After-death Arrangements Website - Step 1

A Guide for the Bereaved

Introduction

One may naturally be stricken with grief when a loved one passes away, and may even feel worried about the handling of the ensuing after-death arrangements of the deceased.
Striving to ensure a smooth last journey for the departed, the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) has set up this dedicated website, "A Guide to After-Death Arrangements", to provide the public with one-stop information on registration of a death, arrangements for a funeral, cremation and burial services, disposal of cremated ashes, etc. It allows the bereaved to handle the after-death arrangements for their deceased love ones with ease and convenience. For more details, please refer to the booklet of "A Guide to After-Death Arrangements".
The FEHD encourages you to plan ahead for your after-death arrangements, including registering in the Green Burial Central Register. This will make it easier for your family to handle the funeral arrangements according to your wishes when the time comes, ensuring a proper farewell.
Even if there is no prior registration, the bereaved can still adopt green burial for the deceased.
Let us walk by your side.

The registration of deaths may be conducted by the family members of the deceased in person or by their authorised licensed funeral parlours / licensed undertakers of burials. Afterwards, they can make the cremation or burial arrangements.
- For public convenience, the FEHD, the Immigration Department and the Department of Health have set up the Joint Offices to handle cases of death from natural causes. Members of the public can register a death, apply and arrange for cremation services or obtain a certificate for burial application at the same place. The procedures and documents necessary for the services are listed below:

Offices / Parties concerned	Documents to be obtained / Matters to be handled
Death Documentation Offices in hospitals	"Medical Certificate of the Cause of Death" (Form 18) "Body Collection Form" "Medical Certificate (Cremation)" (Form 2) (for cremation services)
Licensed funeral parlours / Licensed undertakers of burials	To engage a licensed funeral parlour or a licensed undertaker of burials to assist with the funeral matters, including arranging a funeral ceremony or using the farewell services of the hospital
The Joint Offices (Deaths Registries of the Immigration Department*)	"Certificate of Registration of Death" (Form 12) (commonly known as "Going-out Pass") "Certificate of Registration of Death" (Form 10) (commonly known as "Burial Permit") (applicable to burial application only) (It normally takes 30 minutes to complete the death registration procedures.)
The Joint Offices (Cremation Permit Offices of the Department of Health)	"Cremation Permit" (Form 3) (Notes for Application of Cremation Permit)
* For registration of deaths from natural causes on Sundays or public holidays, please visit The Births and Deaths General Register Office of the Immigration Department.

Offices / Parties concerned	Documents to be obtained / Matters to be handled
No need to register a death case of such causes in person The case will be referred to the Coroner for determining the cause of death (which usually takes 1 to 6 months). Depending on the circumstances, the Coroner will order the body be buried or cremated and issue a "Certificate of Order Authorizing Burial / Cremation of Body" (Form 11).
Licensed funeral parlours / Licensed undertakers of burials	To engage a licensed funeral parlour or a licensed undertaker of burials to assist with the funeral matters, including arranging a funeral ceremony or using the farewell services of the hospital
The Births and Deaths General Register Office、Hong Kong Island Deaths Registry or Kowloon Deaths Registry of the Immigration Department	When the Coroner has determined the cause of death, the Registrar of Deaths will register the death within a week and notify the family members of the deceased in writing to collect a certified copy of the death entry.
No need to apply for a "Cremation Permit" (Form 3)］

The family members of the deceased or the staff of their authorised licensed funeral parlours / licensed undertakers of burials may bring along the said documents to the following offices to apply for cremation or burial services:

Complete the form of "Application for Private Cremation" (FEHB 135), and apply for cremation and book the cremation sessions at the FEHD counter of a Joint Office.

Complete the form of "Application for Burial at Public Cemetery" (FEHB 144), and apply for burial services at the office of the public cemetery concerned, or contact the office of the private cemetery concerned for burial application.

For details of cremation or burial services, please refer to "Step 3 – Handling of Deceased Bodies".

	Hong Kong Island Joint Office		Kowloon Joint Office
Address	18/F, Wu Chung House, 213 Queen's Road East, Wan Chai, Hong Kong		1/F, Cheung Sha Wan Government Offices, 303 Cheung Sha Wan Road, Sham Shui Po, Kowloon
Telephone Number	Hong Kong Island Deaths Registry of the Immigration Department:	2961 8841	Kowloon Deaths Registry of the Immigration Department:	2368 4706
	Cremation Permit Office (Hong Kong) of the Department of Health:	2961 8843	Cremation Permit Office (Kowloon) of the Department of Health:	2150 7232
	Wan Chai Cremation Booking Office of the FEHD:	2961 8842	Cheung Sha Wan Cremation Booking Office of the FEHD:	2150 7502
Office Hours	Mondays to Fridays:	9:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. 2:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
	Saturdays:	9:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
	Sundays and public holidays:	Closed

The Births and Deaths General Register Office
Address	3/F, Low Block, Queensway Government Offices, 66 Queensway, Hong Kong
Telephone Number	2867 2784
Office Hours	Mondays to Fridays *:	8:45 a.m. – 4:45 p.m.
	Saturdays *:	9:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
	* For registration of deaths referred by the Coroner only
	Sundays and public holidays **：	10:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
	** For registration of deaths from natural causes only

Cemetery	Telephone Number	Office Hours	Opening Hours
Wo Hop Shek Cemetery	2675 5296	8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.	6:30 a.m. – 7:30 p.m.
Cheung Chau Cemetery *	2981 5442	8:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.
Tai O Cemetery * Lai Chi Yuen Cemetery at Mui Wo *	2852 3606	8:45 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. 2:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.
* The original and a copy of the supporting document from the relevant rural committee and a statutory declaration made by the legal representative or next of kin of the deceased must be produced to certify that the deceased was an indigenous villager or a bona fide local resident of the island concerned, or a minor child of such person.