人在逝世后，我们需要申请死亡证明书。你必须到国民登记局提交死亡登记 / 安葬准证JPN.LM02（Pin.1/11）的复印本、死者身份证正本和申请者的身份证正本。东马半岛（沙巴、砂拉越）的死亡证明书申请则有所不同，所有文件需提交国家登记部（NRD），若证实死亡，则会在一周内发出死亡证明书。

When pre-planning for yourself or your loved ones, it can be easy to get carried away in wanting the best. However, you should always be practical and weigh your options carefully. Speak to your loved ones as well to ascertain their wishes and keep an open mind in discussing budgetary concerns with them as well as with the bereavement care provider you choose to engage.

The best thing about pre-planning is how it can help you and your family save plenty of money in the long run through an inflation price lock and an installment payment plan. That way, you and your loved ones will be able to spread out the payment through a long period instead of having to make a single large payment in an as-need situation.

我们无法决定自己出生时的样子与环境，但我们可以自己决定如何离开世界。事前规划的好处是可以让你依照个人的宗教信仰和喜好，预定自己想要的殡葬礼仪，不必拘泥于传统或一般殡葬公司所设定的丧礼仪式。你甚至可以亲自参与丧葬服务的每一个层面，包括讣闻撰写、希望用怎样的歌曲、朗读怎样的文章、告别式场地规划、礼仪用品选购等，让你能用自己想要的方式走完人生最后一里路。

In multicultural and multi-religious countries such as Malaysia and Singapore, it is important to determine the religious guidelines to be followed in the final rites are in accordance to your wishes. Having your decisions and final wishes expressed in black and white is sometimes useful to avoid family disputes later when you are no longer around, especially if members of your immediate family have adopted different faiths.

Aside from this crucial point, pre-planning gives you the opportunity to decide on how your send-off would be, in your own terms. The best way to consider this would be to think about other funerals or memorials you’ve participated in. Think about what made it meaningful; maybe there are elements you would like to adopt in yours. Perhaps there is someone you would like to present your eulogy, or there could be a particular personal touch you may want to add to the ceremony. All these little things may at times seem insignificant but could mean a lot in giving closure to your loved ones.

决定自己想要的最后归宿是事前规划重要考量之一。东南亚国家一般有土葬和火葬两种选择，大马是个多元文化国家，种族与宗教信仰派系不同，丧葬文化和礼仪自然也不同。无论你是考虑土葬或火葬，选择哪个墓园或骨灰殿都必须慎重考虑。
华人非常重视入土为安及落月归根的观念，所以年长一辈大多都会选择土葬，且做好事前规划，包括选购以风水格局为考量的墓地，选择好的阴宅风水不仅能然逝者安息，还能福泽子孙，世代昌盛。

Deciding on how you would like to be laid to rest is one of the most important aspects of pre-planning to consider. The current two main options available in Southeast Asia are burial and cremation. Due to religious and cultural restrictions, sometimes only one of these options is available.

Either one of these two options entails further considerations; for example, if you choose burial, you may need to think about where and how you want to be buried. If you consider cremation, you may need to think about the options available for the subsequent deposition of ashes; do you want to choose to be interred in a columbarium or perhaps you may want your ashes scattered at sea?

The choice of final resting place can be a matter of convenience or even a unifying element for future generations. Most private memorial parks such as those managed by Nirvana take this factor into consideration by providing a well-maintained, landscaped and peaceful environment for the comfort of visitors as a way to encourage extended families to visit and gather in celebration of heritage and reunion.

亚洲大部分地区皆有帛金用作慈善转赠的文化，即是家属将亲戚朋友赠送的帛金，全数转赠慈善团体，又或者将惠赠花圈、花篮的心意转向慈善捐助，帮助失去至亲和面对经济困难的家庭送上关怀。如果你希望将这份善心继续流传下去，不妨在做事前规划时特别注明，让所有亲友的心意变得更具意义。

In most Asian cultures, it is considered funeral etiquette for mourners to make a donation when attending the wake. The original purpose of this charitable practice is to help the bereft family defray the cost of the funeral.

With pre-planning however, this would mean the cost of the funeral has already been covered; as such, you may want to consider channelling such donations to a charitable cause of your choosing to preserve its original intent.

It is also considered a traditional gesture and mark of respect to send funeral wreaths and bouquets to the bereft family. Nowadays some people choose to notify mourners to defer this practice and request that the money reserved for such intents to be donated to charitable causes as it is considered a more meaningful tribute to the deceased and meritorious for all involved to benefit the needy even in death.

其实，只要了解事前规划的用意，死亡和丧葬将不再是沉重的话题。事前规划在当事者意识清楚的状态下对自己的身后事提前做出决定，这样可以确保亲人尊崇你的意愿，按照你希望的告别方式完成圆满的一生，有效减少亲人之间不必要的猜测及仓促下错误的决定。

It makes good sense to ensure that your loved ones are aware of your wishes and pre-plan arrangements. Some may have chosen to state these intents in a will; but occasionally the reading of a will may not take place till after the funeral. It will be better to include them in a separate funeral plan so that your next-of-kin will know what to do in the immediate aftermath of your passing.

It is good practice to have more than one designee who is aware of your pre-plan arrangements. This way, your loved ones can immediately notify the bereavement care provider to handle matters and your family can be left in peace to focus on mourning.