How to plan a funeral in South Africa

1. Have the death confirmed. In hospital, the staff handle the medical side. At home, a doctor may attend, or the police or another authority may be involved. If the death was not from natural causes, see the section on unnatural deaths below.
2. Contact a funeral parlour. It will collect and care for the body and guide you through the next steps. You can call any parlour. You are not locked into one.
3. Get the notice of death form. It is Form DHA-1663 when a medical practitioner issues it, and Form DHA-1680 when it comes from an authority other than a medical practitioner, such as a Traditional Authority. You may see DHA-1663 called BI-1663.
4. Give notice to Home Affairs within 72 hours. The informant does this: a family member, or a representative appointed by the family through a letter of authority. Your parlour may act as that representative if it agrees. See how to register a death in South Africa.
5. Check for funeral cover or a pension benefit. Many families have a funeral policy, a burial society or a government pension. Notify the insurer or fund early.
6. Gather close family to make the main decisions together: burial or cremation, date and venue.

Do not rush the big choices. A day to breathe and decide is reasonable.

No burial may take place unless notice of the death has been given and a burial order has been issued. The law counts cremation as burial, so you need the burial order for a cremation too.

• The burial order is issued once notice of the death has been given. Ask your parlour whether it will collect it for you.
• The abridged death certificate is free of charge and is issued on the same day the death is registered.
• The unabridged death certificate, also called the vault copy, is obtained by lodging an application and paying R75. Home Affairs' tariff page also lists R20 for an abridged computer-printed or handwritten copy, and the wording is not clear about which copies each fee covers. Confirm at the counter.
• If the computerised certificate is delayed, Home Affairs says a family can bury with a handwritten death certificate while waiting. Its example is a person who shared an ID number with someone else.

Home Affairs will not leave the cause of death off the certificate at the family's request.

No doctor attended. Where no doctor attended before the death or was available to examine the body, which is common when someone dies at home, anyone who was present or became aware of the death must give notice in the prescribed manner.

An unnatural death. If a doctor thinks the death was not from natural causes, the doctor must not issue the certificate and must inform the police. The police then act under the Inquests Act. After the investigation the doctor issues a certificate that the body is no longer required. Only then can the register be completed, without a cause of death, and a burial order issued. This can delay the funeral, so ask the police and your parlour what to expect before you set a date.

The police decline to issue a burial order. Home Affairs says a funeral undertaker it has authorised to issue burial orders can issue one, for example where the police cite criminal activity.

• The notice of death form (DHA-1663 or DHA-1680), completed by the doctor or the authority that confirms the death.
• The deceased's ID (green book or smart card).
• The death certificate from Home Affairs. You will need it for the burial, claims and the estate.
• The burial order, required before a burial or cremation.
• Your own ID as the person handling the arrangements.
• Any funeral policy or pension documents for a claim.

Keep several certified copies of the death certificate. Insurers ask for different things. Old Mutual, for example, asks for a copy of the death certificate from Home Affairs and copies of the ID of the deceased and the beneficiary. Ask your insurer for its own checklist. For claims, an insurer that has all the required documents must decide within two business days whether to pay, refuse or dispute the claim.

Beyond family and friends, you will need to inform:

• The funeral parlour: first, so it can collect the body.
• The Department of Home Affairs: to register the death and obtain the certificates.
• The funeral cover insurer or burial society: to lodge a claim.
• The deceased's bank: to handle accounts. The estate process follows.
• Employer or pension fund: for any benefits owed. If the person worked for government, see the GEPF funeral benefit guide.
• SASSA, if the person received a grant. According to a GroundUp explainer, SASSA cancels the grant on the last day of the month in which the person died, once the death is registered.
• The church or place of worship: to arrange the officiant and venue.
• SARS and any creditors: later, as part of winding up the estate.

Dealing with the estate (the Master's office, the will, the executor) is a separate, slower process you can begin after the funeral.

Once the essentials are handled, plan the service itself:

• Burial or cremation: decide based on the person's wishes, faith and budget.
• Date and venue: church, home, or a chapel at the parlour.
• Officiant: pastor, priest, imam or family elder.
• Order of service: the running order of the ceremony.
• Programme: the printed booklet for mourners.
• Music, flowers and tributes: choose hymns, decide on flowers, and ask family to prepare tributes.
• Catering and the after-tears or repast: food for mourners after the service.
• Transport: the hearse and family cars, usually arranged by the parlour.

Delegate. Give each task to a capable family member rather than carrying it all yourself.

Nobody publishes one official price for a funeral. The municipal fee for a grave or cremation is published, and the rest depends on the parlour and your choices. See how much a funeral costs in South Africa for municipal fees by city and for what the Road Accident Fund covers.

Ways to manage the cost:

• Use any funeral cover payout to fund the service.
• Get a written, itemised quote from the parlour before you agree, and ask what is and is not included.
• Compare quotes. You are free to approach more than one parlour.
• Let the community help. Burial societies, the church and neighbours often contribute food, money and labour.

If a funeral policy claim is delayed or refused, you can take the complaint to the National Financial Ombud, which handles funeral-cover disputes free of charge. You can call 0860 800 900.

[ ] Death confirmed
[ ] Funeral parlour appointed
[ ] Notice of death form (DHA-1663 or DHA-1680) completed
[ ] Notice given to Home Affairs within 72 hours
[ ] [Burial order](/templates/how-to-register-a-death-south-africa/) collected
[ ] Abridged death certificate collected (certified copies as needed)
[ ] Deceased's ID and documents gathered
[ ] Funeral cover, pension fund or [burial society](/funeral-parlours/what-is-a-burial-society/) notified
[ ] Burial or cremation decided
[ ] Date, venue and officiant confirmed
[ ] [Order of service](/templates/order-of-service-funeral/) and programme prepared
[ ] Music, [flowers](/templates/funeral-flower-card-messages/) and tributes organised
[ ] Catering and after-tears arranged
[ ] Transport (hearse, family cars) booked
[ ] Bank, employer and pension fund notified

Tick these off and you will have covered the essentials.