Ashes of the deceased can be stored at government crematoria for two months free of charge after cremation. The FEHD will charge the applicant concerned a monthly fee of HK$80 for uncollected cremains afterwards. Overdue storage of less than one month will be charged on a full month basis. The fee is subject to adjustment from time to time and the applicant should pay the prevailing prescribed fee on the day of payment. Nevertheless, the FEHD advises members of the public to make early arrangements for disposal of cremains or to apply for its temporary storage service for cremains.

Before and upon expiry of the temporary storage period of cremains, the FEHD will issue an advisory letter and a warning letter respectively to remind the person(s) concerned to collect the cremains. If the family members or representative of the deceased eventually fail to collect the cremains within the specified period, the cremains concerned will be regarded as unclaimed and will be disposed of in a decent manner as determined by the Director of Food and Environmental Hygiene without further notice.

An applicant should, in person or together with the staff of a licensed undertaker, bring along a completed "Application for Private Cremation" [FEHB 135], the amount of fee, and the originals and copies of the following documents to the Cremation Booking Office of the FEHD on 1/F, Cheung Sha Wan Government Offices or 18/F, Wu Chung House, Wan Chai to go through the application formalities. The necessary documents to be submitted for verification are as follows:

1. a completed "Application for Private Cremation" [FEHB 135] (Sections C and G of the application form should be completed and signed personally by the applicant, and Section E should be stamped with the chop of the licensed undertaker and signed by its staff)
2. the original and a copy of the "Cremation Order" [Form 11] or "Cremation Permit" [Form 3] issued by the Department of Health
3. a copy of the Hong Kong identity cards/passports of the deceased, the applicant and the authorised person

After submitting the application and the required documents, an applicant may choose to book the cremation session immediately over the counter at the Hong Kong or Kowloon Cremation Booking Office of the FEHD or at a later time online, upon payment of the required cremation fee at the counter. The applicant may book an unallocated cremation session of a crematorium within the next 15 days from the day of application.

An applicant who wish to use the online cremation booking service must register in advance with the Hong Kong or Kowloon Cremation Booking Office of the FEHD, and submit a completed "Application for Private Cremation" [FEHB 135] and produce the original of the relevant documents (e.g. the Cremation Permit) for verification. After the prepayment of the cremation fee, the applicant will be given a token, which can be used to book online through the FEHD website an available cremation session within the next 15 days from the day of application.

Please note that all cremation fees paid are not refundable.

The token has a validity period of 60 days. After the said period, the applicant must book a cremation session over the counter at a Cremation Booking Office.

Upon the issuance of the token, an applicant may book a cremation session online by himself / herself. The applicant may also authorise a licensed undertaker or a representative to book a cremation session on his / her behalf.

If, after the application has been completed and the receipt issued, the applicant wishes to change the place, date or time of cremation, he/she has to cancel the original booking by completing the "Application for Cancellation of Cremation Booking" [FEHB 264]. All fees paid will not be refunded. The applicant has to submit a fresh application for another booking and pay the relevant fee.

The Government maintains strict control over emissions from cremators to avoid causing air pollution. In order to forestall environmental pollution, members of the public and the undertakers of burials should avoid using coffins that exceed the dimensions of 710 mm in height, 760 mm in width and 1 980 mm in length. The external surface of coffins should not be fitted with metal ornaments or plastic (e.g. polyvinyl chloride, that is PVC) attachments. No metal or plastic objects, or any other expensive funeral objects, should be put into the coffins.

The applicant, the authorised licensed undertaker or the authorised person can collect the cremated ashes from the venue as selected in the cremation application form from the 4th day after cremation. The FEHD will issue a "Permit to Take Away Cremated Ashes" to the person collecting the ashes at the time of collection.

Yes. Under inclement weather conditions, such as when Tropical Cyclone Warning Signal No. 8 or above or Black Rainstorm Warning Signal is in force, the crematoria managed by the FEHD will continue to provide cremation services to members of the public who have booked a cremation session within the service hours.

The applicant should apply in person at a Cemeteries and Crematoria Office of the FEHD at Hung Hom or Happy Valley and submit a completed "Application for Certificate of Cremation / Burial" (FEHB 143). The applicant should bring along with him/her the relevant documents (e.g. the original of the death certificate, the original or a copy of the "Permit To Take Away Cremated Ashes", the original or a copy of the supporting document issued by the public or private cemetery concerned) and provide the particulars of the cremation, including the name of the deceased, date of cremation, place of cremation, etc. (the application will not be entertained if the deceased was not cremated in a crematorium of the FEHD). The applicant may collect the "Certificate of Cremation" after the approval of the FEHD and fee payment. The fee for the "Certificate of Cremation" is HK$140, which is subject to adjustment from time to time. The applicant should pay the prevailing prescribed fee on the day of payment. All fees paid are not refundable.