The essential funeral planning checklist

A guide for families

Take it one step at a time

In the hours after a loved one passes, the mind goes quiet and the questions come quickly. It is a lot to carry while you are grieving. A checklist will not lift the grief, but it can give the day a shape, so you always know the one thing to do next rather than everything at once.

Use this checklist when you are arranging a funeral after a death. Start with certification and release, then decide on the wake, rites, costs and burial or cremation. If you are writing down your own wishes for the future, use the advance funeral wishes checklist.

Immediately after a passing

If the person may still need emergency medical help, call 995. For an expected death at home, follow the care team’s instructions. If the death occurs in hospital, staff will guide you. See what to do when someone dies in Singapore for the different first steps.

• Certification and registration. Once a doctor certifies the death online, it is registered automatically with ICA. An eligible relative or authorised person can download the digital death certificate through LifeSG within 30 days.
• Release and collection. Call a funeral director for help. Collection follows certification and any required release clearance. Follow the instructions of hospital staff or the investigating officer, where applicable.
• Documents and a family contact. Keep the deceased’s identification and the details supplied by the doctor or hospital together. Choose who will coordinate arrangements and have a photo ready if you would like a portrait.

Decisions to make early

Once the first steps are handled, there are a few choices that shape the rest of the arrangement. We talk you through each one, in plain language, with no pressure.

• Faith and type of service, whether the rites follow a particular tradition or a simple, non religious farewell.
• Wake venue and duration. Check availability and any permit or rental charges before confirming the dates. Decide whether to hold a wake at all.
• Burial or cremation. If you choose cremation, discuss the final arrangements for the ashes separately, including any faith or facility requirements.
• Budget and package. Ask for a written breakdown of included items, separate venue or facility charges and optional items.

If you would like to see what each option includes, our services page lays out the faiths and farewells we arrange, and our packages page shows published prices. See the MyLegacy funeral arrangements guide for venue, paperwork and booking steps.

What your funeral director handles for you

Ask who is responsible for each arrangement and which services your quote includes. Ang Brothers can coordinate the following, depending on the funeral you choose.

• Collection and embalming, including the respectful transfer and professional preparation of the deceased.
• Casket, chosen to suit the faith and the family's wishes.
• Help with permits and documentation, including who should apply and what the family needs to provide.
• Wake setup, the tentage, altar, backdrop, tables and chairs, fully draped and ready.
• Clergy and rites, the monks, priests or celebrants who lead the prayers and ceremony.
• Flowers, arranged for the altar, the casket and the wake.
• Hearse, with funeral day transport for the family.
• The schedule, the day by day timing of prayers, the wake and the final service, all kept on track.

For families holding a traditional service, our guide to Buddhist funerals walks through the rites step by step.

After the funeral

If you chose cremation, confirm the collection time and who will collect the ashes. Check the requirements for any placement or scattering arrangements.

• Collection of ashes, where cremation has taken place, handled with care on your behalf.
• Columbarium or scattering, placing the ashes at a niche or arranging a sea or garden scattering, as the family wishes.
• Thank you to those who came, a small but meaningful gesture to friends and family who stood with you.
• Grief support, taking your time, leaning on those close to you, and reaching out if you need someone to talk to.