Doves Funerals: plans, contact numbers and how to claim

Doves says it was established in Durban in 1883. Its head office is in Newtown, Johannesburg. Doves says it was the founding member of the National Funeral Directors Association and is a member of the South African Funeral Practitioner's Association and the Funeral Federation of South Africa.

The funeral services it lists include restoration art, embalming, exhumations, cremation and chapel facilities (at most parlours, not all, so confirm at your branch), repatriation, help registering the death, funeral notices in newspapers and by SMS or email, help with policy claims, and arranging the funeral event itself, including church, music, flowers and religious and cultural requests. It also offers burial services and re-opening of family graves.

Doves Group (Pty) Ltd is an authorised financial services provider (FSP 40442). Some Doves pages still use older company names for the insurer arm, so rely on the policy documents for who is who.

• Doves Call Centre is 0861 025 500 and the site says you can call it or your local branch for immediate help when someone passes away. (doves.co.za)
• Doves' funeral insurance is underwritten by African Unity Life (a licensed life insurer, FSP 8447); Doves Group (Pty) Ltd is the authorised FSP (FSP 40442). (doves.co.za)
• Waiting periods in the policy T&Cs: none for death due to an accident once the first premium is received; 6 calendar months for death from natural or (other) unnatural causes; 12 calendar months for suicide. No waiting period if you can prove completed waiting period on another licensed insurer's policy within the last 31 days. (doves.co.za)
• Doves policy T&Cs say the claim benefit is paid within 48 hours after all documentation is received, and only nominated beneficiaries are considered. (doves.co.za)
• Doves transports human remains from the place of death to the place of rest within South Africa and to Botswana, Lesotho, Mozambique and Swaziland. (doves.co.za)
• Doves' funeral cover range runs from R20 000 (All Nations 12 Gold) up to R95 000 for the main member (Supreme Burial Plan); plans are sold with no medical test required. (doves.co.za)
• The death must be registered within 5 days; Doves offices assist with registration. (doves.co.za)

Plans as Doves describes them on its own website on 30 September 2026. Premiums depend on your age, the cover amount and who you add, so the published figures are examples, not quotes.

Extra benefits Doves lists:

• All Nations 6 & 8 (Indigo / Magenta / Dandelion): Circle Rewards benefits; no medical test required; transportation of the deceased within SA borders.
• All Nations 12 (Gold, Cremation, Platinum, Classic, Executive, Cash): Circle Rewards benefits; no medical test required; transportation of the deceased within SA borders.
• Burial Service Plan 35 / Burial Service Plan 50: Cover for a full family, single parent, or member only; extended family can be added at an extra premium; Circle Rewards benefits.
• Supreme / Majesty / Royal Burial Plan: Additional lives can be added at an extra premium; Circle Rewards benefits; transportation of the deceased within SA borders.
• Cow Burial Plan (Lily / Tulip): Includes a cow benefit; extended family can be added at an extra premium.
• Cremation Package A / B: Additional members can be added at an extra premium.
• The Repatriation Package: For individuals based in South Africa who will be buried in their country of birth.
• Circle Rewards (added benefit for policyholders): Funeral Assist: 3-day car hire plus R200 prepaid airtime voucher and R200 prepaid electricity voucher, only on death of principal member or spouse/living partner; Debt Assist; Trauma Assist; Emergency Medical Assist; discount partners. Provided by independent provider DGH Financial Services (FSP 45435).

Sources: doves.co.za/index.aspx.

Doves sells several families of plan. The plans table above shows the cover amounts. In short:

• All Nations 6 & 8 and All Nations 12 cover a set number of people under one premium. The 12 person plans come in several levels, from Gold to Executive and Cash.
• Burial Service Plans cover a full family, a single parent or the main member only. Extended family can be added for an extra premium.
• Supreme, Majesty and Royal Burial Plans offer the highest cover for the main member. More lives can be added for an extra premium.
• Cow Burial Plans include a cow benefit.
• Cremation Packages A and B are meant to pay for a cremation. The main member must be aged 18 to 64 when joining.
• The Repatriation Package is for people who live in South Africa and will be buried in the country where they were born.

Doves does not publish entry ages for most plans, and it does not publish premiums. Ask for both before you apply.

Several plans list Circle Rewards benefits. These are provided by an independent company, DGH Financial Services, and they are separate from your funeral cover. The rewards include help with car hire, airtime and electricity vouchers, and debt, trauma and emergency medical assistance services. Ask exactly who pays for each of them and when they apply.

Checked on 30 September 2026 against Doves's official website. Numbers change, so confirm on the linked page before you call. Doves will never ask you to pay a claim fee or send money to a new bank account; if a caller does, hang up and phone the official number.

A national network 'in excess of 160 branches in all the 9 provinces'. Head office: 15 Helen Joseph St, Newtown, Johannesburg, 2042. Founded in Durban in 1883. Branch finder by province at https://www.doves.co.za/index.aspx?PageId=10269. (doves.co.za)

Sources: doves.co.za/index.aspx, doves.co.za/index.aspx, doves.co.za/index.aspx, doves.co.za/...r/African-Unity-TCs-2023.pdf, doves.co.za/index.aspx.

Doves' funeral insurance is underwritten by African Unity Life Ltd, a licensed life insurer (FSP 8447). DGH Financial Services is named as the intermediary that handles claims and Circle Rewards.

The policy terms give these waiting periods:

• None for death caused by an accident, once the first premium has been received.
• Six calendar months for death from natural causes, and for other unnatural causes.
• Twelve calendar months for suicide.

There is no waiting period if you can prove you already completed a waiting period on another licensed insurer's policy within the last 31 days. Keep the old policy schedule and premium proof. The Doves product pages do not list waiting periods, so ask for them in writing.

Doves says to call the Doves Call Centre or your local branch for immediate help when someone passes away. For the claim itself, the policy terms say to call DGH Financial Services on the claims number in the contact table or visit any Doves branch.

The documents listed are:

• A certified copy of the claimant's ID and of the beneficiary's ID.
• A certified copy of the original death certificate.
• A certified copy of the fully completed BI-1663 or BI-1680.
• The beneficiary's proof of bank account.
• A police report giving the cause of death, for an accidental or unnatural death.
• For a newborn, a certified copy of the unabridged birth certificate. For a stillbirth, a medical report stamped by the institution that includes the age of the fetus in weeks.

The terms say the benefit is paid within 48 hours after Doves receives all documentation, and only to the nominated beneficiary. The claim must be lodged within 6 months and all documents submitted within 12 months of the date of death, or the claim may be invalidated. Do not wait.

Doves says the death must be registered within 5 days, and its offices help with registration. Home Affairs says a notice of death must be given within 72 hours by a family member or a representative the family appoints, so tell your branch as early as you can.

Ask for the reason in writing and the clause it relies on. Waiting periods, unpaid premiums and fraud are the usual reasons funeral claims are declined. South African rules say an insurer must decide a funeral claim within two business days of receiving every document it requires, and that a late premium paid inside the grace period should not defeat a valid claim.

If you cannot settle it, complain to the National Financial Ombud Scheme. It is free. Phone 0860 800 900, email [email protected] or use the form on nfosa.co.za. Keep copies of every message and document.

• Which plan is this, who is covered and up to what age?
• What will the premium be, and does it change as people get older?
• What is the waiting period for each person, and does it restart when I add someone?
• Is the benefit paid in cash to the beneficiary, and can I use any funeral parlour?
• Which Circle Rewards benefits apply to me, and who provides them?
• What happens if I miss a premium?
• Which branch will handle the funeral, and can it collect and bury in different towns?
• Can I see the African Unity Life policy terms before I pay?