Preparing For A Funeral

Step 1: Certifying the Cause of Death

Certificate of Cause of Death (CCOD) is needed to register the death within 24 hours. It is issued either by a doctor in the hospital, or a doctor who visits your home if death occurs at home.

Doctors can issue a CCOD if they know the cause of death, and the death is natural.

If the cause of death cannot be identified or due to unnatural deaths, the doctor will refer the matter to the police. The body will be sent to the Mortuary@HSA (Block 9, Singapore General Hospital) and the police will inform the family when to go to mortuary.

You will need to take with you:

• Informant's identification papers, such as NRIC/ passport
• Deceased's identification papers, such as NRIC/ passport/ birth certificate
• All of the deceased's medical documents and medicine taken
  

The coroner will review the case and determine if an autopsy is required. The next-of-kin will be informed of the coroner's decision and when they may collect the body.

Step 2: Engaging a Funeral Director

After the CCOD has been obtained, the family may engage a funeral director who will:

1. Collect the body from the home or hospital mortuary
2. Send the body for embalming if required, and
3. Deliver the body to the location of the wake
   

Search for funeral directors at The Association of Funeral Directors Singapore

Step 3: Register the Death

(this can be done concurrently with Step 2)

If the body is referred to the Mortuary@HSA, you do not need to register the death separately as death will be registered there. Upon registration, you will be able to collect the Death Certificate.

Step 4: Place an Obituary (optional)

Orbituary is a notice of death and it is up to you to decide if you would like to place it.

The National Environment Agency website shares the contact details of local newspapers where you can place the orbituary.

Step 5: Arrange the Wake and Funeral

Funerals and wakes are opportunities for family, friends and acquaintances to pay their respects to the deceased. You can choose to have the wake at your own home, or at the funeral parlour. You could also hold the wake at the void deck. Permissions required include:

• Town Council: To get a permit to hold the wake at the void deck
• Land Transport Authority: To use part of the road outside your landed property
• National Environment Agency: To extend the funeral wake more than seven days after death

Your funeral director will organise the logistics for the wake. This includes getting the necessary approvals, setting up the funeral parlour, arrange for prayers, and more.

Step 6: Prepare for Burial or Cremation

You can book a date and time for cremation or burial at the relevant booking office, through the phone, or online. The National Environment Agency details the relevant offices’ contacts and charges involved.

You will need the following documents:

• NRIC of the applicant and next-of-kin
• Original Death Certificate (which contains the Permit to Bury/Cremate)

Your funeral director can help you to arrange this.

For cremation, do note that if you choose to place any valuable items in the coffin, you will not be able to get them back due to the high heat of cremation.

Step 7: Storage of Ashes/ Scattering the Ashes at Sea

Every family has its own preferences for the ashes of the deceased. There are normally two options:

For more info on the practical tasks after death, Singapore Hospice Council’s When a Death Occurs – A Guide to Practical Matters is a useful guide.