Death of a close family member

The funeral arrangements are usually the responsibility of the

• widow(er) or the surviving cohabiting partner
• heirs
• other close family members
• friends.

Funeral arrangements should primarily be the responsibility of the person designated for the task by the deceased person. The close family members can start planning the funeral as soon as they have been notified of the death.

They can arrange the funeral themselves or contract a funeral home to provide the service or a specific part of the service. Ask funeral homes about the options available.

If the deceased person did not have any close family members prepared to arrange the funeral, the funeral is arranged by the deceased person’s home municipality.

If the family members cannot agree on the matter, a district court will decide who should be responsible.

The wishes of the deceased person with regard to the burial, cremation and the treatment of the ashes should be respected,

especially in the following matters:

• coffin burial or cremation
• selection of the cemetery and burial plot
• conducting the ceremony in accordance with the religion or other belief of the deceased person
• location of the memorial gathering and catering at the event
• persons invited to the funeral.

Exceptions to the above can be made if fulfilling the wishes would be too difficult or too expensive.

The law must also be followed when burying the deceased (in Finnish).Opens in a new window.

Before the funeral preparations, the estate shareholders should agree on the following:

• the amount of money available for the funeral arrangements
• number of people that will be invited.

Burial costs are paid from the assets of the deceased person (the estate).

Save the receipts for the expenses you have paid yourself and the receipts for the expenses paid from the estate’s assets for the estate inventory. The costs can be reimbursed from the assets of the estate after the estate inventory and before the inheritance is distributed.

When organising the funeral, you should determine in advance what is purchased from the funeral home and what is arranged by the family members. The family members can contract a funeral home to arrange the whole event or request information on different options if they want to organise specific parts of the funeral themselves. You can agree on the location of the burial plot, funeral service and the farewell ceremony with the local parish.

The family members of the deceased person can contract any funeral home in Finland to provide the required services. Wellbeing services counties and the police may use specific funeral homes in the transport of deceased persons but the family members of the deceased can freely select the service provider.

Funeral homes are usually responsible for the following services:

• dressing the deceased person and placing them in the coffin
• transport.

The family members can also dress the deceased person if they so wish.

The family members should respect the deceased person’s beliefs and wishes when selecting the burial method. The deceased person must be buried or cremated without any undue delay.

Coffin burial and cremation are the most common burial methods.

The Christian funeral service can be held

• in a church
• in a chapel
• in a hospital chapel or
• at the grave.

There are no differences between the funeral service accompanying a grave burial or the service held in connection with a cremation.

The funeral service is conducted in accordance with the church manual.

There are differences between funeral ceremonies and practices between religious communities.

For non-church members, the funeral or farewell ceremony should be held in a manner respecting the beliefs of the deceased person.

Close family members can arrange the funeral or contract a funeral home to organise the event or a specific part of it.

In particular, remember the following:

• Check whether the deceased had prepared a funeral testament or had any other specific wishes concerning the ceremony. Respect these wishes to the extent possible.
• Check how much money is available and prepare a budget.
• If the deceased person was a member of the Evangelical Lutheran Church or another religious community, contact the religious community in question to agree on the time and programme of the ceremony. If the deceased person was not a member of any religious community, the family members can freely plan the ceremony.
• Decide which tasks the close family members manage themselves and which services will be purchased from a funeral home. Purchase a coffin or an urn, make sure that the deceased person is placed in the coffin in a proper manner and arrange the transport.
• Purchase a burial plot for the coffin or the urn.
• Send a notification to all those persons that you would like to be present at the funeral.
• Determine who will bear the coffin, if coffin bearers are needed.
• Order the flowers and arrange the catering and programme for the memorial gathering.
• Order the gravestone or memorial plaque from a funeral home or a stonemasonry company.
• Agree on the maintenance of the grave with the party responsible for the cemetery.

Save all receipts for purchases for the estate inventory. The receipts may also be needed in the division of property and distribution of inheritance.