Funeral Director Registration

Rēhita Pouwhakataki Tangihanga

Funeral homes need to be registered by the local authority under the Health (Registration of premises) Regulations 1966. You need to display the Certificate of Registration in a public part of the premises. Funeral directors are required to comply with and be inspected under the Health (Burial) Regulations 1946. Your premises will be inspected annually by an environmental health officer to make sure you're complying with the regulations.

Opening a new funeral home

Before you open a new funeral home you will need to:

• Check with a planning officer if it is appropriate for you to operate a funeral home at the address.
• Get a building consent. You will need this if you are building a new premises or altering an existing building.

Register your funeral home

To register your funeral home you will need to:

• Complete a Registration of Premises Application (PDF, 981KB) and submit it to our customer service centre or email health@mstn.govt.nz.
• Pay your registration fee at the customer service centre or via internet banking.
• Contact us to arrange a pre-opening inspection with an environmental health officer.

Once we have processed your application and received payment, we’ll issue you with a Certificate of Registration. Your registration is renewed annually, and you will be sent a notification when your registration is due.

Taking over an existing premises

If you take over existing premises, you need to notify us to transfer the registration into your name.

Complete the Registration of Premises Application (PDF, 981KB)

To apply for a transfer, check ‘No’ under the Business Details section.

We must receive applications within 14 days of you taking over the business. After this period, the registration lapses and you will need to apply for a new certificate of registration.