Basic Funeral Guide & 5 Best Companies For Funeral Services In Singapore

From a few personal experiences, arranging for a loved one’s funeral has never been anything anyone would want to be put through. The family usually has no more than a day to inform relatives and friends, choose a company for funeral services in Singapore and manage other matters, all while processing the death and grieving. Increasingly, many funeral organisations have been advocating against the taboo of the topic of death, encouraging people to embrace it as part of their lives and even planning ahead for themselves.

In this article, we will share a step-by-step guide on the basics of arranging a funeral and introduce five highly recommended companies for funeral services in Singapore.

Step 1 – CCOD and Death Certificate

Whether the individual has passed on at home or at a hospital, a licensed doctor is required to determine the cause of death and if natural, to produce a Certificate of Cause of Death (CCOD). You will need this document as well as the individual’s NRIC or Passport to register the death. You can approach either the nearest police station or the Registry of Births and Deaths at the ICA Building (open from 8 am to 5 pm on weekdays and 8 am to 1 pm on Saturday).

Step 2 – Choose a Funeral Company and Contact It

Ensure that the company is licensed by NEA if you wish for it to carry out embalming for the body. An assigned funeral director will work closely with you to discuss the essential details and see to the rest of the arrangement. These details include:

• Duration of the wake — it is typically held for either 3, 5 or 7 days
• Location of the wake — at a void deck (the funeral director will guide you in obtaining a permit from your Town Council) or at a private residence (you’ll need to get a permit from the Traffic Police if the wake area extends to a part of the road)
• Funeral photo
• What the deceased shall wear in the casket & what casket design is preferred
• Specific flowers/plants (if any) for decorating the wake
• Booking of the cremation/burial — the funeral director can arrange this for you. The NRIC of the deceased and the next-of-kin must be presented along with the original death certificate (a direct cremation/burial can also be arranged)
• Choosing the urn

Booking of the niche (for cremated ashes) — you may pick between the 2 government-managed columbaria (Mandai and Choa Chu Kang) and private ones (Nirvana Memorial Garden, The Garden of Remembrance, temples, churches, etc.) Note: You may also choose to have the ashes scattered at sea or released in a biodegradable urn at sea

Step 3 – Notifying Relatives and Friends

Once the details of the wake have been ironed out with the funeral director, you would hopefully at least have better peace of mind while informing your relatives and friends of the passing. Publishing an obituary on local print media (newspapers) is a good way to inform the public in case someone knows the deceased and would like to pay his/her respects. The rate for the various newspapers ranges from $20 per column cm to $63 per column cm.

Step 4 – Understanding Condolence Money

For the Chinese, condolence money is known as Bai Jin (white gold). It carries the same intention as all other funerals for the various ethnicities — to aid the bereaved family in the funeral expenses. As a gauge, $10 – $20 is an appropriate amount if the visitor is not close to the deceased or your family. Otherwise, a gift of $50 to $80 is acceptable too. Remember to record the name and amount gifted in a logbook so that you remain accountable to the money received.

5 Best Companies For Funeral Services In Singapore

Read on to find out more about the Five highly recommended funeral service companies in Singapore!

Ang Chin Moh Funeral Directors

Founded in 1912 by Mr. Ang See Karr who recognised then a need for quality funeral services in Singapore for the Hokkien community, this funeral company, originally known as Ang Chin Huat Casket, was renamed to Ang Chin Moh Funeral Directors. Its new name signified its readiness in continuing to serve the Singaporean community in the new millennium. Since then, it has been the proud recipient of National Funseral Directors Association (NFDA)’s Pursuit of Excellence Award in 2018-19 as well as Best of the Best Award in 2018. It has also been recognised by the government for its significant contributions to society, receiving the Champions of Good in 2017 and 2018.

Ang Chin Moh Funeral Directors is the only company in our selection here to offer its own pre-paid funeral plan, FuneralSure. It has been designed specifically to relief family members of having to pay for their loved one’s funeral in the future as well as to save on rising costs. It also has a subsidiary company, Algordanza Diamond, which specialises in creating swiss-grade memorial diamonds from cremated ashes. No additives or mixtures are added to produce the diamond.

With a 24-hour hotline, the team at Ang Chin Moh Funeral Directors is always ready to attend to your needs and to be by your family’s side.

Casket Fairprice

Despite being relatively young (established in 1993) compared to the rest of the funeral service companies to be mentioned here, Casket Fairprice has been quick to understand what the community needs and doing its best in providing just that. It has its own funeral parlours, a hearse fleet, a showroom as well as an embalming facility. Each of its funeral parlours, located at Sin Ming, have been designed to provide ample space and equipped with wireless internet connectivity for family and friends to visit in comfort.

Its funeral packages are priced from $4,680, and families may select the desired duration from 2 to 5 days. All packages include:

• Collection of the body from home or hospital
• Embalmment and placing in the casket
• Venue set-up for wake (at either a void-deck or at a funeral parlour)
• Hearse (1 trip) and a chartered bus service to transport family and friends to either the columbarium or burial site
• Collection of ashes

While many companies charge a fee for overtime, Casket Fairprice has expressly declared that it does not. It also offers a 12-month instalment plan with no interest or surcharge should families be experiencing tight financial situations. You can rest assured of its fair business practices given its accreditation with CaseTrust and its pricing transparency.

Casket Fairprice also has a 24-hour hotline that you may call at any time.

Direct Funeral Services Pte Ltd

Founded in the 1980s by Roland Tay and now handed over to its 2nd generation of leaders, Direct Funeral Services is a full-service company providing more than just funeral packages. It has its own memorial hall (parlour) at Geylang Bahru, designed to embody a modern yet clean look with a capacity of 45 persons. Fully equipped with air-conditioning, a restroom and shower facility, round-the-clock security surveillance and a sound system, families and friends can be assured of an experience that is as smooth and as peaceful as possible. Direct Funeral Services can also arrange for a monk, pastor or priest to perform a religious service for your loved one and if preferred, even engage a professional emcee.

All funeral packages are priced from $4,999 and include:

Collection of the body from home or hospital

Professional embalmment (using only products from England, Australia, New Zealand and the US that will provide a ‘softer’ look to the body’s skin, producing a more “serene” look) and placing in the casket

Venue set-up for wake

Hearse (1 trip) and a chartered bus service to transport family and friends to either the columbarium or burial site

As a mark of its consistency in providing quality products and services, it is the only funeral company in Singapore by far to been awarded the ISO 9001 certification, an international standard. It has also won The New Entrepreneur Award of the Year 2017 as well as Champions of Good in 2017. With a strong belief that every person deserves a dignified funeral, Direct Funeral Services offers pro-bono funerals for the less fortunate on a case-by-case basis.

Direct Funeral Services has a 24-hour hotline that you may call at any time.

Harmony Funeral Care

Leveraging on the rich industry experience Hock Hin Undertaker has accumulated for itself over the past 57 years, the granddaughter of its founder, Harmony Tee, has taken over the reins to continue its legacy of planning memorable funerals for families of the deceased. Aspiring towards a vision of becoming the funeral care provider of choice in Singapore which families reach out to, this young and promising lady in her 20s guides her funeral directors in concerning themselves with ensuring that all necessary arrangements for the funeral wakes are seen to promptly. This includes liaising with churches and temples for masses, services or rituals as well as processing the required documentation for erecting of tents at landed properties.

Its showroom at Sin Ming houses all its available coffins (all caskets are half-glass) and other funeral-related accessories. To visit, you are advised to make an appointment beforehand. Families who are experiencing tight financial situations may also approach their funeral directors to discuss paying through an instalment plan. Harmony Funeral Care is delighted to provide pro-bono funerals for underprivileged individuals, and they are typically referred to by social workers of hospitals or hospices.

Embrace Funeral Services

Similar to many funeral service companies, Embrace Funeral Services is a 4th-generation undertaker who was first introduced to the industry as a boy. Jeffrey Lee, a young man in his 30s, now continues to manage the company by providing affordable funeral services with transparent pricing. A core philosophy of “serving the deceased as if our own” guides its trajectory of growth and its professionalism, empathy and compassion that affirmed through each of the heartfelt testimonies on its website. It seeks to change the stigma of death by encouraging people to embrace it instead of fearing it and celebrating it as part of one’s life rather than shunning it.

Embrace Funeral Services has a 24-hour hotline that you may call at any time.