If the death occurs at home
Step 1: Download Digital Death Certificate
Contact your family doctor who has been attending to the deceased. If you do not have a family doctor, or if the family doctor is not available, contact a neighbourhood doctor who is willing to make a house call.
After the death is certified by a doctor, the NOK will be able to receive a digital death certificate from the My Legacy. NOK are advised to download the digital death certificate as soon as they have received the digital death certificate number from the doctor or hospital staff. They will be given up to 30 days to download the digital death certificate. Once downloaded, the digital death certificate can be stored on the NOK’s personal devices.
If the doctor is unable to certify the death, they will call the police for the body to be sent to Mortuary @ HSA (located at Block 9, Singapore General Hospital) in a police hearse. The family will be notified by the police when to go to the Mortuary @ HSA (usually the next day).
If you are unable to contact a doctor, call the police. The body will be sent to the Mortuary @ HSA in a police hearse. The family will be notified by the police when to go to the Mortuary @ HSA (usually the next day).
Mortuary @ HSA operating hours:
Monday to Friday: 8am – 4.30pm
Saturday, Sunday and Public Holidays: 8am – 12.30pm
What to bring to Mortuary@HSA:
• All medical documents related to the deceased
• All medicine consumed by the deceased
• Identification papers of the deceased and informant e.g. NRIC/ Passport/ Certificate of Registration of Birth/ FIN card
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At the Mortuary@HSA
• The police investigator will arrange for the family to view and identify the deceased's body in the presence of the coroner.
• The coroner will review the case and determine if an autopsy is required.
• The family will be informed of the coroner's decision and the time to claim the body for the funeral.
If the autopsy reveals that the death is unnatural, the police will need to conduct further investigations into the cause of death, and the family will need to assist. Once the investigation is completed, the family will be told by the Police to attend a coroner’s inquiry at the Subordinate Courts. |
Step 2: Engage a Funeral Director
After the digital death certificate has been downloaded, the family may engage a funeral director who will:
(i) collect the body from the home or hospital mortuary;
(ii) send the body for embalming if required; and
(iii) deliver the body to the location of the wake.
Step 3: Application for Permit to Bury/Cremate (this can be done concurrently with Step 2)
With the digital death certificate, NOK may directly apply for a Permit to Bury/Cremate at the National Environment Agency (NEA)’s e-Services website – ePortal, or authorise a person (such as a Funeral Director) to do so. The Permit to Bury/Cremate is required before NOK can proceed with the Application for Burial/Cremation at government-managed after-death facilities and for cremation at private crematoria. More information on the application processes may be obtained via User Guide for NEA ePortal: After-death services.