Any company which wants to sell prearranged funeral plans in Nova Scotia.

Service Nova Scotia and Municipal Relations

(902) 424-5552

With this Licence, there are two different ways to submit your application form: 

A) You can send in a hard copy. You can get a form by: 
       (1) downloading a form from our website; 
       (2) visiting any Access Nova Scotia Centre; or 
       (3) calling or writing the office listed above. 

B) You can fill it out on-line. To do this, you must be able to pay as follows: 
       (1) by Visa, MasterCard or American Express Credit Card; or 
       (2) with an already established positive balance account with the Nova Scotia Business Registry. 
       We cannot accept any form of Debit cards at this time. 

If you wish to apply on-line, click here. Before you begin, make sure you have at hand the information listed below! 

Information you will need to fill out your application form:

Details are required if the applicant or any partner, officer or director has
	had a business licence had a licence refused, suspended or revoked been involved in a personal or corporate bankruptcy unpaid judgments outstanding been convicted of a offence under the law and not been pardoned
Name and address of the financial institution housing the applicant's trust account Name, address and date of birth for the applicant, partners and officers Three year employment history for the applicant, partners and officers

You can get a Licensing Guide from any Access Nova Scotia Centre or from the Business Licensing Section listed above.

The completed application is submitted to the Department, along with the applicable fee (see Price below).

The application process includes review and approval of contracts, trust agreements, bonding documentation and the plan of the cemetery.

Applicants must submit:

1) a surety bond based on the number of plans sold (which would be between $5,000 and $20,000) or proof that they are included in the Nova Scotia Licenced Embalmers and Funeral Director's Association Bond;
2) a copy of the trust account, signed by both parties, for approval;
3) the pre-arrangement contract, for approval.

If all requirements are met and the application is approved, the licence will be mailed to the applicant.

10 business days
Provided that all the items that must accompany the application have been received
(Please allow several extra days for mail delivery.)

This licence is valid for 1 year from the end of the month in which it was issued.  It can be renewed; the Department will send out a renewal notice before it expires.

Initial application & annual renewal: $ 59.41

If you send in an application form, payment is by cheque or money order made out to the Minister of Finance. No credit or debit cards are accepted at this time. 

If you apply on-line, payment is (a) by Visa, MasterCard or American Express credit card, or (b) with an already established positive balance account with the Nova Scotia Business Registry. No debit cards are accepted at this time.

The business must be registered with the Registry of Joint Stock Companies .

Who is regulated under the Cemetery and Funeral Services Act?
Companies and their employees who sell funeral or cemetery goods and services for which payment in full is made prior to actually using the purchased items by a person alive at the time the contract was signed.  Companies which sell cemetery lots are also regulated under this Act.

What is regulated?
The sale of:

1) Pre-arranged Funeral Plans -- the sale of funeral goods or services which includes the merchandise and/or services normally provided by a funeral home in the care and preparation of human remains for final disposition;

2) Pre-need Cemetery Plans -- the sale of goods and services to be supplied by a cemetery or crematorium in conjunction with the burial or cremation of human remains, to a person alive at the time of sale for use in the future; and

3) Cemetery Lots -- lots and niches sold by a cemetery for the burial of human remains or cremated human remains.

Exemptions:  Cemeteries owned by a city, town, municipality, district or church or one not formed for gain or profit are exempt, unless they contain 1,500 or more lots in which case they are exempt only from the licensing and lot plan requirements.

The Cemetery and Funeral Services Act, Revised Statutes of Nova Scotia, 1989, Chapter 62