Creating a funeral company

Verified 19 August 2026 - Entreprendre Service Public / (Prime Minister)

The professions in the funeral sector are numerous. For example, you may be a funeral director, a master of ceremonies, a funeral assistant or counselor, a driver, a porter, a gravedigger, a thanatopractor, or a crematorium manager.

To do this, you must have completed a training and a national degree.

We present you the necessary information to join a profession of funeral directors.

A public service mission open to the private sector

The funeral service is also called external funeral home service, it has the status of industrial and commercial public service (SPIC).

Funeral services are thus part of a public service mission open to competition; this mission can be carried out by public or private entities.

The terms "funeral services", "funeral homes" and "funeral affairs" are synonymous. They refer both to the services to organize the funeral of the deceased, but they also include the management of institutions such as crematoriums, the burial chambers and their staff.

Funeral services today are most often performed by private companies, commonly known as « funeral companies », or by associations.

Municipalities and EPCI: titleContent can also create and manage in municipal board crematoriums and funeral services, but this public management of funeral services has become quite rare.

Example :

When the death occurs in a hospital (private or public), the body of the deceased is installed in a mortuary chamber, which must be present in the care facility. Mortuary toilet and conservation care (thanatopraxia) can be performed there. Families can also choose to have this care performed by an independent thanatopractor or employed by a private funeral company. He then most often works in a burial chamber, which may be managed by a private funeral company or by a municipal board.

It should be noted that the management of cemeteries is not part of the "external funeral home service". It is exclusively the responsibility of the mayors of each commune (public management). On the other hand, digging operations are part of it, they can be carried out by a private company (or public depending on the choice of families and according to the offer available in a territory).

Various services

The funeral services within the scope of the « external funeral home service » are as follows:

  • Transport of bodies before and after beer-making
  • Organization of funerals
  • Body care (or thanatopraxia)
  • Supply of covers, coffins, their interior accessories (waterproof trim, upholstery, cushion, shroud) and exterior (handles, crosses, ID plate, all signs and emblems attached to the coffin, body sheet) as well as urns cineraries
  • Management and use of burial chambers
  • Provision of hearses and mourning cars (vehicles used to transport families, their relatives and ministers of worship during a funeral convoy).
  • Provision of personnel performing these services: gravediggers, porters, drivers, authorizing officers, funeral chamber agents, crematorium agents, salesmen, funeral and similar advisers (such as funeral assistants or funeral provident counselors), masters of ceremonies
  • Provision of items for funerals, burials, exhumations and cremations (except for burial plates, religious emblems, flowers, miscellaneous printing works and funeral marble).
A very supervised and regulated service

Families are free to choose the operator who will manage the funeral of their deceased, however identical rules apply to all.

Example :

Whatever the mode of management of funeral services (public or private), the estimates of funeral services are subject to identical rules for each operator in the sector.

To perform a funeral service, each company must request a burial authorization to the prefect of the department.

This authorization is obtained if the applicant meets the criteria forgood repute (non-conviction) and diplomas related to the profession. If he owns mourning vehicles (« hearses ») or professional buildings (crematorium, funeral chamber), he must justify certificates of conformity concerning them.

The funeral service includes the following professions:

  • Manager/head of a funeral company : the Head of company coordinates all funeral service providers, i.e. all professionals listed below.
  • Funeral Assistant/Counselor : it organizes funerals in direct connection with the families.
  • Master of Ceremonies : directs the conduct of the ceremony (before burial or cremation).
  • Thanatopractor : he provides the necessary care for the deceased for his preservation and public presentation at the funerarium (burial chamber).
  • Mourning Car Driver (hearse), coffin carrier: he drives the vehicle that leads the coffin from the mortuary chamber to the funeral home and then to the cemetery, passing through the place of the ceremony.
  • Gravedigger : he digs the cemetery square where the coffin is buried; he carries out any exhumations; he manages the vaults.
  • Director of a crematorium : it is responsible for the administrative and financial management of the institution where cremated the deceased (cremation) ; it recruits and supervises staff; it ensures the proper functioning of equipment (maintenance, security); it may be required to accommodate families.

To set up a company, you have to pass the National Funeral Diploma.

Proof of a level of education

The CAP or BEP level is required for training in:

  • Funeral Counselor/Assistant
  • Master of Ceremonies
  • Cremation and funeral home agent
  • Funeral company Manager

To become a thanatopractor, a Bac level is required to enroll in training.

Please note

No specific diploma is required to become a driver (compulsory B license), porter and gravedigger; only a 16h training must be followed during the first 6 months of practice of the profession.

Undergo theoretical and practical training

Any professional in the funeral sector must have followed a specific training in the field.

The training is both theoretical and practical. You must choose a training organization and one company of funeral home who accepts to welcome you in practical training.

Please note

If you choose to be an employee in a funeral company, you have 1 year to validate your training from the date of signing of your employment contract.

Theoretical training

The theory consists of courses in a training organization sanctioned by a examination final.

The number of hours training is different depending on the trade prepared:

  • Manager a funeral home company: 210 hours (140 hours of training as a funeral counselor and 70 hours of management)
  • Funeral Assistant/Counselor : 140 hours
  • Master of Ceremonies : 70 hours
Practical training

Practical training consists of experience in a company (or municipal board, or association) of funeral homes.

The head of the establishment signs an agreement with the training organization.

He gives his evaluation in writing. This evaluation validates or not your professional competence to be exercised.

The number of hours of training is 140 hours of practice for all learners, whatever the prepared profession.

Warning  

To become thanatopractor, the training is different. You must validate a specific national diploma.

There are specific situations where you can get a degree equivalence.

You must then prove professional experience under certain conditions.

They are different depending on the profession:

Equivalence for Master of Ceremonies

The conditions are different depending on the fiscal period.

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In office before or in 1995

If you have worked in the funeral sector for 1 year (12 consecutive months) before or on the May 10, 1995, you can apply for diploma equivalence.

In exercise between 2011 and 2013

To apply for a diploma equivalence, you must meet the following conditions:

  • Have exercised between 1er January 2011 and December 31, 2012
  • For a minimum of 6 consecutive months
  • In France
  • Have completed the training

In 2013

To apply for a diploma equivalence, you must meet the following conditions:

  • Have been in office at 1er January 2013
  • For at least 6 consecutive months
  • In France or Europe ((EEE))
  • Have completed the training
Equivalency for Funeral Counselor and Funeral Director

The conditions are different depending on the fiscal period.

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In office before or in 1995

If you have worked in the funeral sector for 2 years (24 consecutive months) before or on May 10, 1995, you can apply for diploma equivalence.

In exercise between 2011 and 2013

To apply for a diploma equivalence, you must meet the following conditions:

  • Have exercised between 1er January 2011 and December 31, 2012
  • For a minimum of 6 consecutive months
  • In France or Europe ((EEE))
  • Have completed the training

In 2013

To apply for a diploma equivalence, you must meet the following conditions:

  • Have been in office at 1er January 2013
  • For at least 6 consecutive months
  • In France or Europe ((EEE))
  • Have completed the training

In all cases, the request for equivalence is made to the prefecture.

You must provide proof of this professional experience (employment contracts, payslips, etc.).

Who shall I contact

Some events forbid becoming manager or officer from a funeral home company.

Conviction for misdemeanor or felony

You cannot become an executive or manager of a funeral company if you have been convicted a crime or any of the following offenses :

Prohibition for bankruptcy or inability to manage a company

To run a business, you must not have been convicted of personal bankruptcy or inability to manage a company.

Age requirements

As a business company manager, you must comply with age requirements to practice.

If you want to set up a funeral company, before you start, you need to carry out a market study.

We explain how carry out your market research and your forecast budget.

You must inquire about the professionals already present in the sector and on the population that makes up theenvironment of your implantation.

The list of companies, boards and associations possessing the funeral authorization is made public by each prefecture.

You must prepare the creation of your company.

To do this, you need to follow several steps.

The main steps are as follows:

If you create a business, further steps are needed, such as:

Please note

We present you in detail the steps of the creating a company in our I am creating folder.

You must apply for funeral authorization if you perform any of the benefits following:

  • Transport of bodies before and after beer-making
  • Reception of families (funeral assistant/counselor, master of ceremonies)
  • Organization of funerals (funeral assistant/counselor, master of ceremonies)
  • Body care (thanatopractor)
  • Supply of covers, coffins, their accessories and funeral urns
  • Management and use of burial chambers (funerarium)
  • Managing a crematorium
  • Provision of hearses and mourning cars (drivers, porters, gravediggers)
  • Provision of staff performing these services
  • Provision of items for funerals, burials, exhumations and cremations

Warning  

if you are an employee of a funeral company, you do not have to apply, it is the manager who makes it.

The application for authorization is made to the prefecture.

The prefect issues it for a period of 5 years.

We'll give you explains the approach.

In case ofadding or deleting of a funeral service (thanatopraxia, direction of ceremony, transport of bodies, etc.), the holder of the authorization must declare this modification.

He makes this statement to the prefecture.

For a new activity to be declared, it must provide the corresponding proof and certificates of diplomas or conformity.

Everything change occurring after the application for authorization must be declared within 2 months to the prefect.

Please note

The modified authorization remains valid until the end of 5 years.

Quote for funeral

The commercial part the funeral sector is highly regulated.

The quotation for the funeral expenses must follow a well-defined presentation.

Model of estimate of funeral services by funeral operators

Each quote must include the information following:

  • Name of operator, legal representative, address
  • Business Registration Number (RCS) or proof of registration the National Register of companies (RNE), the legal form of the company
  • Funeral Authorization
  • Amount of its capital
  • Municipality:
    • the place of death,
    • from the beer-making,
    • the funeral service,
    • and burial or cremation.
  • Nature of each service or supply
  • Price TTC: titleContent for each service or supply
  • TTC Quote Total Amount
  • Date on which the quote was made

FYI  

The quote must be kept by the company for the entire duration of its validity and at least 2 years when followed by an order.

Be careful : if you do not give the customer a quote, you are exposed to a administrative fine up to €3,000 for a natural person (individual contractor) and €15,000 for a business.

Informing families about their funeral rights

Warning  

New obligation from 1er October 2026 : the funeral operator must give each family a leaflet informing him about his rights and the essential information to know: free delivery of the funeral estimate, details of the mandatory services, etc.

The information to be included in this leaflet is described inannex to the order of 13 august 2026.

Information on body care

The funeral operator must provide the family with a official written document presenting the conservation care that will be carried out on the body of the deceased.

It is the following document:

Information for families on the conservation care of the deceased

The family decides whether or not to opt for this care.

Conservation care is not not required, except in 2 cases precise.

These 2 cases are as follows:

  • In case of international transport body, according to the legislation of the host country or airline (for safety and hygiene rules)
  • During transport of the body by coffin of minimum thickness of 18 mm after finishing, with waterproof lining, if the duration of transport is more than two hours and less than four hours

Care is provided by a thanatopractoreither in a funeral home or in a hospital.

The thanatopractor is a qualified medical professional.

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