Frequently Asked Questions

Please call our 24-hour service hotline first. A funeral director will offer reassurance over the phone and guide you through the next steps. You can leave body transportation and funeral arrangements entirely to us. You only need to prepare basic documents such as your loved one’s ID card; we will guide you through the remaining procedures step by step.

Body transportation is the process of moving your loved one’s body from a hospital, home, or accident scene to a funeral home or the family home for care. When a death occurs in a hospital, transportation can usually be arranged once the death certificate has been issued. Our staff are on call around the clock and will arrive as soon as possible after being notified.

These include obtaining the death certificate, registering the death to remove the deceased from the household register, applying for a cremation or burial permit, and preparing documents for the use of a burial plot or columbarium. We can handle these procedures on your behalf or accompany you through them, so your family does not have to make repeated trips between offices.

We suggest preparing a clear, front-facing photo of your loved one for the memorial portrait (an everyday photo is also suitable), shouyi (traditional funeral clothing) or neat clothing they liked to wear, and everyday items such as dentures and glasses. If there are favorite belongings you would like to place with them, the funeral director will help arrange this appropriately.

It is generally about 10 to 15 days, adjusted according to date selection, memorial hall arrangements, and the family’s wishes. If particular holidays or relatives returning from overseas need to be considered, you can discuss flexible arrangements with the funeral director. Body refrigeration costs will also be clearly itemized in the plan.

Common deadlines include: death registration within 30 days of the death; applying to the court to renounce an inheritance within 3 months of learning of the inheritance; estate tax filing and inherited real estate registration, both within 6 months; vehicle ownership transfer within 1 year; commercial insurance claims within 2 years; and death benefit claims under Labor Insurance and similar programs within 5 years. Missing a deadline may result in a fine or loss of the right to claim. For individual deadlines and the consequences of missing them, see our Knowledge Base article: What Paperwork Remains After the Funeral? A Checklist of Deadlines (Chinese page).

Yes. The Ministry of Finance states that an estate tax return must be filed regardless of the estate’s value or whether it exceeds the tax exemption threshold. Without filing, you cannot obtain the certificate of tax payment or exemption needed for subsequent transfers through banks, land offices, and motor vehicle offices. The deadline is within 6 months starting from the day after the date of death. If there is a valid reason, you may apply in writing before the deadline for a 3-month extension. For more details, see our Knowledge Base article: What Paperwork Remains After the Funeral? A Checklist of Deadlines (Chinese page).

If you do not renounce the inheritance by the deadline, you become an heir by law. However, following the 2009 amendment to the Civil Code, an heir’s liability for the deceased’s debts is generally limited to the estate received through inheritance (Civil Code, Article 1148, Paragraph 2); it is not unlimited liability. If you are concerned that debts may exceed assets or the financial situation is unclear, we suggest consulting a lawyer to assess whether an inventory of the estate should be prepared and submitted to the court. For further explanation, see our Knowledge Base article: What Paperwork Remains After the Funeral? A Checklist of Deadlines (Chinese page).

Depending on the services and scale, typical costs range from NT$80,000 to NT$450,000. Zhenxi Funeral Service offers the Essential, Warm, and Complete plans, along with an online cost calculator. Every cost is openly and clearly listed. Please see our Pricing page or call us directly to ask.

The plans include the main items such as funeral director services, body transportation, memorial hall setup, funeral supplies, and funeral service arrangements, with each item specified in the quote. We promise no sales pressure and no scare tactics. Any additional needs will be quoted in advance and carried out only with the family’s agreement.

Yes. Most of the insurance programs, including Labor Insurance, National Pension Insurance, Farmers’ Insurance, and insurance for civil servants and teachers, provide funeral benefits. Low-income households also have access to funeral expense subsidies. Amounts and eligibility vary. A funeral director will help estimate the benefits based on your circumstances and prepare the application documents for you. There is no additional charge for this service.

A pre-need contract is an agreement made during your lifetime for services after your death. It lets you plan the rites according to your wishes and reduces the future burden and pressure of decision-making for your family. If you would like to plan ahead, you are welcome to arrange a time to discuss it with us in detail.

The seven-day rituals are held every 7 days after death over a total of 49 days. This tradition accompanies a loved one through what is known as zhongyinshen (the intermediate state after death) and gives the family regular opportunities to express their remembrance. Today, the rites can be adjusted to the family’s circumstances. It is also common to hold touqi (the first seven) and manqi (the seventh seven, or final ritual), keeping the other rites simple. Sincerity matters most.

The first seven falls on the 7th day, counting the day of death as day 1. The family can prepare simple offerings and meals their loved one enjoyed. What matters is taking time for quiet remembrance and a thoughtful goodbye. If you are unsure how to prepare, we can make the arrangements for you.

With gender equality in modern society, leading the rites and receiving this keepsake money are no longer restricted to the eldest son. All family members who wish to remember their loved one can take part. Traditional expectations can be adjusted through discussion, so that everyone in the family has the chance to say goodbye.

Yes. Alternatives include having the offerings burned on your behalf in an eco-friendly way, burning smaller amounts, making charitable donations in your loved one’s name, or dedicating the merit of sutra recitation to them. These can express your care just as fully. We respect the family’s choice and discuss it in advance without assuming a preferred approach.

You may make offerings. A common practice is to mark the birthday quietly on this one occasion: prepare meals your loved one enjoyed, a cake (without candles or lighting a flame), and fresh flowers at the memorial altar or tablet, and make the offerings during the morning before noon. Paper offerings are mainly yinzhi (silver spirit paper); shoujin (gold spirit paper) is not used for the deceased. Most commonly, the birthday is observed only once, with later remembrance centered on the anniversary of death. Practices differ among Hakka and other communities, so follow your family’s custom. For details, see our Knowledge Base article: What Should the Family Do on a Loved One’s Birthday Within the First Year After Death? (Chinese page).

During mourning, tradition calls for incense at the memorial altar to burn without interruption. Huanxiang (coiled incense), which burns for longer, is commonly used to symbolize the passing of the family tradition from generation to generation and the continuation of the family line. If it accidentally goes out, there is no need to blame yourself. Sincerity is what matters; this is a custom, and you can simply light it again. For care during mourning, see our Knowledge Base article: Zuoqi, the Seven-Day Rituals: Origins and How to Count Them (Chinese page).

Fruits commonly avoided at the memorial altar include sugar apples, pineapples, guavas, bananas, grapes, and tomatoes. These customs are often linked to folk associations with similar-sounding words or fruit growing in clusters, and explanations vary from family to family. Common fruits such as apples and oranges can be used instead. We suggest replacing fruit offerings as needed every 2 to 3 days; keeping them fresh and clean expresses your care. For offerings during the seven-day rituals, see our Knowledge Base article: Zuoqi, the Seven-Day Rituals: Origins and How to Count Them (Chinese page).

When going out for work or to visit others, you may leave your xiaozhi (mourning badge) on the memorial table and put it back on when you return to the memorial hall. This practice is called jixiao. If too many incense stubs accumulate in the incense burner, you may remove some and burn them along with the daily paper offerings, but do not remove them all: at least 3 must remain. For mourning customs, see our Knowledge Base article: Zuoqi, the Seven-Day Rituals: Origins and How to Count Them (Chinese page).

A common practice is to offer meals to the deceased each morning and at noon until the removal of the memorial tablet at the seventh seven. After the tablet is removed, meals are offered in the morning and evening on the 1st and 15th days of the lunar month. If the incense or memorial tablet has not been brought back to the family home, meal offerings may be omitted. To avoid repeated journeys, you can also ask the funeral home or a Buddhist hall to provide the meals; the funeral director can help arrange this. For more context, see our Knowledge Base article: Zuoqi, the Seven-Day Rituals: Origins and How to Count Them (Chinese page).

Common customs include avoiding other people’s wedding banquets, visits to people who are ill, and social visits to others’ homes, and wearing subdued colors during mourning. Modern approaches generally emphasize being considerate and avoiding excess. If adjustments are needed for work or daily life, you can discuss a compromise with the funeral director.

Yes. Although there are traditional reservations, modern advice generally prioritizes health and personal wishes. Pregnant family members and young children can attend, with attention to their energy levels and the surroundings, or join the funeral service by video from home. Either way can express their care. The funeral director will offer suggestions based on the family’s circumstances.