TODAY Online
23 December 2019

S$40 fee for copy of death certificate is to cover costs of providing service: ICA

We refer to Mr Rashid Osman’s letter, “Why charge S$40 for a copy of a death certificate?” (Dec 15).

The Registry of Births and Deaths, under the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA), registers all deaths in Singapore. Once a death is registered, the registry issues an original death certificate to the registrant without a fee.

But if the original death certificate is lost or damaged, a death extract — a certified-true copy of the death certificate — can be obtained from the ICA at S$40. This fee covers the costs of providing the service. Those who have financial difficulties and are unable to afford it can submit an appeal to the ICA to waive the fee. Each appeal will be assessed on a case-by-case basis.

We have looked into Mr Rashid’s applications for the death extracts. Our officer needed to contact Mr Rashid to ask about his relationship with the deceased persons, as he did not indicate this in his application.

As for the postage charges, we would like to clarify that death extracts are delivered to the applicants by registered mail, so that they need not make a trip to the ICA to collect them. This would incur time, effort and transport costs.

Applicants who prefer to collect the extracts over the counter can indicate so in their application. The postage fees will be refunded.

The ICA is committed to service excellence, and to reviewing our processes and services continually to ensure that they meet the needs of our customers.

Patrick Ong
Head, Public and Internal Communications
Corporate Communications Division
Immigration and Checkpoints Authority

<Original letter>

TODAY Online
15 December 2019

Why charge S$40 for a copy of a death certificate?

On Dec 2, I applied to the court for a Grant of Letters of Administration to administer my late aunt’s Housing and Development Board flat.

To support this application, I applied to the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) for my late aunt’s “death extract” — a certified-true copy of her death certificate.

The court also needed the death certificate of my aunt’s late mother, as she was a beneficiary of her estate. Hence, I applied to the ICA for a copy of her death certificate, too.

To my shock, it was S$40 a copy. This excluded a S$3.14 registered postage fee.

I paid S$86.28 for the two death certificates.

To make matters worse, an ICA officer phoned me to seek a reason for the request, despite my indicating in the application that it was for a Grant of Letters of Administration.

I wish to find out why the fee for a copy of a death certificate is so high. What happens to elderly or unemployed citizens who cannot afford it?

Also, why isn’t there an option for collection over the counter at the ICA? This will allow applicants to save on postage.

Rashid Osman