typical day | Funeral directors meet families to arrange the service, the disposition and the costs, arrange transfer of the remains, plan services, coordinate burial or cremation and complete legal paperwork. Embalmers preserve, sanitize and prepare remains and do cosmetic and restorative work. | source |
| Licence steps 1 | 2-year BC Funeral Services Apprenticeship Program (BC Funeral Association): 3,600 hours supervised fieldwork/practical training in BC, 50 embalming operations, direct involvement in 50 funeral arrangements; must be employed full time (1,800 h/yr) by a licensed funeral provider under a mentor licensed 2+ years | source |
| Licence steps 2 | Apprentices must hold a CPBC apprentice licence before any embalming/funeral service work: SkilledTradesBC registration card, criminal record check, employer supervisory and facility declaration; processing up to 2 weeks | source |
| Licence steps 3 | 70% pass standard for every exam and final grade (Embalming and Funeral Service Practicum are pass/fail); a practical embalming operation; no provincial or national licensing exam; SkilledTradesBC Level exam after each level | source |
| Licence steps 4 | 2026: licence for funeral director, embalmer or both $275; renewal $212 (more than 2 weeks before expiry) or $292 (within 2 weeks); employer change $75; reconsideration $330. 2027: $302 new, $220/$304 renewal CPBC's 2024 fee notice listed $290 for a new 2026 director/embalmer licence; the current fee page says $275 and is used | source |
| School and city | Program and approval | Length | Intakes | Cost | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BC Funeral Association Chilliwack (office); blended online + seminars | Embalmer and/or Funeral Director Apprenticeship - Level One Only approved BC training route (CPBC entrance requirements) source | 1 year (1,800 work hours), Sept 1 2026 - Aug 31 2027; instruction starts Sept 7 2026 | Start + application window: September each year; register March 31 to July 31 (or until full) | $3,995 + GST | Program page |
| BC Funeral Association Chilliwack (office); blended online + seminars | Embalmer and/or Funeral Director Apprenticeship - Level Two Only approved BC training route (CPBC entrance requirements) source | 1 year (1,800 work hours); Level exam via SkilledTradesBC at end of May | Start: September each year | Embalmer + Funeral Director $3,995 + GST; Funeral Director only or Embalmer only $2,850 + GST (members) / $3,150 + GST (non-members) | Program page |
| BC Funeral Association Blended | Funeral Service Foundation Program (no employment needed; theory equal to Level One; not an apprenticeship) Optional pre-employment route source | Price not published, ask provider | Only when demand for apprenticeships permits | Price not published, ask provider | Program page |
| Detail | Source | |
|---|---|---|
| Regulator · Url | Official page | source |
| Licence required | Business licence: a crematorium operator (the business) needs a CPBC licence for each location; licences expire June 30. No individual licence exists for cremators/crematorium staff under s.55 | source |
| Business requirements | Proof of registration/incorporation, local-government and zoning approval, municipal business licence, site and building plans, professional engineer approvals, criminal record check, business policies and operating procedures, application, facility pre-inspection | source |
| Regulator fees | 2026: new licence $824 (prorated from $755 in Aug to $412 Jan-Jun); renewal $212 (>2 weeks before expiry) or $287 (within 2 weeks); name/address or officer change $75; reconsideration $330 | source |
| Pay | Other service support occupations (incl. funeral home attendant, pallbearer, cremator, crematorium attendant) (NOC 65329), B.C.: low $17.85/h, median $17.85/h, high $23.00/h; annual earnings $25,020 (B.C. LMI Office, 2025 Job Bank wage data) | source |
| Funding 1 | WorkBC Centres: free employment services; may fund training if needed to get a job (eligibility assessed by the centre) | source |
| Funding 2 | B.C. Employer Training Grant (employer-applied): 80% of training costs up to $10,000 per participant | source |
| Detail | Source | |
|---|---|---|
| Regulator · Url | Official page | source |
| Licence required | No licence for an attendant role itself. But anyone who negotiates funeral contracts, arranges or directs services, arranges interment/cremation, or transfers human remains (or directs transfers) is acting as a funeral director under the Act and needs a licence, or must be a licensed apprentice under supervision. Conducting bereavement rites and ceremonies only is exempt | source |
| Exemption | Reg s.36: an individual who only conducts bereavement rites and ceremonies is exempt from funeral-director licensing | source |
| Requirements | No specific education requirements; a valid driver's licence is needed for some jobs such as funeral attendant | source |
| Pay | Other service support occupations (incl. funeral home attendant, pallbearer, cremator, crematorium attendant) (NOC 65329), B.C.: low $17.85/h, median $17.85/h, high $23.00/h; annual earnings $25,020 (B.C. LMI Office, 2025 Job Bank wage data) | source |
| Funding 1 | WorkBC Centres: free employment services; may fund training if needed to get a job (eligibility assessed by the centre) | source |
| Funding 2 | B.C. Employer Training Grant (employer-applied): 80% of training costs up to $10,000 per participant | source |
| Detail | Source | |
|---|---|---|
| Regulator · Url | Official page | source |
| Licence required | No individual licence. The place of interment operator (business) is licensed by CPBC; licences expire June 30 | source |
| Operator fees | 2026: new operator licence $824; renewal $0 (Indigenous, private, family or 20 or fewer interments), $109 (21-100), $212 (101+) if more than 2 weeks before expiry; Certificate of Public Interest $1,645 | source |
| Requirements | Some secondary school may be required; a provincial pesticide applicator licence may be needed to apply fertilizers or pesticides | source |
| Pay | Landscaping and grounds maintenance labourers (incl. cemetery worker, grave digger) (NOC 85121), B.C.: low $18.00/h, median $22.50/h, high $30.85/h; annual earnings $39,573 (B.C. LMI Office, 2025 Job Bank wage data) | source |
| Funding 1 | WorkBC Centres: free employment services; may fund training if needed to get a job (eligibility assessed by the centre) | source |
| Funding 2 | B.C. Employer Training Grant (employer-applied): 80% of training costs up to $10,000 per participant | source |
| Detail | Source | |
|---|---|---|
| Regulator · Url | Official page | source |
| Licence required | No pre-need salesperson licence or registration exists in the Act. The business offering pre-need services must be a licensed funeral provider or operator and keep a pre-need trust account Selling funeral contracts is in the Act's definition of a funeral director, so funeral pre-need sellers may need a funeral director licence; CPBC does not say this directly | source |
| Business obligations | Pre-need trust account with a B.C. savings institution; annual pre-need financial report within 90 days of fiscal year-end; contract rules in Business Practices and Consumer Protection Act Part 4 Div 3 and Consumer Contracts Regulation Part 2 | source |
| Regulator fees | Late annual pre-need sales report: $330 (2026), $343 (2027) | source |
| Pay | Funeral directors and embalmers (NOC 62201), B.C.: low $24.50/h, median $33.54/h, high $54.39/h; annual earnings $70,940 (B.C. LMI Office, 2025 Job Bank wage data) | source |
| Funding 1 | WorkBC Centres: free employment services; may fund training if needed to get a job (eligibility assessed by the centre) | source |
| Funding 2 | B.C. Employer Training Grant (employer-applied): 80% of training costs up to $10,000 per participant | source |
We could not confirm these on an official page, so we left them out: Training, Funding 3.
Those schools are not a BC route. Consumer Protection BC requires BC-trained applicants to complete the BCFA apprenticeship. Schools outside BC only matter if you qualified or were licensed elsewhere and apply as an out-of-province applicant.
$275 in 2026 for a funeral director, embalmer or both licence. Renewal is $212 if more than 2 weeks before expiry, or $292 within 2 weeks. The 2027 new-licence fee is $302.
No individual licence. The crematorium or cemetery operator is licensed as a business. See the sections below.
Yes: 6 hours every 2 years.
This page relies on the official pages below. Rules, fees and processes change, so check the authority before you apply or spend money.
Links checked November 1, 2026. Found an error or a broken link? Report it.