6 min read · Updated 27 September 2026
In this guide
- The first phone calls to make
- Registering the death and the documents involved
- How DFS takes over the arrangements
- Keeping family abroad informed
- What to expect in the days before the funeral
The first phone calls to make
If the death happens at home, call the family doctor or the nearest clinic so the death can be confirmed. If it was sudden, unexpected or the result of an accident, the police must be informed and will guide the next steps. If the death happens in hospital, the hospital staff will do this for you.
Then call us. If your family has a DFS policy, have the policy number ready, but don't delay if you can't find it — we can look it up. From that first call, a Funeral Care Consultant starts coordinating the collection of your loved one and the arrangements that follow.
Registering the death and the documents involved
A doctor issues a medical certificate stating the cause of death. That certificate, together with the deceased's national ID, is taken to the Registrar of Births and Deaths so the death can be registered. The registrar then issues a burial order, which is needed before the burial can take place, and a death certificate.
Keep copies of the national ID, the medical certificate, the burial order and the death certificate together. You will need them for the funeral itself, for any funeral policy claim, and later for the estate. We will tell you exactly which documents we need and help you get any that are outstanding.
How DFS takes over the arrangements
Once we have been contacted, we arrange the collection and care of your loved one, confirm the package and any services your family has chosen, and agree a schedule with you — the date of the service, the venue, the burial location and the journey between them.
We then coordinate the suppliers: the casket, the hearse, décor and tents, catering, flowers and anything else that has been chosen. You make the decisions that matter to your family; we make sure they happen.
Keeping family abroad informed
Families are rarely all in one place. Agree early on who will be the main contact with DFS, so decisions aren't made twice or contradicted. We send SMS and digital updates as the arrangements are confirmed, so relatives in London, Johannesburg or Perth can follow what is happening without a dozen phone calls.
If some of the family can't travel, consider adding livestreaming so they can be present at the service, and a recording so they can watch it again later.
What to expect in the days before the funeral
Mourners will begin to gather at the family home, often within hours. It helps to decide early who will receive visitors, how people will be fed, and whether a tent and seating are needed at the home as well as at the service.
In the final days we confirm the programme, the order of service, transport and the burial arrangements with you. On the day, our team is there so the family can be with each other rather than managing logistics.