Top Funeral Services in Singapore

The Top 20 Funeral Services In Singapore

We’ve compiled a list of Top 20 Funeral Services in Singapore, with a variety of companies covering catering to various religious traditions. Check them out below.

Funeral Service	Singapore Funeral & Casket Services
Specialty	Buddhist Funeral Services Taoist Funeral Services Christian Funeral Services Catholic Funeral Services Freethinker Funeral Services
Website	www.funeralservices.sg
Address	52 Ubi Avenue 3, #03-47 Frontier, Singapore 408867
Contact	Telephone : 9635 7989 / 6742 3988 Email : [email protected]
Review 1	In April this year, after the unfortunate passing of our love one, we engaged the services of Singapore Funeral & Casket Services. The process was managed by Zick. I must say that his service is outstanding and top notch. He was always there to answer our queries & provide advice. His professional services facilitated the family to find closure in the procession. Really tks to Zick and him team for the smooth and outstanding job. Tks again & well done. -Lee Kelvin
Review 2	We recently lost a loved one. I must commend the services and professionalism of Zick and his team. They are knowledgeable, punctual and very responsive. The pricing is also transparent and easy to understand. The team also kept the family updated on what to prepare and expect for the ceremonies. I want to say thank you for providing your service with heart. – Wee Liat Tan
Review 3	Truely appreciate and thankful to Singapore Funeral & Casket Service all members and crews especially Zick Ho who patiently guided me and my family thru out 5days of my father wake during April 2021. Even without us asking much on what do we need to prepare and what we need to do, he hand held us step by step from booking of town council, retrieving body until the day collecting of ashes. Truly no doubt on his professionalism and service making sure everything is smooth. Our friends who attended the wake was impressed as well. Thank you Zick Ho, Singapore Funeral & Casket Service once again.  – Zi Yi Ye

Holding a Funeral in Singapore 

Death is a process which no one can ever avoid. The people that we treasure may not be around the very next moment. 

That’s why the last thing that we, as kin members, could do for them is to furnish them with a proper send-off into the next stage of wherever that may be. A funeral, including ceremonial rites and cremation or burial, is a mark of respect for the deceased. 

Funeral services can help you take care of the necessary arrangements and procedures, which gives you time and space to grieve and reflect. 

What To Do When A Family Member Passes Away in Singapore? 

Pre-Death

It’s crucial for everyone to plan for their end-of-life matters. Yes, that includes all of us who are young and healthy. A will can ensure your wishes continue to flourish beyond your death and prevent any potential conflict from happening among your off-springs. You can start writing your will as long as you’re at least your 21 years of age and of a sound mind. 

Aside from the will, you’ll also have to make a CPF nomination to ensure that the CPF savings go to your intended beneficiaries. 

You can visit My Legacy for a guide on how to settle your estate matters. 

First Thing To Do Once Someone Passes Away – Obtain a Certificate Cause of Death (CCOD)

For Deaths at Home

If the person dies at home due to a natural cause (i.e. physical illness or body cease to function), contact your family doctor who’s willing to make a house call. Standby all the medical reports to facilitate the doctor in ascertaining that the death is due to medical reasons. 

If the doctor can certify death, he/she will issue a CCOD immediately. 

In the event which your doctor isn’t able to issue a CCOD, or he/she isn’t available for a house call, contact the police immediately. When the police arrive at the scene, they will send the body to the mortuary at the Health Science Authority (HSA), for the pathologist to confirm the cause of death. 

It will probably take up to a day for the police to contact you to head down to the mortuary and claim the body of the deceased. Please remember to bring along the following to the morgue: 

• The deceased’s medical documents 
• The medications that were consumed by the deceased
• Identification documents of the departed and yourself (e.g. NRIC, Passport, Birth Certificate, Driver’s License, etc.)

Do note that the coroner will have the right to review the case and conduct an autopsy. If results for the autopsy claim that the cause of death is unnatural, you and your family member will have to assist the police in conducting further investigations.

For Deaths in the Hospital 

A doctor from the hospital will ascertain the cause of death, as long as it’s of natural causes. He/she will then fill in the CCOD and hand it over to the ward nurse. Standby the deceased’s identification documents to obtain a CCOD from the ward nurse. 

For Overseas Deaths 

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, you need to contact the nearest Singapore Overseas Mission or the MFA duty office at +65 6379 8800. Their website also offers a complete downloadable guide for next-of-kins handling an overseas death. 

Most importantly, before the body is transported back in Singapore, the death must be registered with the relevant authorities of the country where the death occurred. 

Obtain a Death Certificate 

A Death Certificate is an official document that confirms the death of an individual. You have to register the death within 24-hours after the person has deceased.

Before heading to obtain a death certificate, however, you and your family members need to reach a consensus on whether the body should be buried or cremated. 

These are the following places you can obtain a death certificate.

• The Registry of Births and Death
• Police Divisional Headquarters 
• Neighbourhood Police Centre
• Neighbourhood Police Post

You will need to bring:

• Certificate of Cause of Death (CCOD)
• Identifications of the deceased and yourself (e.g. NRIC, passport, Birth Certificate, or FIN Card).

If you’re obtaining the body at the mortuary, a Death Certificate will be issued right there. 

Place an Obituary 

An obituary is a notice of death that appears in the newspaper. This is not mandatory. It’s to inform members of the public about their passing and to celebrate the life they’ve lived. There’s no specific structure to an obituary, though some suggested information includes:

• Their full name
• Details of death, such as date of death, place of death and cause of death
• Family information
• Some memorable highlights of their life. 

Click here for more information on how to prepare an obituary. 

Engage a Funeral Director 

A funeral director is responsible for handling administrative and logistical matters in the funeral. He/she can:

• Arrange for the body of the deceased to be embalmed. Embalming is a process to preserve the deceased’s body by treating it with scientific methods.
• Arrange for grooming of the dead once embalming is done. This is for viewing purposes at the wake.
• Liaise with various authorities, such as the Town Council for HDB flats and Traffic Police for landed properties to hold a funeral wake. 
• Make logistical arrangements during the funeral wake, such as catering, flower arrangement, placement of religious figurines, mourning clothes, portable toilets, brass band, etc. 
• Liaise with various religious authority to provide clergy to perform religious rights for the deceased. 
• Provide advice on the Dos and Don’ts based on your customs. 
• Book burial and cremation slots. 
• Coordinate post-cremation ashes to be either stored at home or in a columbarium.
• Coordinate with Maritime Port Authority (MPA) to arrange sea burials. 
• Prepare for the grand send-off. 

The Funeral Wake

A wake is a social gathering for friends and relatives to pay respects and view the deceased for one last time. It’s also an opportunity for them to offer condolences to the bereaved person. 

Necessities, such as buffet-style food, refreshments and toilet are provided. Visitors are usually encouraged to sign the guest book and offer a simple donation, known locally as “white gold”, as the money’s traditionally wrapped in a white envelope. This money can help the family offset some of the funeral expenses. Friends and companies of the bereaved person may sometimes offer condolence wreaths. 

Islam is one of the traditions where wakes are not part of the funeral process, as the body must be sent for burial within 24 hours, according to customs. Upon claiming of the body, family members or close friends of the same gender will bathe the deceased at least 3 times, before being dressed in a kafan. Once the body is appropriately dressed, the Iman of the mosque will lead the congregation to do a Jenaza prayer, facing the direction of Mecca. Upon completion of the prayer, the body will be sent for burial. Cremation is forbidden in Islam.   

Buddhist Wakes 

A Buddhist wake lasts for 3-7 days. It’s usually held for an odd number of days, signifying the life’s incompletion, with hopes of reincarnation. 

It’s usually held either at the funeral parlour or at the deceased’s home. If the departed lives in an HDB flat, the funeral will usually be held right at the void deck of the block.

Clergies from the affiliated temple will usually perform rituals to assist the deceased to move into the next realm of existence and avoid being a “wandering spirit”. 

Taoist Wakes  

Taoists believe in an eternal life beyond death, with achieving immortality as its goal. That’s why a sacred lamp, signifying the elixir of immortality is placed on the altar table, alongside, 2 large candles, cups of tea, rice and water. The 2 candles symbolise the Sunlight and the Moonlight, the tea represents the Yin energy, the water represents the Yang energy. Uniting these 2 energies in harmony is the job of the rice. There’s also a plate of 5 different types of fruits representing the 5 different elements, namely, earth, fire, wood, metal and water. 

Rituals are required in Taoist funerals. There are a few different rituals that the priest would perform, such as:

• Appeasing and warding off evil spirits
• Sending merits to the deceased
• Blessing and protection for the bereaved family

Buddhist and Taoist wakes often have share similar several practices. One such is the odd number of days for wakes. The other custom shared by both religions is the burning of paper money and paper luxury items like house and cars to ensure that deceased will have a prosperous afterlife.  

Soka Wakes 

Soka Gakkai is an international organisation that practises the Nichiren Daishonin school of Buddhism, which has a different tradition from “mainstream” Buddhism. The setup of Soka wakes is usually minimalistic, as compared to the more elaborate Buddhist and Taoist wakes. 

Unlike other schools of Buddhism, Soka Gakkai members do not rely heavily on rituals. Instead, according to their beliefs, by sincerely reciting the Lotus Sutra and chanting the Diamoku, the deceased will enjoy a smoother transition into the afterlife. The chanting of the verses is usually led by a Soka leader, instead of a group of monks. 

Christian Wakes (Non-Catholic)

Unlike Buddhist and Taoist funerals, which is identifiable by its yellow tentages, Christian funerals tentages are predominantly white. 

Christian wakes can be done either in the church, funeral parlours or at the void decks of HDBs. Instead of a joss stick holder, a bible is usually placed on the altar table. 

Most Christian funerals usually have only one night of service. That often happens on the final night, where the pastor will deliver a sermon. Various songs and hymns are also sung. Unlike Buddhist and Taoist funerals, the bereaved family members can also choose to give a eulogy.  

Christian Wakes (Catholic)

In the Catholic tradition, there are a pair of white candles, known as Easter candles placed on the altar table. This symbolises for the light of Christ which the deceased is now receiving.

Night prayer services are conducted for family members, friends and relatives to pray to God to forgive the sins of the deceased. This is also to help the departed to enter the Gates of Heaven upon completing Purgatory. 

On the final day, the body will be transported to the church for a Funeral Liturgy, also known as a Requiem Mass. 

The purpose of the Requiem Mass is to:

1. Praise and worship God to whom the deceased is entrusted
2. Commend the soul of the deceased to God’s loving mercy and grace
3. To gain solace and seek strength from proclaiming the Paschal Mystery. 

The final part of a Catholic funeral is the Rite of Commital, which takes places either at the burial ground or crematorium. The priest or deacon leads the congregation in a series of farewell prayers. According to their tradition, as the body is set to rest with the hopes of resurrection. 

Hindu Wakes 

When a Hindu passes away, there will be a garland placed around his/her neck. Ashwood or sandalwood may be smeared on a male deceased’s forehead, while turmeric is used on a female deceased’s forehead.

Hindu wakes usually takes place at the deceased’s home or the funeral parlour. The wake will last for 2-3 days. If the wake is held in an HDB flat, the body will be brought down to the void deck to allow more family and friends to visit on the final day. This is also where the priests will perform religious rites before sending the body off to the crematorium. 

Unlike Christian or Muslim traditions, cremating is very common in Hinduism. After cremation, the ashes will be brought back home for another 10 days, where the Shraddha ceremony is performed. 

Cost of Holding a Funeral in Singapore 

Preparing for someone’s death is very costly, making them an expensive necessity. Here are the breakdowns of the expenses needed from each stage.

Pre-Death

Hiring a lawyer to draft out a will cost around $180 to $500. 

However, organisations such as OCBC and MoneyOwl has offered online platforms where you can generate your own will in just 10 minutes for free! For Muslims, however, it’s advisable to consult Syriah-trained lawyer to help draft out your will. 

Death at Home

To engage a doctor to issue a CCOD for deaths at home, you’ll need to standby around $200, or slightly more. 

Overseas Death 

There are 2 options for bringing back the deceased to Singapore – cremate the body overseas and bring back the ashes, or bring the entire body back for a proper funeral. While it’s understandable that the latter choice has way more sentimental value, it’s definitely much costlier.

According to IATA (International Air Transport Association), a body needs to be embalmed before leaving a country. Factoring the embalmment cost, the cost for the coffin, flight expenses, be prepared to spend at least $10,000 and more. 

However, if the deceased has purchased travel insurance, it will cover the cost of repatriation. Regardless, there will still be a coffin import permit fee of $17.50 imposed by either the Port Health Office or Airport Health Office.  

Obituaries 

Obituaries charge by the amount of space it takes up on the newspaper. Be prepared to standby around $1,500 to $2,500 for a proper obituary to be featured.

Funeral and Wake Charges 

The great thing about hiring a funeral director is that he/she will arrange the rest of the funeral procedures and provide you with a total sum upon completion of the service. 

The cost of a funeral and wake depends on the religion, number of wake days and add-on services, such as photography and videography.

According to some research done over some funeral services sites, as well as authority sites, such as MoneySmart and Seedly, this is how a funeral packages average out:

• Christian: $5,150
• Non-Religious: $4,745
• Buddhist: $6,172
• Soka: $4,939
• Taoist: $7,988
• Hindu: $3,300
• Muslim: $1,313

Please note that for any funeral package that includes a wake, the above figure marks the midpoint between the costliest and cheapest package, which can be $1,000 to $2,000 higher or lower than the stated price above.

Editor’s Note:

While every precaution has been made to ensure the accuracy and fairness of this listing, we acknowledge that they may be inaccuracies. Therefore, we urge you to contact the service provider above for the correct information and/or contact us with the correct information.

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