What to Do When Someone Dies in Finland: English Speaker's Guide

Finland's death administration system is heavily digitized and largely automated — for Finnish citizens. When you're an English-speaking expat, tourist's family member, or relative living abroad, none of that automation helps you. The forms are in Finnish, the deadlines are strict, and the bank accounts freeze instantly.

Here's what to do, in order, when you're facing this situation.

The First 24 Hours: Emergency Steps

If the death happens outside a hospital — at home, outdoors, or in a public space — call 112 immediately. Police and first responders will be dispatched. Under Finnish law, any death outside a medical facility triggers a police investigation to determine the cause.

If the police suspect anything other than a documented medical illness, they will order a forensic autopsy. Family members cannot object to this — it's a statutory requirement. The cost is covered by the state.

If the death occurs in a hospital or care home, medical staff handle the registration directly into Finland's national Population Information System. The process starts automatically from there.

What you need to do regardless of where the death occurred:

• Contact your home country's embassy in Helsinki. When a foreign citizen dies in Finland, local authorities notify the embassy, but confirming directly speeds things up.
• Ask the embassy about issuing a Consular Report of Death Abroad.
• Do not attempt to use the deceased's online banking credentials — banks deactivate them immediately upon notification of death, and using them can be flagged as unauthorized access.

Arranging the Funeral or Repatriation

You'll need to decide between a local burial or cremation in Finland, or repatriating the remains to your home country. This decision drives everything else.

For local arrangements: A licensed funeral home (hautaustoimisto) handles transport from the hospital or forensic unit. Finnish hospitals maintain their own refrigerated mortuaries, so funeral homes collect the remains once arrangements are finalized.

For repatriation of a coffin: The body must be placed in a hermetically sealed zinc casket liner, housed inside a certified wooden coffin, following the 1973 Strasbourg Agreement. You'll need a sealing certificate, an embalming certificate, and an international transit permit (laissez-passer). Costs for repatriation typically run €5,000–€15,000 depending on the destination.

For repatriation of ashes: Cremating in Finland and flying the ashes home is simpler and cheaper. The urn must be X-ray transparent (wood, cardboard, or light ceramic — not metal or granite). Carry it in hand luggage with the death and cremation certificates. You cannot mail ashes from Finland via regular post or courier services.

The Critical Paperwork

Several documents must be obtained in sequence:

1. Burial permit (hautauslupa) — issued by the physician or forensic pathologist, free of charge. Required before any burial, cremation, or international transport.
2. Death certificate — ordered from DVV (Digital and Population Data Services Agency) for €25 (standard) or €85 (manually prepared). Add a €15 multilingual EU translation form if you need it recognized in other EU countries.
3. Apostille stamp — €38 from a DVV notary public. Required if the death certificate will be used in non-EU countries.

The Three-Month Deadline You Cannot Miss

Finland requires a formal estate inventory meeting (perunkirjoitus) within three months of the death — regardless of the deceased's nationality, and even if they left no assets. The resulting document (perukirja) serves as both the legal record of the estate and the inheritance tax return.

If you can't meet the deadline because you're gathering documents from abroad, apply for an extension through the Tax Administration's MyTax portal before the three months expire.

Getting Help Without Overpaying

Not every step requires a lawyer. For standard, uncontested estates, the surviving spouse or adult child can act as the estate declarant and manage the process independently. You'll need professional help for contested wills, insolvent estates, or high-value international assets.

The Someone Died in Finland: English Speaker's Emergency Guide walks through every step with exact forms, agency contact details, cost worksheets, and templates — including the lease termination notice and call log tracker you'll need to keep the process on track.

See more Finland guides →