What to do when death occur?
It’s critical to notify the appropriate parties as soon as possible once a death occurs. The first step is to have a physician examine and confirm the cause of death. The physician will certify the death and submit the information to the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) online if the cause of death is known to be natural.
Mylegacy.life.gov.sg is where the family may register the death. The death registration center will keep the CCOD after the loved one is registered, and the family members will receive a Death Certificate. To put an obituary in the papers, hire a professional funeral director, and arrange for cremation or burial, you will need this death certificate.
The steps involved in recording the death:
No. 1: When Should a Death Be Registered?
The legislation mandates that all fatalities in Singapore, regardless of the person’s citizenship, be reported within 24 hours after the incident.
No. 2:Do You Need Documents?
- Physicians or Ministry of Health Authorized Officers (such as Forensic Death Investigators) can issue a Certificate of Cause of Death.
- Identification documents of the deceased (such as a passport and identification card) for cancellation
- Identity documents of the informant (such as a passport or ID card)
No. 3: costs?
free of cost
No. 4: Time Spent Processing ?
- 45 minutes at local police stations or centers
- 30 minutes at the ICA Building's Citizen Services Center
No. 5: Methodology
- The Certificate of Cause of Death and further supporting documentation, such as the deceased's NRIC, passport, or citizenship certificate, must be produced by the informant.
- The Death Certificate will be printed by the Registration Officer upon verification of the submitted documents.
- The informant is required to sign the Death Certificate and confirm the information on it.
- The certificate of death is issued.
- The Certificate of Cause of Death and further supporting documentation, such as the deceased's NRIC, passport, or citizenship certificate, must be produced by the informant.
- The Death Certificate will be printed by the Registration Officer upon verification of the submitted documents.
- The informant is required to sign the Death Certificate and confirm the information on it.
- The certificate of death is issued.
You may get more details on Death Registration here.
The steps to register a death are listed in the following section, depending on where the death happened.
Registering according to the place of death:
In the medical facility:
You must notify your hospital’s physician or ward nurse if someone dies there. The hospital will online certify the death and send the information to ICA if the cause of death is known to be natural.
The Case of the Coroner:
When a person dies in a hospital from an unnatural cause
The family should decide whether the corpse will be buried or cremated when the death is registered because this information is required.
The death must be registered by the family at:
- Neighborhood Police Center, Neighbourhood Police Poster, or any Police Divisional Headquarters
- ICA Building, 3rd floor, 10 Kallang Road (S) 208718, Registry of Births & Deaths Telephone: 63 91 6100
Hours of operation:
8:00am – 5:00pm(Monday to Friday)
8:00am – 1:00pm (Saturday)
The death will be recorded at the Mortuary@HSA if the body is referred there.
Items needed to register a death:
- Cause of Death Certificate
- The deceased's and the informant's identification documents, such as their NRIC, passport, certificate of registration of birth, or FIN card
When a death occurs, a doctor at the hospital can certify the cause of death if the cause of death is known and the cause is natural. He will then fill up the CCOD and hand it to the ward nurse. The family can obtain the CCOD from the ward nurse by producing the identity card of the deceased.
If the doctor is unable to determine the cause of death, or a death has been the result of or has been contributed by an unnatural event (e.g. surgical complication, a fall prior to admission), the doctor is under the requirement of law (Criminal Procedures Code) to refer the case to the police/Coroner. In such cases, the body will be sent to the Mortuary@HSA (located at Block 9 Singapore General Hospital) in a Police Hearse. The hospital will arrange for this to be done. The family will be told by the Police when to go down to the Mortuary@HSA (this is usually on the next day).
What to bring to Mortuary@HSA
- All medical documents relating 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.
At the Mortuary@HSA
The Coroner will review the case and determine if an autopsy is required.
- The Police Investigator will arrange for the family to view and identify the deceased’s body in the presence of the coroner.
- 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 investigation is completed, the family will be told by the Police to attend a Coroner Inquiry at the Subordinate Courts.
Mortuary@HSA operating hours:
Monday to Friday: 8:00am to 4:30pm
Saturday, Sunday and Public Holidays: 8:00am to 12:30pm
After the Certificate of Cause of Death has been obtained, the family may engage a funeral director who will
- collect the body from the home/hospital mortuary,
- send the body for embalming (if required), and
- deliver the body to the location of the wake.
Prior to registration, the family should decide whether the body will be cremated or buried as this information is required when registering the death.
The family will have to register the death at
- any Police Divisional Headquarters, Neighbourhood Police Centre, Neighbourhood Police Post or
- the Registry of Births & Deaths
3rdfloor, ICA Building
10 Kallang Road (S) 208718
Tel: 6391 6100
Working hours:
8:00am – 5:00pm(Monday to Friday)
8:00am – 1:00pm (Saturday)
If the body is referred to the Mortuary@HSA, the death will be registered at the Mortuary@HSA.
What to bring to register a death:
- Certificate of Cause of Death
- Identification papers of the deceased and informant e.g. NRIC/Passport/Certificate of Registration of Birth/FIN card.
In the House:
When Death Occurs at Home
It is best to get in touch with the deceased’s treating physician if they were elderly or had a medical condition that had recently been treated. The cause of death may be confirmed by the physician. It is advised to get in touch with your family physician or a nearby general practitioner who can come to your home if such a doctor is not available. If neither of these methods works, you might want to call the police or ask a funeral director for help.
The family should decide whether the corpse will be buried or cremated when the death is registered because this information is required. The physician will certify the death and submit the information to the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) online if the cause of death is known to be natural. The deceased can be registered by the family via mylegacy.life.gov.sg.
If the deceased was elderly or had an existing illness and had received recent medical treatment, it is advisable to reach out to their treating doctor. The doctor may be able to provide verify the cause of death. In cases where such a doctor is not available, it is recommended to contact your family doctor or a local general practitioner who can visit the residence. If neither of these options is feasible, you can consider seeking assistance from a funeral director or contacting the police.
Upon to registration of death, the family should determine whether the body will be cremated or buried as this information is obligated when registering the death. If the cause of death is known and from natural causes, the doctor will certify the death and submit the information online to the ICA (Immigration & Checkpoints Authority). The family can proceed to register the death at mylegacy.life.gov.sg.
After the Certificate of Cause of Death has been obtained, the family may engage a funeral director who will
- collect the body from the home/hospital mortuary,
- send the body for embalming (if required), and
- deliver the body to the location of the wake.
The family will have to register the death at mylegacy.life.gov.sg.
If the body is referred to the Mortuary@HSA, the death will be registered at the Mortuary@HSA.
What to bring to register a death:
- Certificate of Cause of Death
- Identification papers of the deceased and informant e.g. NRIC/Passport/Certificate of Registration of Birth/FIN card.
In foreign countries:
When Death Occurs Abroad
In the nation where the person died, the family will have to record the death with the foreign authorities. For information on registering a death abroad and repatriating the remains to Singapore, get in touch with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) or the Singapore Overseas Mission that is closest to you.
A Singaporean citizen or permanent resident’s body may be brought back to Singapore from overseas for burial or cremation. In any case, bringing a body into Singapore requires a Coffin (Import) Permit. You should need a funeral director to help you with all of the steps.
You may apply for a coffin permit at any time from the following offices:
| Contact Details | Coffin Permit Fees | |
| Port Health office 4545 Jalan Bukit Merah Singapore 159466 Tel: 6222 2585 Fax: 6222 8543 Open 24 hrs daily Airport Heath Office 80 Airpot Boulevard Changi Airport Terminal 1 #14-08 Singapore 819642 Tel: 6543 2515 Fax: 6543 1973 Open 24 hrs daily | Import Permit | $10 |
| Export Permit | $10 | |
| Transship Permit | $10 | |
Death Certificate issued by the country where death occurred (copy of English translation is required if the death certificate is in ethnic languages)
- Cause of Death Certificate or a Statutory Declaration;
- Sealing Certificate for the coffin;
- Embalming Certificate, where applicable;
- Coffin Export Permit from the country exporting the body: and
- Air Waybill (Air Consignment Note) if by air.
If the application is by the funeral director, the Permit to Cremate/Bury will be granted provided the next-of-kin gives a letter of authorization for the funeral director to apply for the permit.
The coffin permit costs $10. The Permit to Bury/Cremate will be issued with the coffin permit at no extra charge.
Note: Prior written approval has to be obtained from the National Environment Agency, Environmental Health Department for the import of a body of an HIV-infected Singapore Citizen
The death will also have to be reported to Singapore’s 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.
- Death certificate issued by the foreign authorities (copy of English translation is required if the death certificate is in ethnic languages);
- Coffin (Import/Export) Permit;
- Permit to Bury/Cremate;
- Deceased’s Singapore identity card, passport, Citizenship Certificate (if any), and
- Informant’s identification documents.
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