Puerto Rico does not reduce neatly to one generic “mortician license” checklist. Puerto Rico uses Spanish-language Department of Health and OGP legal sources. The safest path is to start from Salud’s Embalsamadores page and ORCPS online services, then verify the current exam, internship, and recertification forms. Start by choosing the license type that matches the work you want to do, then verify the current application packet with Puerto Rico Department of Health / Examining Board of Embalmers.
Licensing rules can change. Treat this page as a planning guide, not legal advice. Puerto Rico Department of Health / Examining Board of Embalmers is the final authority.
Quick Answer
Puerto Rico should not be treated like a standard U.S. state board page. The Department of Health page centers the Examining Board of Embalmers, theoretical and practical revalida exam forms, an internship permit, practice-report forms, and recertification. The funeral services law separately says funeral homes are directed by a Director Funeral certified by the Department of Health.
Which Puerto Rico License Do You Need?
| Likely license | Who it fits | Education signal | Supervised-work signal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Embalsamador / Embalmer | Anyone practicing embalming or partial embalming procedures in Puerto Rico, including disinfecting, aspirating cavities, suturing, closing eyes, or applying cosmetics to a cadaver. | The funeral services law defines an embalmer as academically prepared by a recognized curriculum and authorized by a permanent license recertified every three years. The detailed education and application requirements should be verified in the Salud manual and current forms. | The Salud page links a permiso de internado and an informe de practica con embalsamador; confirm the current internship permit before counting supervised work. |
| Director Funeral | The person responsible for directing a funeral home and handling Department of Health funeral-service duties in Puerto Rico. | The updated OGP funeral services law says a funeral home must be directed by a Director Funeral who is qualified and certified by the Department of Health and has approved higher studies in funeral home management/administration or director duties and functions. | The reviewed law focuses on certification, education, moral qualifications, and police record proof; verify any supervised-practice requirement with Salud. |
| Director del Centro de Cremacion | People responsible for operating a Puerto Rico cremation center. | The OGP law says the director of a cremation center is a Director Funeral, qualified and certified by the Department of Health, with higher studies in funeral home management/administration or director duties and functions. | The cremation equipment operator must be certified by the equipment manufacturer; verify additional Health Department rules before applying. |
Puerto Rico License Paths
Embalsamador / Embalmer
Who this is for: Anyone practicing embalming or partial embalming procedures in Puerto Rico, including disinfecting, aspirating cavities, suturing, closing eyes, or applying cosmetics to a cadaver.
Education: The funeral services law defines an embalmer as academically prepared by a recognized curriculum and authorized by a permanent license recertified every three years. The detailed education and application requirements should be verified in the Salud manual and current forms.
Exams: Theoretical embalmer revalida exam; Practical embalmer revalida exam.
Supervised work: The Salud page links a permiso de internado and an informe de practica con embalsamador; confirm the current internship permit before counting supervised work.
Cases or reports: Practice reporting is handled through the official informe de practica con embalsamador form linked by Salud.
Fees and renewal: Current exam, license, duplicate, and renewal fees were not visible in the extracted HTML; verify in ORCPS or the linked Salud PDF forms. The funeral services law references a permanent license recertified every three years, and Salud links a renewal requirements document for embalmers.
Planning note: The older enabling law says the board offers exams annually and covers anatomy, communicable disease, toxicology, bacteriology, forensic medicine principles, preservation, disinfection, and restorative art.
Director Funeral
Who this is for: The person responsible for directing a funeral home and handling Department of Health funeral-service duties in Puerto Rico.
Education: The updated OGP funeral services law says a funeral home must be directed by a Director Funeral who is qualified and certified by the Department of Health and has approved higher studies in funeral home management/administration or director duties and functions.
Exams: Verify any current Department of Health certification or exam requirements through ORCPS.
Supervised work: The reviewed law focuses on certification, education, moral qualifications, and police record proof; verify any supervised-practice requirement with Salud.
Cases or reports: Not listed in the extracted funeral services law section for Director Funeral.
Fees and renewal: Verify current certification and recertification fees through ORCPS. Verify the recertification cycle with the Department of Health and ORCPS.
Planning note: The Director Funeral is responsible for death certificate handling and permits for burial, exhumation, cremation, or transport outside Puerto Rico.
Director del Centro de Cremacion
Who this is for: People responsible for operating a Puerto Rico cremation center.
Education: The OGP law says the director of a cremation center is a Director Funeral, qualified and certified by the Department of Health, with higher studies in funeral home management/administration or director duties and functions.
Exams: Verify current Department of Health requirements.
Supervised work: The cremation equipment operator must be certified by the equipment manufacturer; verify additional Health Department rules before applying.
Cases or reports: Cremation centers must keep detailed registers for each body cremated and report records required by the Department.
Fees and renewal: Verify in ORCPS and Salud forms. Verify with the Department of Health.
Planning note: This is a crematory leadership/compliance role, not the same as the embalmer license.
What Can Delay Your Puerto Rico License?
- Spanish official PDFs from Salud may be slow or unstable to fetch; use the Salud page as the form index and ORCPS for current filings.
- Do not import U.S. state assumptions like ABFSE/NBE unless a Puerto Rico source explicitly requires them for the current route.
- The funeral services law and the embalmer board law regulate different parts of the work: funeral-home direction, cremation, and embalming are not interchangeable.
Official Puerto Rico Links
- Puerto Rico Department of Health Embalsamadores page with laws, regulations, manual, exam, internship, practice, and renewal forms.
- ORCPS/JLDM online services portal linked by Salud for recertification and Good Standing.
- OGP updated Ley de Servicios Funerarios de Puerto Rico PDF, revised April 2026.
- Readable copy of Ley Num. 6 creating the Examining Board of Embalmers; used as a secondary text cross-check.
Plan Your Next Step
If you are still choosing a school or deciding whether this state is worth the move, model the time and money path before you apply:
- Compare mortuary schools - tuition, completion, and program fit
- Run the ROI Calculator - tuition, lost income, and payback timing
- Check Puerto Rico salary data - state wage context before committing
- View the Market Map - compare Puerto Rico with nearby states
- Back to license requirements by state - compare rules before relocating
Sources and Method
This page was rebuilt from official Puerto Rico board, agency, statute, rule, application, fee, renewal, and lookup sources found with AnySearch, search-layer, direct source extraction, and PDF text extraction where needed. Source notes are stored in data_sources/licensing/state-licensing-sources.json; structured facts are stored in data_sources/licensing/state-licensing-requirements.json.