Streamlining Birth And Death Registration Processes; Digital ... - ICA

[1] New parents can access the LifeSG birth registration service, which enables them to also apply for Baby Bonus, create a Child Development Account, and sign up for a child library card.

[2] MyICA Mobile is a mobile application that provides a one-stop platform for transactions with ICA. It is available for download on the App Store or Google Play.

[3] Next-of-kin (NOK) refers to a spouse, parent, child, sibling, grandparent, grandchild, aunt, uncle, nephew, niece, step-child, step- or half-sibling.

[4] My Legacy offers informational guides on end-of-life planning and support, as well as for managing post-death matters (e.g., arranging for funeral services).

[5] Physical certificates issued before 29 May 2022 remain valid.

Annex A: Digital Birth Certificates to Replace Physical Certificates from 29 May 2022

Current Birth Registration Process

Currently, the LifeSG app allows parents to register their child’s birth online, and they would have to collect the physical birth certificate at either the hospitals or the ICA Building. Since 2018, more than 80% of newborn registrations have been done via the LifeSG app. Parents may also do a walk-in registration of their child’s birth at the hospital (where the baby was born) or at the ICA’s Registry of Births & Deaths (at the ICA Building). All births have to be registered within 42 days. Once registered, a physical birth certificate will be issued to the parents on the same day. An S$18 fee is payable to ICA. Birth registration centres at hospitals may charge an additional administrative fee.

Greater Convenience for Parents

2. From 29 May 2022, all parents will be required to use LifeSG to register the birth of their child born in Singapore within 42 days of the child’s birth. The issuance of a digital birth certificate will cost S$18. This fee covers the cost of the birth registration process, including IT system development and maintenance costs associated with it.

3. Upon successful registration, parents will receive a digital notification to download their child’s digital birth certificate from an ICA e-Service known as the “electronic Retrieval of Certificates and Instant Verification”. Parents will be given up to 90 days to download the digital birth certificate. Once downloaded, the digital certificate can be stored and saved on their personal devices. A sample digital birth certificate is appended at the end of Annex A.

4. With the digital certificate and digitalisation of the birth registration process, in-person birth registration services at the hospitals and ICA Building will cease from 29 May 2022.

Need Assistance? Help Is Available

5. Parents who need assistance with using LifeSG to register the birth of their newborn or ICA’s e-Service to download the digital birth certificate can call a 24-hour hotline at 6589 8707, or visit the ICA Building and the network of ServiceSG Centres located across Singapore for assistance. Please refer to Annex E for more details.

Registration is Mandatory

6. Under the Registration of Births and Deaths Act, it is mandatory for parents or any legally appointed persons to provide the birth particulars for the child to the Registrar-General within 42 days of the child's birth for the purpose of birth registration. Failure to do so constitutes an offence, and the penalties are a fine not exceeding $1,500 or imprisonment not exceeding one month or both, and in the case of a continuing offence, a further fine not exceeding $50 for every day or part thereof.

Sample of Digital Birth Certificate

Annex B: LifeSG Factsheet

LifeSG (formerly known as Moments of Life) is a Strategic National Project under Singapore’s Smart Nation initiative. The app delivers Government services in a user-centric manner, and helps individuals to discover services and information that are relevant to them, regardless of which Government agency they are provided by.

2. The app achieves this by integrating and bundling services across Government agencies. Users will be recommended relevant services according to their profiles and preferences. Services are grouped according to the needs they address at different life junctures and significant milestones.

App Features and Benefits

3. LifeSG was first launched in June 2018 to support families with young children below six years old. Since then, more features have been added to serve citizens in other aspects of their life journeys. To date, LifeSG has had more than 400,000 downloads. The key app features and the benefits they bring to users are described below.

• User-friendly Guides – The app contains guides that integrate information across multiple Government agencies, making it convenient for users to view in one place, all the information they need at various life stages or to complete certain tasks.

• Personalised Benefits and Support Module – This shows at one glance the list of benefits that a user has received or may be entitled to, such as NS Excellence Awards, NS Celebratory Gifts, GST Vouchers, SkillsFuture Credit and SingapoRediscover Vouchers. Eligible seniors can also view their Merdeka Generation e-card.

• Personalised Eligibility Checkers and Calculators – By simply answering a few simple questions, users can view the list of Government support schemes they are eligible for and estimate the amount of benefits and support they can receive.

• Explore Services – Citizens can explore and easily access more than 70 Government services. Information is grouped according to topics of interest, such as family and parenting, work and employment, healthcare, housing and property, and not according to agencies.

• Profile with Inbox and Appointment – A ‘step-by-step’ view of performing ‘tasks’ to help guide users through the process of a government transaction. The Inbox serves as a consolidated touchpoint for users to be notified of announcements, and follow-up on key tasks at certain stages of a transaction. The Appointment feature allows users to get reminders for upcoming appointments or events signed up through LifeSG.

Annex C: Digital Death Certificates to Replace Physical Certificates from 29 May 2022

Current Death Registration Process

Currently, the death registration process comprises two steps:

i. A medical practitioner will issue a Certificate of the Cause of Death (CCOD) bearing the death particulars of the deceased to the next-of-kin (NOK).

ii. The NOK will have to register the death of the deceased at either the public hospitals, Neighbourhood Police Posts/Centres (NPPs/NPCs) or the ICA Building by producing the CCOD and deceased’s identity documents. A physical death certificate will then be issued upon completion of the registration, which the NOK can use to proceed with post-death matters.

New Death Registration Process

2. From 29 May 2022, the death registration process will be streamlined such that the NOK will not need to register a death at a physical counter (e.g., at hospitals or police posts).

3. Once the medical practitioner certifies the death online, the death will automatically be registered in ICA’s system, and a digital death certificate will be immediately generated by the system. The medical practitioner or hospital staff will provide the NOK with the required information, such as the digital death certificate number, to allow the NOK to download the digital death certificate from My Legacy.

4. NOK are advised to download the digital death certificate as soon as they have received the digital death certificate number from the medical practitioner or hospital staff. They will be given up to 30 days to download the digital death certificate. Once downloaded, the digital death certificate can be stored on the NOK’s personal devices. A sample digital death certificate is appended at the end of Annex C.

5. With the introduction of the digital death registration process, the counters providing death registration services at all public hospitals, NPPs/NPCs and ICA Building will cease operations from 29 May 2022.

6. With the digital death certificate, NOK may directly apply for a Permit to Bury/Cremate at the National Environment Agency (NEA)’s e-Services website - ePortal (www.eportal.nea.gov.sg), or authorise a person (such as a Funeral Director) to do so. The Permit to Bury/Cremate is required before NOK can proceed with the Application for Burial/Cremation at government-managed after-death facilities and for cremation at private crematoria. More information on the application processes may be obtained via User Guide for NEA ePortal: After-death services (https://www.nea.gov.sg/our-services/after-death/post-death-matters/e-services).

Need Assistance? Help Is Available

7. NOK who have difficulty using My Legacy to download the digital death certificate can get their family members or friends to assist them. They can also approach hospital staff, general practitioners, nursing homes and hospices for assistance.

8. NOK who are unable to go online and do not have someone who can help them with the death registration process can call a 24-hour hotline at 6589 8707, or visit the ICA Building and the network of ServiceSG Centres located across Singapore for assistance. Please refer to Annex E for more details.

Sample of Digital Death Certificate

Annex D: My Legacy Factsheet

The My Legacy portal (https://mylegacy.life.gov.sg/) is an initiative under the LifeSG Strategic National Project, to help Singaporeans plan ahead for end-of-life matters in a way that is easy and meaningful for both individuals and their families. It is developed by an inter-agency taskforce co-led by the Ministry of Health (MOH) and the Public Service Division (PSD), with support from agencies including the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA), Government Technology Agency (GovTech) and the National Environment Agency (NEA).

Key Features

2. The portal offers a variety of information and services that guide citizens on issues related to end-of-life support, care and planning, as well as post-death matters. They are focused on addressing three key areas:

a. End-of-life planning, so that citizens understand why planning ahead is important and are empowered to do so. Services provided include guides on how to plan ahead; a consolidated questionnaire for citizens to prepare legal and financial documents such as Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA), Advance Care Planning (ACP) and CPF nominations; a secure vault to store important documents securely online and share them with loved ones; and LPA-ACP workshops to learn more about end-of-life planning and how to get started.

b. End-of-life care, to increase awareness of care options available for themselves and their loved ones. Guides and resources are provided for citizens to find services such as palliative care, home care support and caregiver support.

c. When death happens, so citizens have enough information at hand to settle administrative affairs peacefully and have time to grieve with their loved ones. The portal provides step-by-step instructions on what to do and what to expect when death happens, such as how to register a death, arrange for funeral services, and seek emotional support.

Annex E: Channels for Citizens to Seek Assistance