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What the law says in Finland

7 rules

Death certificate and registration

A doctor establishes the cause of death and gives the burial permit; after a death at home or outdoors, call 112. Hospitals and care homes report the death to the Population Information System kept by DVV, so the family does not register it. To deal with the estate, order the deceased’s family-relations certificate (sukuselvitys) straight away, from DVV or the church register, as it takes weeks. Suomi.fi, Alun toimet; Kela, Muistettavia asioita, kun omaisesi kuolee

Police and forensic autopsy

When a death was not caused by an illness a doctor was treating, or was sudden, an accident, a suicide or a possible crime, the police decide on a forensic cause-of-death inquiry. A relative cannot forbid a forensic autopsy, and it costs the family nothing. A medical autopsy needs the consent of the nearest relative; only if consent cannot be obtained without delay can the national health institute (THL) allow it. The doctor must give the burial permit as soon as the examinations of the body are done. Suomi.fi, Alun toimet; Laki kuolemansyyn selvittämisestä (459/1973)

Burial permit, timing and burial abroad

The law says the body must be buried or cremated without undue delay; it sets no fixed number of days. Fix the burial time once the burial permit is given. In Helsinki, Espoo and Vantaa it usually takes 3 working days to get a burial time, or 5 to 7 after a weekend or public holiday death. Hautaustoimilaki (457/2003); Helsingin, Espoon ja Vantaan seurakunnat, Muslimien hautaus

Burial permit, timing and burial abroad

A body may leave Finland once a doctor has given the burial permit; transport in a coffin needs a transport permit (ruumiinkuljetuslupa), which the funeral company usually requests. Cause-of-death documents are in Finnish or Swedish, so have them translated if needed. The destination country’s embassy advises on its conditions. Suomi.fi, Jos ulkomaan kansalainen kuolee Suomessa

Burial and graves

Public cemeteries are run by the Evangelical Lutheran parishes, which must give a grave to residents of their area, on request in a separate non-denominational area. In Helsinki, Espoo and Vantaa Muslims have their own areas (Honkanummi, Kellonummi and Ruskeasanta), with residence rules. These are always coffin graves, dug east to west with the face towards Mecca, and are leased for 20 to 25 years. Helsingin, Espoon ja Vantaan seurakunnat, Muslimien hautaus; Hautaustoimilaki (457/2003)

Perunkirjoitus and the estate

The estate inventory (perunkirjoitus) must be held within 3 months of the death if the deceased lived permanently in Finland, and the inventory sent to the Tax Administration within one month of it. Children inherit equally and half of each child’s legal share is reserved (lakiosa); without a will, a spouse inherits only if there are no descendants. Ask a lawyer how the heirs can agree to follow the Islamic shares. Suomi.fi, Perunkirjoitus; Perintökaari (40/1965), 2 luku 1 §, 3 luku 1 §, 7 luku 1 §

Help with funeral costs

Kela does not pay a funeral grant. Ask the deceased’s employer, insurers or trade union; compulsory accident, traffic and patient insurance can also pay one. If the deceased had no means, relatives can apply to the wellbeing services county for help as supplementary social assistance. Kela, Muistettavia asioita, kun omaisesi kuolee; Suomi.fi, Hautajaiset

From official sources, checked October 2026. Laws change; your funeral company and a lawyer can confirm them.

Where you are

Finland has one national law for burial and estates, and this guide describes that national framework. Public cemeteries are run by the Evangelical Lutheran parishes, which must also give non-members a grave, so Muslim areas and residence rules differ by place. Rules in Åland have not been checked.

The steps

1. 1

   Have the death confirmed

   In the first hour · 0 of 4

   A doctor establishes the cause of death and gives the burial permit (hautauslupa). If someone dies at home, outdoors or anywhere outside a health-care unit, call 112. Burial needs the doctor’s burial permit; the final cause-of-death results can come months later, after the burial.

   • In a hospital or care home, the staff and doctor take care of it
   • At home or outdoors, call 112
   • If the person was in end-of-life care at home, follow the care team’s instructions
   • Tell the staff early that the family needs a quick burial for religious reasons
2. and

   Close the eyes, cover the body, make duʿā

   In the first hour · at the same time as the step above · 0 of 4

   Gently and without hurry. Those present can do this while the calls are made.

   • Close the eyes and the mouth
   • Straighten the arms and legs
   • Cover the body with a clean sheet
   • Pray for them, and say only good
3. 2

   Call the mosque’s funeral service

   In the first few hours · 0 of 3

   Many mosques and Muslim associations help with the washing, the shroud, the prayer and the burial, and know which funeral company (hautaustoimisto) to use.

   • Call the mosque’s funeral service or the imam
   • Tell them where the body is and who the next of kin is
   • Agree a time for the ghusl and the janazah prayer
4. 3

   Ask whether the police are involvedPaperwork

   If the death was sudden or violent · 0 of 3

   When a death was not caused by an illness that a doctor was treating, or was sudden, an accident, a suicide or a possible crime, the police decide on a forensic cause-of-death inquiry. The burial permit then comes from the forensic doctor.

   • Ask the police whether there will be a forensic autopsy
   • Ask the police and the forensic doctor, early, for the burial permit as soon as possible for religious reasons
   • You can start planning the funeral while the inquiry goes on
5. 4

   The death is registered automaticallyPaperwork

   In the first days · 0 of 3

   Hospitals and care homes send the death to the Population Information System kept by the Digital and Population Data Services Agency (DVV). From there Kela and pension providers, among others, are told. You do not register it yourself.

   • If the death was in a hospital or care home, ask the staff to confirm it has been reported
   • If the person was on a Kela pension or benefit, call Kela soon
   • Order the family-relations certificate (sukuselvitys) straight away: it takes weeks
6. 5

   Choose the funeral company and the gravePaperwork

   Within the first day · 0 of 3

   You can buy a funeral company’s (hautaustoimisto) services in full, in part, or arrange things yourselves. Public cemeteries are run by the Evangelical Lutheran parishes, and everyone has a right to a grave in the parish cemetery of their home town, members or not. The necessary costs are the coffin, transport and the grave.

   • Ask the funeral company in advance whether the mosque’s team or the family may wash the body
   • Ask the parish cemetery office for a grave in the Muslim area
   • Ask whether the Muslim area is only for residents of that town
7. and

   Wash and shroud the body

   Within the first day · at the same time as the step above · 0 of 2

   Done by trained Muslims of the same sex, or by the spouse. The funeral service usually provides the cloth.

   • Confirm who will wash
   • Confirm the kafan is ready

   How the washing and shroud are done

8. 6

   The janazah prayer and the burial

   As soon as possible · 0 of 3

   The prayer is often held after one of the daily prayers, and the burial follows straight after.

   • Tell family and community the time of the prayer
   • Confirm the grave in the Muslim area
   • Book the burial time with the parish cemetery office once the burial permit is given

   How to pray the janazah prayer

9. and

   If the burial will be abroadPaperwork

   Before the coffin is closed · at the same time as the step above · 0 of 4

   Some families bury their dead in another country. Ask the funeral company which paperwork it will handle. The estate usually pays, or the family if there is no money in it. Ask the funeral company what it costs and who signs before you agree, and check any insurance.

   • Tell the funeral company early that the burial will be abroad
   • Call the embassy or consulate of the country early: it advises on transport and burial
   • Ask the consulate whether it requires embalming or a sealed zinc coffin
   • Have the documents translated if needed
10. 7

    Get the family-relations certificatePaperwork

    In the first week · 0 of 4

    To deal with the estate you mainly need the deceased’s family-relations certificate (sukuselvitys). The doctor’s death certificate is not usually needed for authorities, banks, insurance or the funeral.

    • Order it from DVV if the deceased was never a member of the Lutheran or Orthodox church
    • If they were a member for only part of their life, order it from both the parish and DVV
    • Order it straight away: it takes weeks
    • For a copy of the death certificate, ask the care unit that treated them; after a forensic autopsy, ask the police
11. 8

    Pay the funeral costs and list every debt

    In the first weeks · 0 of 4

    The funeral is paid from the estate first, then the debts. Nothing is inherited until both are settled.

    • Pay the funeral costs from the estate
    • Keep every receipt for the estate inventory
    • List loans, bills and money owed to family
    • Ask a scholar about any unpaid zakat
12. and

    Find the willPaperwork

    In the first weeks · at the same time as the step above · 0 of 3

    Find any will and make it known to all the heirs.

    • Check papers at home, email, and with any lawyer or bank
    • Give a copy to every heir
    • Secure the house and car, and keep the phone line active for sign-in codes
13. 9

    Settle and divide the estatePaperwork

    In the months after · 0 of 4

    Finnish law reserves part of every estate to the children, in equal shares for sons and daughters. Dividing by the Islamic shares therefore often needs the heirs to agree. Ask a lawyer early how this can be done.

    • Hold the estate inventory (perunkirjoitus) within 3 months
    • Send the inventory to the Tax Administration within one month of it
    • Pay any bequest, up to one third, to people who are not heirs
    • Divide the rest by the fixed shares

    See how the estate divides

14. 10

    Look after the family

    Four months and ten days · 0 of 3

    A woman keeps the prescribed mourning (iḥdād: setting aside adornment and perfume) for no more than three days for any death, except for her husband: then four months and ten days, the length of her ʿiddah, or until she gives birth if she is pregnant.

    • Bring food and help with the household
    • Help the widow with errands and appointments
    • Make duʿā for the one who has died

    What to say and do when you visit

15. 11

    Write your own Islamic will

    For those left behind · 0 of 4

    Without a valid will, Finnish law decides who inherits, not the fixed shares, and sons and daughters inherit equally. An Islamic will in Finland is an ordinary Finnish will that directs the estate by the shares, within the part the law leaves free.

    • Write it down and sign it with two witnesses present at the same time
    • Do not use your spouse or close relatives as witnesses
    • Keep it where your family will find it
    • Ask a lawyer how the children’s reserved share affects the Islamic shares

    Work out the Islamic shares to take to a lawyer

Settling things after the funeral? Keep track of every task, and who is doing it. Sharing the steps with family? Make a family checklist you send as a link.

General guidance, not a fatwa or legal advice. Finnish law on burial and estates is national, but public cemeteries are run by the local Lutheran parishes, so Muslim areas and residence rules differ from place to place; your funeral company and a lawyer can confirm them. All sources

Last reviewed October 2026. Something wrong? Tell us