What happens after a death, step by step
Reviewed 2026-09-12
After a death, a doctor confirms it and writes the death certificate and burial permit. The hospital or care home keeps the deceased until collection. You call or start online; we handle permits, collection, coffin, dressing and cremation time. Cremation usually happens within 1-2 weeks, the urn is ready days later, and the estate inventory is due in three months.
Step 1: the death is confirmed
A death is always confirmed by a doctor. What you need to do first depends on where the death happens. In a hospital or care home the staff handle the confirmation, tell the family and keep the deceased until the funeral home collects them. At home the situation is different. There is no need to call the funeral home immediately, and you can call us at any hour, also at night.
- Hospital or care home: staff confirm the death, inform the family and keep the deceased until collection
- Expected death at home: call the treating doctor or 116 117
- Sudden or unclear death at home: call 112; the police arrange transport to a hospital for investigation
- In police cases the funeral home continues only once the police have released the deceased
- Relatives may be present when the deceased is moved; they may not transport the deceased themselves
Step 2: death certificate and burial permit
The doctor who confirmed the death writes the death certificate and gives the burial permit to a relative or to the funeral home. The cremation can take place only once the permit exists, and before the cremation the parish union's burial services need a copy of the permit signed by the doctor. The arrangement may nevertheless be started before the permit is ready, and we follow its progress for you. If establishing the cause of death requires a forensic investigation, the permit comes only after that and the timetable moves accordingly. The doctor's notification of the death goes to the population register, and from there the information passes to Kela, the banks and the pension providers. Insurance companies are not informed automatically; the relatives must notify them themselves.
Step 3: your first contact with us
You can call us or start online at your own pace. The first time, we ask only what we need to handle the collection and the permits. Nothing is binding yet; we call you and confirm the arrangements by phone before they take effect. We handle all contact with the hospital, the care home and the parish union's burial services. These are the things we ask.
- Who you are in relation to the deceased: spouse, child or another close person
- Where the deceased is now: hospital, care home or home
- The deceased's home municipality, because it affects the cremation fee
- Whether the burial permit has already been written or is still awaited
- Whether you want a short farewell moment in a chapel before the cremation
- Whether the deceased expressed any wish about the form of funeral or the placing of the ashes
Step 4: collection and cold storage
We collect the deceased from the hospital, the care home or the home in Helsinki, Espoo, Vantaa and Kauniainen as soon as the burial permit exists. Collection from the rest of Uusimaa costs 390 euros instead of the 240 euros included in the package. The first transfer from a home or care home to the hospital cold room may be made in a transfer bag; after that every transport is made in the coffin. Only a funeral home, a health-care unit or the police may transport the deceased. There is no deadline for the first call, and most families call within a few days. Waiting does cost, however: the parish union charges 50 euros per started week for cold storage of the coffin for the first three weeks and then 15 euros per started day for those who are cremated in its facilities. That is why it pays to agree the collection and the cremation time as soon as the permit is known.
Step 5: the decisions you make
In a direct cremation there is little to decide, and every choice can be made online or by phone. The choices can be changed until we confirm the arrangements by phone. Prices are shown before anything is binding, and swaps from the range add only the difference to the price. These are the things you decide yourselves; we carry them out.
- Package: direct cremation 950 euros, direct cremation and urn handover 1,150 euros, or cremation and blessing 1,950 euros
- Coffin: the cremation coffin is included; another coffin from the range adds only the difference
- Urn: Sävyisä 99, Puu-uurna 190, Keraaminen 290 or Maatuva 450 euros
- Farewell moment in a chapel before the cremation: yes or no
- Where the ashes go: urn grave, memorial grove, scattering area, columbarium, family grave or another place with permission
- Memorial gathering: whether, when and where; our arrangement help costs 290 euros
- Contact person: who in the family handles the contact and receives the invoice
Step 6: the bookings we make
Once the decisions are known, we make the bookings for you. The cremation time is booked from the Helsinki parish union's burial services, and the cremation takes place at the parish union crematorium at Malmi or Honkanummi. Before the cremation the burial services need a copy of the burial permit signed by the doctor, and we deliver it. The urn is delivered to the crematorium before the cremation. If you have chosen a blessing, we book the chapel and agree with the pastor or speaker; blessings in Helsinki are held Tuesday to Saturday. If the ashes are to be buried in Helsinki, we agree the grave or memorial grove and the time of the urn lowering with the burial services. We take care of these bookings.
- Cremation time at the crematorium
- Copy of the burial permit to the burial services
- Delivery of the urn to the crematorium
- Chapel, pastor or speaker and bearers, if a blessing is held
- Grave or memorial grove and the urn lowering time, if the ashes are buried in Helsinki
Step 7: cremation and urn
The cremation takes place according to the crematorium's schedule, usually within 1-2 weeks of your contact. The family is not present at the cremation. The urn is ready a few days after the cremation. The parish union crematorium stores the urn free of charge for six months and then for 30 euros per started month. The crematorium releases the urn only for burial or another permanent placement, and the recipient states in writing before the release where the ashes will be placed. The ashes may not be divided. A relative can collect the urn, or we hand it over at an agreed time; the urn package includes the handover. The ashes must be placed permanently in one place within a year of the cremation. The placement options and prices are in the guide Collecting the urn and placing the ashes.
Step 8: invoice and payment
We send the invoice only once the cremation has been carried out. The payment term is 14 days. The invoice can be paid in the family space by online bank or card, or by ordinary bank transfer. It shows exactly the price we confirmed by phone: direct cremation 950 euros and any additions stated in advance, such as the 240 euro cremation-fee difference for a deceased from outside Helsinki. The parish union invoices its own fees for placing the ashes separately. The deceased's online banking codes and cards stop working once the bank learns of the death, but the bank usually pays the funeral invoice from the deceased's account against the invoice. Keep the invoices: funeral costs are deducted in the estate inventory.
Step 9: estate inventory and other deadlines
The estate inventory must be held within three months of the death, and the deed must be sent to the Tax Administration within one month of the meeting. A deed is always required, also when there are no assets or only debts. We handle the estate inventory at a fixed price: 590 euros together with a funeral, 690 euros on its own. Here is one more list of what relatives handle themselves; the details are in the guide Death notice and practical matters. You can leave the documents, the collection, the cremation, the urn and the estate inventory to us. Call us or start online; nothing is binding until we confirm the arrangements by phone.
- Estate inventory within 3 months; the deed to the Tax Administration within a month of the meeting
- Notify the insurance companies of the death: life insurance and burial benefits
- A certificate of family relations to the bank; accounts are managed in the estate's name
- Post, subscriptions, phone and memberships: redirect or cancel
- Keep receipts and invoices for the estate inventory
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to call the funeral home immediately?
No. The hospital or care home keeps the deceased until collection, and there is no deadline for the first call. Most families call within a few days. Waiting does start to cost as cold storage, 50 euros per started week, so it pays to agree the collection once the burial permit is known.
What do I do if my relative dies at home?
If the death was expected, call the treating doctor or 116 117. If it was sudden or unclear, call 112; the police arrange transport to a hospital and the investigation. The funeral home continues only once a doctor has confirmed the death and the police have released the deceased. You can call us at any time.
Can the arrangement start before the burial permit?
Yes. You can contact us right away, and we follow the permit's progress. The cremation itself can happen only once the burial services have a copy of the permit signed by the doctor. A forensic investigation delays the permit, and then the cremation time moves accordingly.
How long does the whole process take?
The cremation usually takes place within 1-2 weeks of your contact. The urn is ready a few days after the cremation, and the ashes must be placed within a year. The invoice comes after the cremation with 14 days to pay. The estate inventory must be held within three months of the death.
Who informs the authorities and the bank of the death?
The doctor's notification goes to the population register, and from there the information passes to Kela, the banks and the pension providers. Insurance companies, the employer, the housing manager, the landlord and subscription providers are not informed automatically; the relatives notify them. For bank matters you need a certificate of family relations and later the estate inventory deed.
Can I print this list?
Yes. The page's print button prints the steps and the lists in a form you can tick. Steps 1 and 2 are in the hands of the doctor and the hospital, steps 3 and 5 are yours, and steps 4, 6, 7 and 8 are handled by us. From the list in step 9 we handle the estate inventory if you order it.
Next step
You can begin the arrangements online at your own pace or call 09 000 0001. We answer every day, around the clock. Nothing is binding until we confirm the arrangements with you.