What To Do When Someone Dies Overseas

1. Call MFA's 24-hour duty line: [+65 6379 8800](tel:+6563798800), or the nearest Singapore embassy or consulate 2. If there is travel insurance, find the policy and call its emergency assistance number 3. Ask the hospital or police where the person died how the death will be certified, and where the body is being kept 4. Keep the deceased's passport and NRIC safe 5. Do not sign anything that commits the family to cremation, burial or a funeral provider yet

The death is registered in the place where it happened, under that place's law. The hospital or the police usually start this. You will need the local death certificate for everything that follows: the return home, the ICA report, and the insurance claim.

If the certificate is not in English, ICA accepts an English translation made by a notary public or by the authorities of the place that issued it. If the death was sudden or unexplained, the local police or coroner may need to finish their own process before the body is released, and nobody can speed that up.

Bringing the body home lets the family hold a wake in Singapore, but it takes longer and costs more. Cremating overseas and bringing the ashes home is usually faster and much cheaper, and MFA itself notes it is often the cheapest route.

Both are valid. What matters is that the family decides before anyone overseas is told to cremate or bury. For the permits, the coffin, Mandai's size limit and what to expect on arrival, see Bringing Someone Home to Singapore.

Once you have the local death certificate, the next of kin reports the death to ICA online. This applies to Singapore citizens, PRs and long-term pass holders.

You will need: • Your NRIC or passport • The death certificate issued by the foreign authority, or a certified true copy • The deceased's Singapore identification documents • An English translation by a notary public or the issuing authorities, if the certificate is not in English • A letter of authorisation and the next of kin's ID, if someone else reports on the family's behalf

There is no fee. ICA says it processes the report within 3 working days of receiving complete documents, and sends an acknowledgement email. Start at ICA's page on deaths that occurred overseas.

A death on a plane or ship heading to Singapore, where the body arrives here without stopping in another country first, is handled under Singapore law. This covers a flight landing at Changi and a cruise that returns to Singapore without calling at another port. The captain, and any relative who arrives with the body, must report the death to the police as soon as practicable after arrival.

A death on board a Singapore-registered aircraft in flight, or a Singapore-registered ship, is a reportable death under the Coroners Act 2010, wherever it happens.

If the plane or ship stops somewhere else first and the body is taken off there, the death is usually certified by the authorities of that place, and the steps on this page apply. We are confirming the finer details with the relevant agencies and will add a fuller guide.

You do not have to fly out to handle everything. MFA and the Singapore mission can help you deal with the local authorities from here, and the ICA report can be made by a representative with a letter of authorisation. If there is travel insurance, the insurer's assistance service deals with the hospital and the transport. Someone may still need to sign local forms, so ask the mission what can be done remotely.