What to Do When Someone Dies in Finland: 5-Step Official Checklist

1. 1

   Obtain Medical Confirmation of Death and the Burial Permit

   • Hospital or care facility death: When your family member dies in a Finnish hospital, health centre, or residential care home, an attending physician establishes the death, determines the medical cause of death, and issues the burial permit (homalupa / hautauslupa) together with the death certificate (kuolintodistus) [1] [2].
   • Death at home: If the death occurs at home, call the general emergency number (112) or the regional wellbeing services county (hyvinvointialue) on-call medical service immediately so paramedics or police can attend the residence and transport the deceased to a healthcare unit for a physician's examination [1].
   • Forensic investigation (oikeuslääketieteellinen kuolemansyyn selvittäminen): If the death was sudden, unexpected, accidental, caused by an occupational disease or medical procedure, or otherwise unclear, the Finnish police (Poliisi) and the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL) conduct a medico-legal investigation before issuing the burial permit (hautauslupa) [1]. Note that the burial permit is issued as soon as the body is released, whereas the final cause-of-death statement (kuolemansyylausunto) may take longer without delaying the funeral [1].
2. 2

   Complete Civil Death Registration and Obtain Official Certificates

   • Automatic notification to the Population Information System: The healthcare unit automatically transmits the death notification (ilmoitus kuolemasta) into the Population Information System (väestötietojärjestelmä) maintained by the Digital and Population Data Services Agency (Digi- ja väestötietovirasto - DVV) [1] [2].
   • Ordering official certificates and family relations extracts (sukuselvitys): Next of kin do not need to visit a registry office merely to report a domestic death, but you must order an official extract from the Population Information System (virkatodistus) from Digi- ja väestötietovirasto (and from Evangelical Lutheran or Orthodox parish registries for periods prior to 1999) covering the deceased continuously from age 15 until death to establish the legal heirs for banking and the estate inventory [1] [2].
   • Multilingual extracts and international legalization: If the deceased was a foreign citizen or if certificates must be submitted outside Finland, Digi- ja väestötietovirasto issues multilingual EU standard forms or attaches a Hague Apostille, while the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland (Ulkoministeriö) handles diplomatic legalization for non-Apostille countries [2] [5].
3. 3

   Arrange Burial, Cremation, or International Repatriation

   • Engaging a funeral home (hautaustoimisto) and obtaining hautauslupa: Once the physician issues the burial permit (hautauslupa), a licensed Finnish funeral agency (hautaustoimisto) can transfer the deceased from the hospital mortuary and coordinate coffin burial (arkkuhautaus) or cremation (tuhkaus) without undue delay [1] [2].
   • Cemetery rights and cremation ashes: Evangelical Lutheran parishes (seurakunta) are required by the Funeral Services Act (hautaustoimilaki) to provide a gravesite for any resident of the municipality regardless of religious affiliation (including non-confessional cemetery areas), and if the deceased is cremated, the ashes must be permanently interred or scattered with the landowner's permission within one year of cremation [1].
   • International repatriation (ruumiinkuljetuslupa): If the body is to be transported out of Finland for burial abroad, the funeral director coordinates embalming, sealing in a zinc-lined international transport coffin, customs documentation, and any consular laissez-passer or document legalization required through Ulkoministeriö and the destination country's embassy [1] [5].
4. 4

   Notify Social Security (Kela), Pensions, Banks, and Claim Survivor Benefits

   • Automatic public updates and Kela survivor benefits: Once the death is recorded in the Population Information System, Kela (The Social Insurance Institution of Finland), public earnings-related pension providers (työeläkelaitos), and the Tax Administration receive the update automatically [1] [3]. Surviving spouses or partners and children under 18 (or up to age 20 if studying full-time) should apply to Kela and the deceased's earnings-related pension provider for the surviving spouse's pension (leskeneläke) and orphan's pension (lapseneläke) [1] [3].
   • Funeral assistance (hautausavustus): Finland does not pay a universal social security funeral grant, but funeral assistance may be available from the deceased's employer, trade union, municipal social assistance (toimeentulotuki via Kela for low-income estates), or statutory military injury and accident insurance schemes [1] [3].
   • Managing bank accounts as an undistributed death estate (kuolinpesä): Finnish banks freeze the deceased's personal online banking credentials and payment cards once notified via the population register [1] [2]. However, a shareholder of the death estate (kuolinpesän osakas) can present the initial virkatodistus showing their family relationship so the bank can pay funeral invoices and urgent household bills directly from the deceased's account before the full estate inventory is completed [1] [2].
5. 5

   Complete the Estate Inventory (*Perunkirjoitus*) and Inheritance Tax Filing

   • Mandatory 3-month estate inventory deadline: Under the Code of Inheritance (perintökaari), the shareholder managing the estate (pesänilmoittaja) must arrange an estate inventory meeting (perunkirjoitus) within 3 months of the date of death (an extension can be requested from Verohallinto before the 3-month deadline expires if cross-border or complex assets require extra time) [1] [4].
   • Drafting the estate inventory deed (perukirja) and DVV shareholder confirmation: Two trustees (uskotut miehet) appraise and record all assets and debts of the deceased (and any surviving spouse) as of the date of death, attaching the complete chain of family relations certificates (sukuselvitys) and any will (testamentti) [2] [4]. You may also apply to Digi- ja väestötietovirasto for official confirmation of the shareholder data in the estate inventory deed (perukirjan osakastietojen vahvistaminen) to simplify bank and property transactions [2].
   • Submitting the perukirja to Verohallinto within 1 month: A copy of the signed perukirja must be filed with the Finnish Tax Administration (Verohallinto) within 1 month of the estate inventory meeting; Verohallinto uses the perukirja as the inheritance tax return to calculate each beneficiary's Finnish inheritance tax (perintövero) [1] [4].
   • Cross-border estates and the European Certificate of Succession: Because Finland applies the EU Succession Regulation (Regulation 650/2012), if the deceased owned property in another participating EU Member State or had heirs residing abroad, Digi- ja väestötietovirasto issues the European Certificate of Succession (eurooppalainen perintötodistus) upon application [2] [4].

Official Authorities & Verified Contacts

Official Sources Checked by Clarvia

1. [1]
   Guide: Death of a close family member — Suomi.fi
2. [2]
   Death of a close family member - certificates and estate shareholder confirmation — Digital and Population Data Services Agency (DVV)
3. [3]
   Kela checklist if your family member dies — Kela (The Social Insurance Institution of Finland)
4. [4]
   Estate inventory meeting and estate inventory deed (Perunkirjoitus ja perukirja) — Finnish Tax Administration (Verohallinto)
5. [5]
   Legalisation of documents for use abroad — Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland (Ulkoministeriö)