How to Claim Term Insurance for NRIs in Singapore

Here is how the claim works, step by step.

Can my Family Claim my Indian Term Insurance Policy from Singapore?

Yes, and your nominee doesn’t have to travel to India. When you buy term insurance for NRIs in Singapore from an Indian insurer, you are globally protected. The plan pays out wherever in the world the death happens, and your nominee can make the whole claim online from Singapore.

Your nominee also doesn't need to live in India. RBI has clear rules for paying life insurance claims to people living outside India, so a spouse or child in Singapore can receive the money. If your nominee has become a Singapore citizen or PR, that's fine too.

How to Claim Term Insurance for an NRI after a Death in Singapore?

Below mentioned is the step-by-step guide on how you can claim term insurance for an NRI. Take a look:

Download the digital death certificate

Singapore stopped issuing paper death certificates on 29 May 2022. Now, once a doctor certifies a death online, it is automatically registered with the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA). Nobody has to queue at a counter.

The hospital or doctor gives the next of kin a death certificate number. The next of kin then downloads the digital death certificate from ICA's My Legacy website. There is no fee.

**Note: The certificate can only be downloaded within 30 days. Save it to your phone and email a copy to yourself straight away. After that window, you would have to apply for an extract of the certificate, which costs money.

The certificate is in English, and also carries a QR code that lets anyone check it against ICA's records.

Get it apostilled by the Singapore Academy of Law

Singapore joined the Apostille Convention on 16 September 2021, and India is a member too. The Singapore Academy of Law (SAL) is the only body in Singapore that issues apostilles, and you can apply through its legalisation portal. Once the certificate is apostilled, Indian insurers can accept it without any attestation from the Indian High Commission. Check with your insurer first, as some may want a notarised copy or a specific format.

Register the death with the High Commission of India

If the person who died held an Indian passport, register the death with the High Commission of India in Singapore. According to the Ministry of External Affairs, this registration is needed before the body can be taken back to India, and the Indian passport is cancelled at the same time. Keep the papers the High Commission gives you, since some insurers ask for proof of registration.

Inform the insurer

Inform the insurer as soon as you can, online, by email or by phone. You only need the policy number, the name of the person who died, the date, place and cause of death, and your contact details. Send the documents afterwards. You don't have to wait for the apostille before making this first call.

If the policy was bought through Policybazaar, one call gets things moving. Family members in India can ring the claim helpline on 1800-258-5881. From Singapore, use the relationship manager's direct number or email on the Claim Assistance Card.

Send the documents

Upload scans or courier the originals, whichever the insurer asks for. Because the death certificate is digital, ask the insurer how it wants to receive it along with the apostille.

Wait for the settlement

IRDAI's rules give insurers 15 days from the date of intimation to settle a death claim, or 45 days if they need to investigate. If they take longer, they owe interest at 2% above the bank rate. And if they reject the claim, they have to explain why in writing.

Which Documents will the Insurer Ask for?

This is the usual set for a death in Singapore. Insurers may ask for a few more, especially after an accident.

How does the Money Reach my Family?

Indian term plans pay in rupees into a bank account in India. The claim can be credited to a savings, current, NRE or NRO account. Which one depends on where your nominee lives and how you paid your premiums.

If your family is in India, the money goes into the nominee's savings or current account, and that's it.

If your family is in Singapore, the money goes into the nominee's NRE or NRO account in India first. From there, they can send it to their Singapore bank account.

NRE or NRO? It depends on how you paid

Under RBI's Master Direction on Insurance, the claim follows the money that paid the premiums.

• Paid from your NRE account or straight from your Singapore salary? The claim can go to the nominee's NRE account, and from there it can be sent to Singapore with no limit.

• Paid from your NRO account, say from rent or interest earned in India? The claim goes to the nominee's NRO account, in rupees. That money can still be sent to Singapore, up to USD 1 million a year.

• Used both over the years? The claim is split in the same ratio. If 90% of your premiums came from NRE, about 90% of the claim goes to NRE.

Will my Family Pay Tax on the Claim?

No. A term insurance claim is 100% tax-free in India, and Singapore doesn't tax it either.

In India, the death benefit is fully exempt, however large the cover, for NRIs and residents alike (Section 11 of the Income-tax Act, 2025, which replaced Section 10(10D)). Keyman policies taken by employers are the main exception. The insurer won't deduct any TDS.

In Singapore, two rules keep the payout tax-free. First, according to IRAS, foreign-sourced income received in Singapore by resident individuals has been exempt since 1 January 2004, unless it comes through a Singapore partnership. Second, Singapore removed estate duty for deaths on or after 15 February 2008, so there is no inheritance tax.

Special situations in an NRI term insurance claim from Singapore

• If your nominee is a child: The money goes to the appointee named in the policy, who holds it for the child until the child turns 18. If no appointee was named, the insurer may seek a guardianship certificate from an Indian court, which can take months. If your nominee is a child, check that an appointee is on record.

• If there's no nominee, or the nominee has also died: In this situation, the claim then goes to the legal heirs. They'll need a succession or legal heir certificate, an indemnity bond, and ID and bank details for each heir. This takes longer, so keep your nominee details up to date after marriage or the birth of a child.

• The death happened in India, on a visit: The steps are the same. You just use the death certificate from the local municipal authority or registrar in India, and no apostille is needed.

• The death happened in another country: Use that country's death certificate, apostilled or attested as it requires, and register the death with the Indian mission there. Add an English translation if the certificate isn't in English.

How can Policybazaar Help?

Policybazaar has a Dedicated Claim Assistance Program for every term customer, including NRIs, and it helps your family through the entire process free of charge. Its claims data shows one NRI claim from Singapore so far, for ₹1 crore.

Your policy comes with a Claim Assistance Card. It has your policy details and your relationship manager's name, phone number and email. Give it to your nominee now, so they know exactly who to call.

When the time comes, the relationship manager:

• registers the claim and tells the family which documents are needed for a death in Singapore

• checks the papers before they go to the insurer, with free doorstep pick-up for family members in India across 85+ cities

• deals with the insurer from day one, tracks the claim and chases any delays

If the insurer rejects the claim, Policybazaar's Second Opinion Guarantee kicks in. The team builds a case for the insurer's higher review committee, takes it to the insurer's grievance cell and, if it comes to that, helps the family go to the Insurance Ombudsman.

Family in India can call 1800-258-5881, any time. From Singapore, use the relationship manager's direct number or email on the Claim Assistance Card.

NRI Claims Supported By Policybazaar, By Country Of Residence

These figures show that claims from NRI families abroad do get paid, from the Gulf to Europe and North America.

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