Just a few months ago my dear Mother passed away in Australia. While it was no surprise, naturally we were all deeply saddened that she had finally left us. Luckily my parents had planned ahead, and there were few decisions left to be made as to how her last rites would be conducted. After only one brief meeting with the funeral home to discuss music and the photos that would be displayed at her gathering, and only 5 days after her passing a relatively simple and yet beautiful service was conducted to celebrate her life and to say our farewells. The cost of the in its entirety was about AUD $6,000.00.
Each year hundreds of expatriates and tourists die in Bali, usually through illness or accident. These figures will likely increase drastically with the introduction of the pensioner visas and the overall steep increase in the expatriate population in general. The death of a loved one is always distressing for family and friends. When the death occurs overseas, isolating and confusing circumstances can make it even more difficult. Death outside of your own country can involve complications in organizing the funeral, repatriation and other administrative arrangements and formalities. These processes can seem unfamiliar and unnecessarily demanding for the family or friends, whose priority it is to bring their loved one home, or to organize late rites to be performed here in Bali.
Firstly a decision needs to be made whether the burial or cremation will take place here on the Island or will the body be repatriated to the home country so as the deceased may be laid to rest there? Sending a body overseas is a very expensive ordeal. Prices range from USD $3,000.00 to $5,000.00 depending on the destination. Sending ashes overseas is quite a bit cheaper at about USD $200.00 to $500.00. There are 2 funeral grounds in South Bali that are generally available for expatriates. Both are on the Nusa Dua peninsula, and happen to be right next door to each other. If you were expecting a quaint Chapel of Rest with peaceful music, pleasant gardens and staff dressed in white suites waiting to be of service, forget it. The grounds are situated on a dusty hill, and the crematorium is a large outdoor oven and two tin tables and a large levered door (which tends to stick at the most inconvenient times). But if you’re not into trimmings it is serviceable. There are two funeral homes that will assist expatriates. The Antar Bangsa in Pemogan, Denpasar (Ph 0361- 725553) and the RSAD Hospital also in Denpasar (Ph 0361-7431626). The cost of having burial or cremation in Bali is about USD $ 2,000.00 to $3,000.00.
If you choose to have burial or cremation here in Bali, basically the nature of the service is determined by the deceased religion (given that every citizen in this country is supposed to be associated with one religion or another) Most choose either a Christian or Buddhist service as they are a little easier to work with than say the Hindu or Islamic powers. If you were thinking that a Balinese Hindu service might be nice with a full procession, funeral tower, music, and a cremation on the beach, think again. Unless you have fully converted to Hindu, and you have been associated with a Banjar (village community), and have had all previous rites of passage performed (birth rites, puberty rites, tooth filing, marriage rites), then a Balinese ceremony just will not be possible. You will also need the support of the entire local community, as the Balinese funeral takes dozens of people and days to prepare as well as costing a small fortune. Another consideration for a Hindu service is the timing. A good day must be chosen for a cremation. For example if one passes at the beginning of the Galungan period you might have to wait on ice or formalin for up to 2 weeks. I remember a few years ago when the Besakih 100 year ceremony was taking place, deceased were kept waiting at home for up to 3 months, often in secret so as the village was not “sebel” (tainted) and therefore not able to partake in the festivities.
If you choose to have an Islamic ceremony, your friends and relatives may actually blink and miss it. While the funeral (always a burial rather than a cremation) is a much simpler affair it does take place very very quickly. The deceased must be taken to the burial site as quickly as possible to avoid any chance that the deceased spirit may become cozy at home and decide to stay. Hence most ambulances that go screaming through the streets in Java are not on a medical mission, but trying the get to the funeral grounds ASAP! I am certain that more people get killed or injured by ambulances racing for the cemetery than are actually saved by them!
Considerations for Planning Death Rites Notification
A medical officer will need to certify the death, relatives and close family friends will need to be informed, and then the authorities such as the appropriate consulate, and immigration officials.
You will need the following details about the deceased if you report the death:
Full name
Date of birth
Passport number, place and date of issue
Next-of-kin
Whether they were suffering from any communicable illness
Whether they had travel insurance and if so, the name and contact details of the company.
Your consulate can usually help with the following:
assist family and friends to understand the legal and administrative processes that apply in that country
if required, liaise with representatives from the travel insurance company.
provide a list of local funeral directors and lawyers
liaise with the local funeral director so they are aware of quarantine regulations
provide guidance on obtaining translations of language.
advise on the estimated cost of local burial, local cremation and transport of the remains.
advise on the estimated cost of transporting any personal property.
advise on how to transfer funds to meet any costs
assist, if necessary, to identify the body
assist with obtaining quarantine clearance for the return of the remains
provide advice on managing media enquiries.
Your consulate cannot:
recommend a funeral director or lawyer
investigate the death of an overseas citizen
pay burial or cremation expenses
pay for or organize the return of the remains to the home country
take responsibility for freighting personal effects
make legal representations or become involved in legal issues surrounding the circumstances of the death or matters relating to a deceased estate
pay any outstanding debts the deceased may have.
(Please note hat all prices are reasonably accurate at the time of the writing of this article but may change from time to time).
Kim Patra is a qualified registered nurse and midwife who has been living and working in Bali for almost 20 years. She now runs her own private practice and medical referral service from her Kuta office. Kim is happy to discuss any health concerns with you and she may be contacted via e-mail at info@chcbali.com or Hp. 081 2366 0000.
