FOR THE PUBLIC

Arranging a Funeral

You can engage a funeral director to help you with the funeral. A list of funeral directors is given here. Depending on your religion, the funeral ceremonial rites and costs may vary widely. A funeral can be as simple or as elaborate in accordance with the wishes of the deceased or family. The following are some points to consider:

Funeral Wake

Decide on the location and duration of the funeral wake. Wakes can be held at a funeral parlour, void deck, or house for example.

  • If you are holding the wake at a Town Council-managed void deck, multi-purpose hall or pavilion, you will need to obtain a permit from your Town Council. If you need to use the adjacent surface parking lots for the wake, you will need to apply to HDB by visiting the managing HDB Branch, calling the HDB Branch Service Line at 1800-225-5432 or submitting your request at www.hdb.gov.sg/efeedback (Subject: Car Park; Category: Use of Car Parks for Non-Parking Purpose)
  • If you are holding the wake in a private/landed property and need to use the public roads and/or walkways, you will need to apply for a Temporary Occupation Licence (TOL) from Singapore Land Authority (SLA) at https://app1.sla.gov.sg/tol and pay the prevailing TOL fee. Applicants will be required to comply with the requirements of the Land Transport Authority (LTA) and Traffic Police (TP). A separate application with LTA and TP is not required.
  • If you need to use State land managed by Singapore Land Authority (SLA) for the funeral wake, you will need to apply for a Temporary Occupation Licence (TOL) from Singapore Land Authority (SLA) at https://app1.sla.gov.sg/tol and pay the prevailing TOL fee.For use of parking lots managed by the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) for funeral wakes, you may submit your application to URA directly at www.ura.gov.sg. Please note that all use of parking lots must be applied and approved by URA prior to the use.

When holding funeral wakes, please be considerate to others and consider the following:

  • Advise your attendees to park their vehicles at designated parking lots.
  • Deploy traffic marshals to facilitate traffic movements if the need arises.
  • Minimise any inconvenience to other stakeholders when holding the funeral wake.

Burial/Cremation
Your funeral director can help you with the booking of the date and time for cremation or burial. Otherwise, you can do the bookings through phone, online or at the relevant booking office.  The NRIC of the applicant and next-of-kin, as well as the original Death Certificate, which contains the Permit to Bury/Cremate is needed when booking for burial or cremation.
Please note that if the deceased is to be cremated, any valuables placed in the coffin will not be recoverable after the high heat of cremation.
Placing an Obituary

If you wish to place an obituary, please contact the local newspapers.

Storage of Ashes/Scattering the Ashes at Sea

After cremation, the ashes of the deceased can be stored at home or in a columbarium. Niches are available at the 3 government-managed columbaria and many other private columbaria. You will need to bring your NRIC and the original Death Certificate to book for a niche.  Booking of niches in government-managed columbaria can also be done online.

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 7:00am to 7:00pm. For further information on scattering of ashes, please call the Port Marine Safety Control Centre at telephone number: 6325 2488.