​Procedures upon death of a loved one

There are some procedures which need to be handled after the passing of your loved one. You may have to inform some organisations of the passing, and handle the financial and legal matters of the deceased. 

Whom should you inform?

  • Banks:
    Notify the banks in which the deceased person held accounts. It’s important to ensure that any automatic monthly payments or GIRO deductions are dealt with accordingly. Check if the deceased had a safety deposit box and follow the bank’s instructions on how to close the account. Check and pay any outstanding credit card bills.

  • Insurance companies:
    If the deceased held any insurance policies, inform the insurance company. If there are payouts to be given to beneficiaries, the insurance company will let you know how it works.

  • Lawyers/ Solicitors:
    Inform the deceased person’s lawyer / solicitor and obtain the Will, if there is one. You will also need to inform the executor of the Will.

  • Household Utilities Providers/ Landlords:
    Go through the deceased person’s utilities such as electricity and telephone bills. You will have to inform the relevant companies and ask them to cancel GIRO if the bills are being paid by GIRO. Other outstanding bills could be rental payments.

CPF matters

If the deceased was a CPF member, the nominated beneficiary will receive the deceased person’s CPF savings and any monies or assets owned by the deceased. However, if no nomination is made, the Public Trustee will handle CPF savings, other monies, or assets and distribute them to the deceased person’s family in accordance with Intestacy Laws.

The Public Trustee’s office can be contacted at ipto_pt_trust@ipto.gov.sg. You can also call them at 6224 2858.

The CPF Board will be able to provide you with detailed information about your loved one’s CPF account.

Important documents and Death Extract

For many legal and official post-death matters, you will need the Death Certificate of the deceased as well as other important documents such as:

  • Marriage Certificate

  • Birth Certificate of deceased’s children

  • NRIC and other identification documents of all parties involved

  • Bank account information

It is a good idea to compile all these documents in a folder so that you have easy access to them, and to make sure they stay safe.

If necessary, you may need to obtain a Death Extract issued by the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA).

A Death Extract is a certified true copy of the Death Certificate and can be applied for online or in person at:


​Citizen Services Centre
Registry of Births & Deaths
3rd floor, ICA Building
10 Kallang Road
Singapore 208718
Tel: 63916100
Opening Hours: 8am to 4.30pm (Monday to Friday); 8am to 12.30pm (Saturday)

To do so, you will need:

  • Your NRIC (Singaporeans and PRs) or other official identification (non-NRIC holders).

  • Information about the deceased:

  • Name

  • Sex

  • Date of Death

  • Singapore Death Registration Number or Singapore NRIC / Birth Certificate number for persons who died within the last five years

The Death Extract normally takes at least 4 working days to process, and you can receive it by post or collect it from the service counters.

To read more about applying for a Death Extract, visit ICA’s ICA Death Extract​.

Special Assistance

Sometimes, you may need special help in dealing with post-death matters. The Community Development Councils (CDCs) can help you with certain matters, especially if you can’t afford certain things. Visit the website for contact information for your closest CDC.