When the death occurs at home

Step 1: Obtain Certificate of Cause of Death (CCOD)

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.

If the doctor is able to certify the death, he will issue the CCOD on the spot. If he is unable to certify the death, 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: 8:00am – 4:30pm
Saturday, Sunday and Public Holidays: 8:00am – 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

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 Certificate of Cause of Death has been obtained, 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: Register the Death

(this can be done concurrently with Step 2)

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, in which the operating hours can be found here, or

• the Registry of Births and Deaths:

3rd floor, ICA Building
10 Kallang Road S(208718)
Tel: 6391 6100

Working Hours
8:00am – 5:00pm (Monday – Friday),
8:00am – 1:00pm (Saturday)

What to bring to register a death:
• Certificate of Cause of Death
• Identification papers of deceased and informant e.g. NRIC / Passport / Certificate of Registration of Birth / FIN card

If the body is referred to the Mortuary@HSA, the death will be registered at the Mortuary@HSA.

Information accurate from NEA SG