A public service mission open to the private sector

The funeral service is also called foreign service of funeral directors.

This is a public service mission.

It can be provided by private companies.

A highly regulated and regulated service

Families are free to choose the operator who will manage their deceased's funeral.

Of identical rules for all operators apply to the operation of this activity. 

In order to carry out this task, each private or public operator must request an authorization from the prefect of the department.

This clearance is obtained if the applicant meets numerous requirements in particular that of diplomas related to the profession.

The funeral service includes the following trades:

• Manager/Manager of a Funeral company : the head of company coordinates all providers in the funeral sector, i.e. all professionals listed below.

• Funeral Assistant/Counselor : it organizes funerals in direct contact with families.
• Master of Ceremonies : he/she directs the conduct of the ceremony (before the burial or cremation).
• Thanatopractor : he provides the care necessary for the deceased to preserve and present himself publicly at the funeral home (burial chamber).
• Bereavement Car Driver (hearse), coffin carrier: he drives the vehicle that leads the coffin from the mortuary chamber to the funeral and then to the cemetery, passing by the place of the ceremony.
• Gravedigger : he digs the place of the cemetery where the coffin is buried; he carries out any exhumations; he manages the vaults.
• Director of a crematoria : it is responsible for the administrative and financial management of the establishment where cremated the deceased (cremation) recruits and supervises staff; ensures the proper functioning of equipment (maintenance, security); it may be required to accommodate families.

You have 3 possibilities :

• Creating a Funeral Home company
• Exercising one of the professions of the funeral service as a self-employed person
• Exercising one of the professions of funeral service as an employee

You're creating a funeral company

You create or take back a company.

Your status is then that of an independent contractor or franchisee.

You coordinate all the benefits that make up the funeral service.

You can either hire employees (a thanatopractor, a driver, a funeral assistant, etc.), or spend subcontracts for one or more of these services.

For example, you can contract out an independent master of ceremonies.

Self-employed

You can choose to work in one of the funeral trades as a self-employed worker.

You can be a thanatopractor, master of ceremonies, driver, etc. with the status of self-employed worker.

As a self-employed worker, you will follow the traditional process of creating your company.

Employee

Or you choose to work in one of these jobs as an employee of a funeral company.

You will then follow the traditional path of hiring as an employee, linked to your employer by an employment contract.

In order to be eligible for a national degree in the funeral sector, you must have a certain level of education.

This level differs depending on the training envisaged

CAP or BEP

The level CAP or BEP is required for training in the following professions:

• Funeral Counselor/Assistant
• Master of Ceremonies
• Cremation agent and funerarium agent

Baccalaureate

To become thanatopractor, one Bin level is required to register for training.

For certain management positions such as leader from a company of funeral directors or head of a crematorium, the training center can also ask you for a diploma of Bin level.

Attend mandatory graduate training

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

Training is both theoretical and practical.

You must choose a training organization and one funeral company who agrees to welcome you in practical training.

Theoretical training

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

The number of hours training is different according to the trade prepared:

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

Practical training

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

The person responsible for the establishment shall sign an agreement with the training organization.

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

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

Certain specific situations make it possible to obtain an equivalence of diploma.

You must then prove that you have professional experience under certain conditions.

They are different according to the trade:

Equivalence for Master of Ceremonies

The conditions are different depending on the fiscal period.

Equivalence for funeral counselor and funeral director

The conditions are different depending on the fiscal period.

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

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

Some events prohibit becoming manager or manager a funeral company.

Conviction for offense or crime

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

• Unlawful pursuit of a professional or social activity access to which is regulated
• Active or passive corruption or influence peddling
• Act of intimidation against a person holding public office
• Scamming
• Abuse of trust
• Burial violation or violation of respect due to the dead
• Theft
• Sexual assault or sexual assault
• Reception
• Deliberate beatings and injuries

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 meet age requirements to exercise.

If you want to build a funeral home company, before you start, you need to do a market study.

We'll explain how complete your market study and your projected budget.

You should inquire about the professionals already present in the sector and on the population making up theenvironment of your location.

The list of companies, boards and associations with a funeral entitlement is made public by each prefecture.

You need to prepare to create your company.

To do this, you need to follow several steps.

The main steps are:

• Choosing the legal form of your company : individual business of which the micro-company, or a business (EURL, SA, SARL, etc.)
• Choice of his domiciliation. Your choice will depend on several criteria. For example: whether or not you own your own fleet of hearses, whether or not you physically display the coffins you offer for sale, etc. domiciliation also depends on whether you practice in business or individual business (including micro-enterprise).
• Choice of his denomination

If you are creating a business, additional steps are needed, such as:

• Drafting of statutes
• Deposit of share capital

The first steps in creating your company are:

• Registration
• Insurance
• Bank Account

You must apply for a funeral authority if you are performing any of the benefits following:

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

The application for authorization shall be made to the prefecture.

The prefect issues it for a period of 5 years.

We'll get you explains the process.

In case ofaddition or deletion of a funeral benefit (Thanatopraxia, Ceremonial Direction, Transportation of Bodies, etc.), the Clearance Holder must declare this change.

He shall make that statement to the prefecture.

All change which occurred after the application for authorization must be declared within 2 months to the prefect.

Quote for funeral

The commercial part of the funeral sector is highly regulated.

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

Quotation template: funeral benefit

Each quote must include information following:

• Operator name, legal representative, address
• Business Register (BCR) number or proof of registration to the national company register (NSR), the legal form of the company
• Funeral Entitlement
• Amount of its capital
• Municipality:
  
  • the place of death,
  • beer production,
  • the funeral service,
  • and burial or cremation.

• Nature of each service or supply
• Price TTC: titleContent for each service or supply
• Total amount of quotation including VAT
• The date the quote was completed

Caution : if you do not provide the customer with a quote, you will be exposed to a administrative fine up to €3,000 for a natural person (sole trader) and €15,000 for a business.

Body preservation care

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

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

In general, such care is not required.

Except in 2 cases precise.

These 2 cases are as follows:

• In case of international transport the body, according to the legislation of the host country or the
  airline (for safety and hygiene rules)
• When transporting the body in coffin of minimum thickness 18 millimeters later
  finish, with waterproof lining, if the transport time is more than two hours and less than
  four o'clock

Treatments are provided by a thanatopractoreither in a funeral room or in the hospital.

Thanatopractor is a certified medical professional.

These conservation care are not mandatory.