What should you do when a family member passed on?
When a family member passes away in Singapore, the first steps involve registering the death within 24 hours. This involves obtaining a medical certificate and registering the death with the relevant authorities, usually a doctor at the hospital or a doctor attending to a death at home. A death certificate will be issued.
Overview:
Report the death
Overview
When someone dies, it's important to let the right people know as quickly as you can.
The authorities you'll need to contact will depend on how the person died. Each situation will be handled differently, depending on whether the death happened at home or in the hospital.
Firstly, you will need to get a doctor to check and confirm the cause of death.
If the cause of death is known and from natural causes, the doctor will certify the death online and submit the information online to the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA).
Once the death has been certified, you can download the digital death certificate. Use the death certificate to apply for a cremation or burial permit. You can choose to do this yourself, or engage a funeral director for help.
Find a doctor
Find a doctor to check and verify the cause of death.
If the cause of death is unknown or unnatural
Further investigation will be required to determine the cause of death.
Check what to do if the death is reported to Mortuary@HSA.
If the death happened in a hospital
Inform your hospital doctor or ward nurse.
If the cause of death is known and from natural causes, the hospital will certify the death online and submit the information online to ICA.
If the death happened at home
If the person who died was elderly or ill and was recently treated by a doctor, your first call should be to that doctor— he or she may be able to verify the cause of death.
Otherwise, you should contact your family doctor or any neighbourhood GP to make a house call.
In the event that no doctor is available to make the house call, you can consider getting help from a funeral director or the police.
If the death happened overseas
If a death has happened overseas, you will need to register the death with the foreign authorities in the country where the person has died.
Contact the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) or the nearest Singapore Overseas Mission for help in dealing with death registration in a foreign country and the repatriation of remains back to Singapore.
Read more about what to do when a death happens overseas.
What to do once death is certified?
Once a death is certified, the next steps can feel overwhelming — but you don’t have to face them alone. Contact Singapore Funeral Inn Pte Ltd for immediate support. We’ll guide you through every step—from body collection and documentation to funeral planning and final rites — with compassion, clarity, and professionalism. One call is all it takes to begin a meaningful, worry-free farewell.