1. Waiting to collect death documents is generally divided into:
- Natural death: After the death of the deceased, wait about 2-3 working days to collect the death certificate issued by the hospital.
- Unnatural death: After the death of the deceased, the body is stored in the public mortuary and waits to see the forensic doctor. The cremation document will be issued 2-3 working days after seeing the forensic doctor.
2. Go to the funeral home or undertaker to arrange the funeral
3. Bring the death certificate documents from the hospital to the Joint Office to apply for:
- Death Registration Certificate (Form 12) (commonly known as "walking paper")
- Death Registration Certificate (Form 10) (commonly known as "burial paper") / Cremation Permit (Form 3)
4. Cremation/burial arrangements
Cremation: Information on the 6 crematoriums under the FEHD
- Cape Collinson Crematorium
- Diamond Hill Crematorium
- Fu Shan Crematorium
- Kwai Chung Crematorium
- Wo Hop Shek Crematorium
- Cheung Chau Crematorium
Burial: The following public cemeteries are managed by the FEHD and have burial plots available for application (public cemeteries):
- Wo Hop Shek Cemetery
- Cheung Chau Cemetery
- Tai O Cemetery
- Mui Wo Lei Chi Yuen Cemetery
The deceased must be an indigenous inhabitant of the Islands District or a genuine resident who has lived there for a long time, or their minor children, and have relevant rural affairs.
Regarding private cemetery plots: They are divided into two categories: permanent plots and plots that require "bone collection" on time. For details on applying for private cemetery plots and fees, please inquire directly with the management of each cemetery.
5. Arrange the funeral:
The funeral procedures held at the funeral home generally include:
- Setting up the spirit: also known as the vigil, held the night before the funeral, while performing religious rituals
- Coffin: Place the deceased's body in the coffin
- Encoffin: including viewing the remains, sealing the coffin, and bidding farewell, while performing religious rituals
- Funeral: The coffin is sent to the burial place, which is the crematorium or the burial cemetery
- Burial: Burial in the tomb or enshrinement of the ashes, while performing religious rituals
In Hong Kong, the following religious rituals are commonly practiced:
- Taoism: Rituals include breaking the gates of hell and purchasing flags and water. Paper offerings are also used.
- Buddhism: Chanting sutras and conducting rituals to help the deceased attain a swift reincarnation.
- Catholicism: Vigil Mass, prayers for the deceased, funeral Mass, and farewell rites.
- Christianity: Sermons by pastors, hymns, prayers, and commemorations of the deceased's eternal life.
- Non-religious: This category includes secular practices aimed at commemorating the deceased without specific religious rituals or restrictions.
Apart from funeral homes, families can also choose to hold funeral services at hospitals:
If a person passes away in a hospital, the family may consider holding a farewell ceremony at the hospital. Hospital-based services are generally only applicable to patients who passed away at that hospital.
- Most hospitals have a mourning room (or similar space) where families can hold simple farewell ceremonies.
- If the deceased and the family have religious beliefs, simple religious rituals can also be conducted.
- After the ceremony, the body can be directly sent to a crematorium or cemetery for cremation or burial.
6. Handle the remains: Cremation ashes treatment
The family can choose the following methods to store the ashes of the deceased:
- Green burial (sea scatter/memorial garden)
- Placed in a government-managed columbarium
- Buried in a public cemetery
- Placed in a licensed private columbarium
7. Handle the remains: bone collection
According to current regulations, the remains buried in public cemeteries for six years must be collected.
Application procedure for "bone collection"
- The family members need to fill in the application for a permit to move or collect bones.
- After completing the procedures, arrangements must be made for a registered stone factory to collect the bones of the deceased
- After collecting the bones, the relevant cemetery office will issue an authorization letter for the return of the bones to the applicant. This document is applicable to bone cremation, reburial in a public cemetery, reburial in a private cemetery, or placement in a private cemetery bone. library.
- If the remains are buried in a public cemetery, and the family members still fail to "collect the bones" for the deceased when the deadline is reached, the FEHD will publish a notice in the Gazette on the removal of the remains, and send a letter to the relevant persons who have not yet collected the bones. , requiring them to collect the bones within the specified time limit as soon as possible, otherwise the FEHD will collect them on their behalf, cremate them, and then bury the ashes in the Sha Ling Cemetery.
- If the remains are buried in a private cemetery, the bones must be collected before the deadline according to the regulations of the relevant cemetery.
Bone collection - After processing
- Cremation: The method of handling the ashes after cremation can be referred to the above "Handling the remains: Cremation ashes treatment" section.
- Reburial in a public cemetery
- Reburial in a private cemetery or placement in a private cemetery bone library
