Online bookings now available for obituaries, condolence messages in The Straits Times, Berita Harian

An online service for dedicating obituary, memorial or condolence messages in The Straits Times and Berita Harian has been launched from Nov 3. Families who wish to place the notices in the two newspapers can now do so online at www.sphobit.com.sg.
An online service for dedicating obituary, memorial or condolence messages in The Straits Times and Berita Harian has been launched from Nov 3. Families who wish to place the notices in the two newspapers can now do so online at www.sphobit.com.sg.

SINGAPORE - An online service for dedicating obituary, memorial or condolence messages in The Straits Times and Berita Harian has been launched from Nov 3.

Families who wish to place the notices in the two newspapers can now do so online at www.sphobit.com.sg

They can access the new service - offered by Singapore Press Holdings' (SPH) Print Classified - on tablets or smartphones. This is the first time a newspaper is offering such an online service here.

Users can upload pictures and insert their own notices, by selecting from formatted samples or if they wish to, create their own designs. They can pay via credit card and send the notice over for immediate publication on the next day or for a specific day, depending on their request and time of application.

For new announcements, families would need to attach a digital copy of the death certificate when they place the notice.

This can be done in the form of a digital photograph or copy of the document. There is no need to attach any formal document if friends and relatives are placing condolence or in-memoriam messages.

Till Monday, all bookings for obituaries had to be placed at SPH News Centre in Toa Payoh North in person, or by a representative at the following times:

Monday to Friday: 8:30am to 9:45pm

Saturday: 12:30pm to 9:45pm.

Sunday and public holidays: 12:30pm to 9pm.

But with the new online service, users can now do so anytime at their convenience.

"We are keenly aware that families will have many things to attend to when a loved one passes away. We hope to be of service with this online booking arrangement," said Mr Jerry Siah, head of operations for SPH Print Classified.

He added that the service will also make it more convenient for readers who are not in Singapore, to offer their condolences to friends or family.

The service will soon be extended to the Chinese newspapers. There is also work to upgrade the service so users can share the obituary notices via their mobile devices. This will make it more convenient for them to inform relatives and friends.

You can call the SPH Obituary Service hotline at 6319-5192 or email them at counter@sph.com.sg

Join ST's WhatsApp Channel and get the latest news and must-reads.