Become a funeral director in North Carolina without embalming

What it takes, step by step

1. Be at least 18 and of good moral character.

   Sources for step 1

   • N.C.G.S. 90-210.25(a)(1)

2. Education: a mortuary-science degree, or a funeral director program approved by the Board or accredited by ABFSE.

   Sources for step 2

   • N.C.G.S. 90-210.25(a)(1)

3. Register as a resident trainee (supervised work in a funeral home while holding a trainee permit) (you need a high-school diploma) and train for 12 months and at least 2,000 hours under a licensed funeral director. You must substantially assist in directing at least 25 funerals: 25 arranging cases and 25 ceremony-and-disposition cases. There is no embalming count. The traineeship can come before or after school, but it must be completed within the last three years before you apply.

   Sources for step 3

   • N.C.G.S. 90-210.25(a)(4)
   • 21 NCAC 34B .0102
   • 21 NCAC 34B .0126(a)
   • N.C.G.S. 90-210.25(a)(1)

4. Pass three exams within the last five years: the National Board Exam (the NBE, the national licensing exam set by The Conference (the International Conference of Funeral Service Examining Boards), in two sections, Arts and Sciences; The Conference, National Board Exam) Arts section (it stands in for the entry-level funeral directing exam), the NC laws and rules exam, and a pathology exam. A score of 75% or more on the final exam of a pathology course at an ABFSE-accredited school counts as passing the pathology exam. No Sciences exam is needed.

   Sources for step 4

   • N.C.G.S. 90-210.25(a)(1)
   • 21 NCAC 34B .0211
   • 21 NCAC 34B .0208(b)
   • NC Board of Funeral Service, Applicant Portal

5. Provisional route (no mortuary school): with any undergraduate degree, any AAS degree, or a funeral directing diploma, plus a certified traineeship (or eligibility for one) or 5 years of work under a licensed funeral director, you can get a provisional license ($500). It renews yearly, at most twice. If you pass the NC laws and rules exam and the entry-level funeral directing exam within 3 years, the Board may issue a full funeral director license.

   Sources for step 5

   • N.C.G.S. 90-210.25(a)(3a)
   • 21 NCAC 34B .0313

Does a funeral home need an embalmer?

No. Each funeral home's manager may hold a funeral director license. But every funeral home must have a private preparation room big enough for embalming.

Licensed in another state?

Reciprocity needs an active license from a state that reciprocates NC licenses, at least 3 consecutive years of practice there, a pass on the NC laws and rules exam, and proof of good moral character. The separate 10-year route was repealed on 9 July 2025.

Good to know

• Only the provisional route avoids mortuary school. The standard route needs a mortuary-science degree or a funeral director program.

  Sources

  • N.C.G.S. 90-210.25(a)(3a)
  • N.C.G.S. 90-210.25(a)(1)

• The Board rule on trainee funerals refers to the definition of funeral directing as G.S. 90-210.20(12); the current statute numbers it (13).

  Sources

  • N.C.G.S. 90-210.20(13)
  • 21 NCAC 34B .0126(a)

• Exams now count if passed within the last five years. The 22 Oct note said three. National Board certificates are accepted for five years from issue.

  Sources

  • N.C.G.S. 90-210.25(a)(1)
  • 21 NCAC 34B .0211

• A supervisor may now have up to two trainees at once. The 22 Oct note said one.

  Sources

  • N.C.G.S. 90-210.25(a)(4)

• The Board's applicant page lists the funeral director exams as the NC Laws and Rules Exam, the National Board Exam for Arts, and the NC Pathology Exam. That matches the statute and rules.

  Sources

  • NC Board of Funeral Service, Applicant Portal

Check with the board

Rules change. Confirm the current licensing requirements with the board before you enroll.

North Carolina Board of Funeral Service

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