{"id":847,"date":"2024-05-07T03:39:02","date_gmt":"2024-05-07T03:39:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/funeralservices.sg\/?p=847"},"modified":"2026-01-20T02:55:53","modified_gmt":"2026-01-20T02:55:53","slug":"when-death-occurs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/funeralservices.sg\/?p=847","title":{"rendered":"When Death Occurs"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Where did the death occur?<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Different procedures may apply depending on where and how a person passes away. Below information is sourced from the following government websites\u00a0NEA<\/a><\/span>\u00a0and\u00a0MFA<\/span>\u00a0<\/a>to assist you on how to follow up<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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When death occurs at hospital or home<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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1. Obtain Certificate of Cause of Death (CCOD)<\/h4>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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If the death occurred in hospital<\/strong><\/p>

1. The attending doctor is responsible for filling in the\u00a0certificate of cause of death\u00a0(CCOD).
2. Obtain the completed CCOD certificate from the ward nurse by producing the deceased\u2019s NRIC.<\/p>

\u00a0<\/p>

If the death occurred at home<\/strong>
1. Call the family doctor or any neighborhood doctor for a house call to certify the cause of death.To find a GP or Family Clinic near you click on\u00a0Singhealth<\/a>.
2. The doctor will issue the CCOD certificate on the spot if he is able to identify the cause of death.<\/p>

\u00a0<\/p>

Unnatural deaths and autopsy<\/strong>
If the cause of death cannot be determined, the doctor will refer the deceased to the police.
If the death occurred in hospital, it will also be referred to the police if death was directly or indirectly caused by unnatural events, such as surgical complications or a fall before admission.
In both situations, the body will be sent to Mortuary@HSA (located at Block 9 of Singapore General Hospital) in a police hearse. The next of kin needs to go to the mortuary to identify the deceased\u2019s body.<\/p>

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Mortuary@HSA Address<\/strong>
Mortuary @ HSA
Applied Sciences Group
Health Sciences Authority
Level 1, Blk 9, SGH,
Outram Rd Singapore 169608<\/p>

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Mortuary @HSA Operating Hours<\/strong>
Monday to Friday \u2013 8:00am to 4:30pm
Sat, Sun and Public Holidays \u2013 8:00am to 12:30pm<\/p>

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What to Bring to Mortuary@HSA:<\/strong>
All medical documents relating to the deceased
All medicine consumed by the deceased
Identification papers of the deceased
Informant e.g. NRIC\/Passport\/Certificate of Registration of Birth\/ FIN card<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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When death occurs at overseas<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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1. Inform MFA or the nearest Singapore Mission<\/h5>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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If you find out about the overseas death of a relative or friend who is a Singapore citizen or permanent resident, you should immediately contact the\u00a0Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA)\u00a0or the nearest\u00a0Singapore mission.<\/p>

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MFA will help you do the following:<\/strong>
1. Contact the next of kin
2. Advise you on how to register the death in the foreign country
3. Provide you with a list of local undertakers
4. Advise you on the cost of a local burial\/cremation, and the cost of shipping the remains and personal property back to Singapore
5. Help transfer money from family members and relatives in Singapore to pay for any costs
Click on\u00a0MFA<\/a>\u00a0to obtain more information on Consular Services<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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2. Return the body to Singapore<\/h5>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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a. Engage a Funeral Director for assistance<\/strong>
If you wish to bring the body back to Singapore for cremation or burial, you should engage a funeral director for assistance.<\/p>

\u00a0<\/p>

b. Apply a coffin (import) permit<\/strong>
If you wish to make the arrangements yourself, apply for a coffin (import) permit and a permit to cremate or bury from one of these offices:
Port Health Office:
+65-6222 2585
Airport Health Office:
+65-65432515
Permit fee is $10<\/p>

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You will need these documents:<\/strong>
The death certificate issued in the country of death (non-English documents must be accompanied by an English translation);
1. A cause of death certificate or a statutory declaration;
2. A sealing certificate for the coffin;
3. An embalming certificate (if applicable);
4. A coffin export permit from the country exporting the body; and
5. An air waybill or air consignment note (if importing by air).
Note: If the deceased is known to have suffered from HIV, you need to get written approval from the National Environment Agency\u2019s Food and Environmental Hygiene Department before you import the body<\/strong><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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3. Register the overseas death with ICA<\/h5>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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In person at ICA<\/strong>
The death will also have to be reported to Singapore\u2019s Registry of Births & Deaths, Citizen Centre, 3rd Storey, ICA Building personally by the next-of-kin of the deceased. If the next-of-kin is unable to report the death personally at ICA Building, a letter of authorization will be required.
The Registry of Births and Death:
+65 6391 6100<\/p>

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Documents Required<\/strong>
1. Death Certificate issued by the foreign authorities (copy of English translation is required if the death certificate is in ethnic languages)
2. Coffin (Import\/Export) permit
3. Permit to Bury\/Cremate
4. Deceased\u2019s Singapore identity card, passport, Citizenship Certificate (if any), and
5. Informant\u2019s identification documents<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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2. Making the funeral arrangements<\/h4>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Upon the issuance of the Certificate of the Cause of Death, the family may contact a funeral
director to assist as follows:
(i)<\/strong> collection of the body from the hospital mortuary\/home
(ii)<\/strong> send the body for embalming (if required), then dressing and making up the deceased
(iii)<\/strong> place the body into a casket selected by the family
(iv)<\/strong> deliver the body in the casket to the location of the wake<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Choice of Wake Locations:<\/h4>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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HDB Void Decks
You will need to get a permit from your Town Council.<\/p>

Click on\u00a0GOV \u2013 Town Council<\/a>to obtain Town council contact details.<\/p>

Condominium \/ Private Apartments<\/strong><\/p>

Consult Condo Management For Funeral parlours<\/p>

Landed property<\/strong><\/p>

If you need to use part of the road outside your house, you will need to get a permit from Land Transport Authority (LTA). Your funeral director will assist you on this.<\/p>

For wakes more than 7 Days<\/strong><\/p>

Prior written permission will have to be sought from the National Environment Agency.
Write to:
National Environment Agency
Environmental Health Department
40 Scotts Road,
Environment Building, #21-00
Singapore 228231<\/p>

Burial or Cremation<\/strong><\/p>

This must be decided before obtaining Death Certificate from the Police or Immigration Control Authorities (ICA)<\/p>

Engage Funeral Director<\/strong><\/p>

Singapore Funeral & Casket Services Pte. Ltd.<\/strong><\/p>

(Helpline:\u00a0+65 89000000<\/a>)<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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3. The death must be registered with Police \/ ICA<\/h4>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Death must be registered with the Police or ICA before a death certificate can be issued by them<\/p>

Note: The family must decide whether the body will be cremated or buried prior to registration of death, as this information is\u00a0required\u00a0at registration.<\/p>

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You can register the death at any\u00a0\u00a0Police Divisional Headquarters or Neighborhood Police Centres<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0any\u00a0Neighborhood Police Posts<\/a><\/p>

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Registration can be done same time with arrangement of funeral matter<\/strong><\/p>

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The Registry of Births & Deaths @ ICA Building<\/strong><\/p>

3rd floor, ICA Building
10 Kallang Road S(208718)
Tel: 6391 6100
Working hours: 8am \u2013 5pm (Mon \u2013 Fri) 8am \u2013 1pm (Sat)<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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4. Finding the Final Resting Place \u2013 Cremation\/Burial\/Sea Burial<\/h4>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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You can seek the assistance of your Funeral Director or do so yourself as follows:
Funeral directors can assist you with the booking of the date and time for cremation or burial.<\/p>

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You can also obtain information from the websites below:
Cremation Details :\u00a0NEA \u2013 Cremation<\/a>
Burial Details :\u00a0NEA \u2013 Burial<\/a>
Bookings can be done through phone,\u00a0Eservices \u2013 NEA<\/a>\u00a0or at the relevant booking office.<\/p>

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Required documents for application:<\/strong>
Original Death Certificate, which contains the Permit to Bury\/Cremate
NRIC \/ Passport of the applicant and next-of-kin
NEA -Letter of Authorisation<\/a>\u00a0(if applicant is not next-of-kin)<\/p>

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Cremation<\/strong><\/h3>

Government Crematorium<\/strong>
Mandai Crematorium and Columbarium Complex
Bookings can be made by:
Telephone: 6554 5655
NEA \u2013 Contact Us<\/a><\/p>

In person:
300 Mandai Road Singapore 779393
Mondays to Sundays 8:30 am \u2013 4:30 pm
Fax: 6459 5228<\/p>

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Private Crematorium<\/strong>
Kong Meng San Phor Kark See Monastery
KMSPKS- Services Crematorium<\/a>
Tel: 6849 5333
88 Bright Hill Drive Singapore 574117
Fax 64592258
Mon \u2013 Sun: 9:00am to 3:00pm
Cremation Fees as according to NEA website
$300 (cremation only)
$400*(cremation + urn storage)
*Price varies, depending on choice of urns and storage location
Tse Toh Aum Temple
Tel: 6454 7666
601 Sin Ming Drive Singapore 575719
Mon \u2013 Sun: 9:00am to 3:00pm
Cremation Fees as according to NEA website
$400 (cremation only)
$500*(cremation + urn storage)
*Price varies, depending on choice of urns and storage location<\/p>

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Columbaria \u2013 Ash Storage<\/strong><\/h3>

Niche Fees (For all government columbaria)
Niche (Standard) \u2013 $500*
Niche (Family) \u2013 $900*
*Niches at government columbaria are allocated sequentially. There will be a $250 selection fee
should you wish to choose a different location from that allocated.<\/p>

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Government-Managed Columbaria<\/strong>
Mandai Crematorium and Columbarium Complex
Telephone: 6554 5655
Eservices \u2013 NEA<\/a>
In person:
300 Mandia Road Singapore 779393
Mondays to Sundays 8:30 am \u2013 4:30 pm
Fax: 6459 5228<\/p>

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Choa Chu Kang Columbarium<\/strong>
Telephone: 6795 9731
In person:
51 Chinese Cemetry Path 4 Singapore 698932
Monday to Fridays 8:30 am \u2013 4:30 pm
Saturdays 8:30 am \u2013 12:30 pm
Fax: 6795 0885
i) No advance booking of niches is allowed.
ii) Payment is to be made when the niche is confirmed.
iii) Documents Required:
Death Certificate (original)
Identification papers of next-of-kin e.g. NRIC, Passport etc in\u00a0NEA<\/a>
iv) Payment modes:
NETS (preferred)
Cash Card
Cash
Cheque (crossed and made payable to National Environment Agency)<\/p>

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Public Columbaria<\/strong><\/h3>

NEA \u2013 Columbaria<\/a><\/p>

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Private\u00a0<\/strong>Columbaria<\/h3>

The Beautiful Memories \u2013 Columbarium<\/a><\/p>

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Scattering the ashes at sea<\/strong><\/h3>

Port Marine Safety Control Centre<\/strong>
6325 2488
Ashes may also be scattered at sea. The scattering of small amounts of ashes can be carried out at
the designated site located about 1.5 nautical miles (2.8 km) south of Pulau Semakau. The scattering
of ashes can be conducted daily, from 0700 hrs-1900 hours. For further information on scattering of
ashes, please call the Port Marine Safety Control Centre.<\/p>

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Burial<\/strong><\/h3>

Choa Chu Kang Cemetery Booking Office
Choa Chu Kang Cemetary Complex is the only cemetery in Singapore still open for burials.
Bookings can be made:
Tel: 6793 7428
In person:
910 Choa Chu Kang Road Singapore 699819
Mondays to Sundays \u2013 8:30 am \u2013 4:30 pm
With effect from 1 November 1998 , the burial period for all graves will be limited to 15 years. At the end of the 15 years, the graves will be exhumed. For those whose religion permits cremation, the exhumed remains will be cremated and stored in columbaria niches. Where compulsory burial is required due to religious reasons, the remains will be re-buried in smaller individual plots.<\/p>

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Note:<\/strong>
With effect from 1 November 1998 , the burial period for all graves will be limited to 15 years. At the end of the 15 years, the graves will be exhumed. For those whose religion permits cremation, the exhumed remains will be cremated and stored in columbaria niches. Where compulsory burial is required due to religious reasons, the remains will be re-buried in smaller individual plots.<\/strong><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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5. Administration follow up after funeral<\/h4>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Update to Banks, Insurance Companies & others on deceased status.
Managing the estate & inheritance<\/strong><\/h5>

Need to inform the deceased person\u2019s bank, especially for receipts and cheques deposited automatically, or if mortgage payments and other transactions (e.g. GIRO deductions) are carried out directly from the account<\/p>

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Insurance Companies<\/strong><\/p>

Inform the deceased person\u2019s insurance companies and other institutions. Beneficiaries may receive payouts from insurance policies, credit, trade unions or fraternal organisations, etc.<\/p>

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Bills & Miscellaneous Items\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>

Check for any outstanding debts, such as credit-card bills. For bills where payment is made automatically via GIRO, inform the companies to cancel the GIRO. This is to prevent unnecessary interests charges due to non-payment
Where appropriate, contact the deceased person\u2019s landlord, cancel utilities such as electricity and telephone connections, and other items such as safety deposit boxes etc. Give the post office a forwarding address for the deceased person\u2019s mail.<\/p>

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Estate Duty<\/strong><\/p>

Estate Duty has been removed for deaths on and after 15 February 2008.<\/p>

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GOV \u2013 Estate Duty<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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\n\t\t\t\tNext<\/span>Singapore Funeral Services \u2013 Crematorium, Columbarium and Cemeteries<\/span><\/span><\/i>Next<\/span><\/span><\/a>\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Where did the death occur? Different procedures may apply depending on where and how a person passes away. Below information is sourced from the following government websites NEA and MFA to assist you on \u2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":523,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-847","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/funeralservices.sg\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/847","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/funeralservices.sg\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/funeralservices.sg\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/funeralservices.sg\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/funeralservices.sg\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=847"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/funeralservices.sg\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/847\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2689,"href":"https:\/\/funeralservices.sg\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/847\/revisions\/2689"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/funeralservices.sg\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/523"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/funeralservices.sg\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=847"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/funeralservices.sg\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=847"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/funeralservices.sg\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=847"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}