Funeral checklist

Right after the death

In the first hours you need do nothing more than make sure the death has been confirmed, and call us when it feels right. The hospital or care home keeps the deceased until we collect, and there is no deadline for the first call; most families call within a few days. Cold storage at the parish union costs 50 euros per started week for the first three weeks and 15 euros per started day after that, so a very long wait is not worthwhile. The doctor writes the death certificate and gives the burial permit to a relative or directly to us; arrangements can begin before the permit. Tick off the items as they are done.

• The death is confirmed: expected death at home, call the treating doctor or 116 117; sudden or unclear, 112 (you)
• Call us on 09 6129 890 at any hour (you)
• Tell the closest family and friends (you)
• Look for a funeral testament or recorded wishes and any information about a family grave (you)
• Forwarding the burial permit to the parish or crematorium (we)
• Collection and transport of the deceased, 290 euros in the Helsinki region; you may be present (we)

The first week's decisions

These are the things only the family can decide. They are gone through with our funeral advisor at a planning visit at the office or your home, by phone, or in the family's shared online space, where everyone sees the same options and prices. The planning visit is free. Under the Burial Act the deceased's own wishes must be respected, so recorded wishes come before everything else. Who may decide: first the spouse or cohabiting partner and the closest heirs, unless the deceased named someone else. The decisions need not be made at once; funerals are usually held within 2-4 weeks, so a few days of consideration is normal.

• Form of burial: cremation or burial (you)
• Character of the ceremony: blessing in a church or chapel, a farewell, or cremation without a ceremony (you)
• Coffin from 520 euros and, for cremation, urn from 95 euros; samples at the office (you, we advise)
• Clothing for the deceased: own clothes or restrained clothing from us (you)
• Grave: family grave, new urn grave, memorial grove, scattering area or columbarium (you, we book)
• Death notice in the paper, if you wish; the price depends on the paper (you decide, we draft)
• Who is invited and how: notice, message or personal invitation (you)

Bookings and documents: we handle these

Once the decisions are made, we make the bookings and handle the documents. In Helsinki the cremation, grave, chapel and time are booked from the parish union burial services, in Espoo from the parishes' booking service. Blessings are held Tuesday to Saturday, usually within 2-3 weeks of the death. The pastor's service is free for everyone, and the pastor meets the family before the blessing. A chapel fee is charged only to non-members of the church: in Helsinki 400 euros on weekdays and 630 euros on Saturdays. This part is on the list so you know what is already in hand.

• Time and place of the blessing, pastor, cantor and bells (we)
• Booking the cremation at the crematorium; 260 euros for a Helsinki resident at the parish union crematoria (we)
• Booking the grave or checking the family grave's grave right (we)
• Burial permit, copy of the death certificate and other documents for the parish and crematorium (we)
• Viewing of the deceased in the chapel before the blessing, 80 euros, if you wish to say goodbye (we book)
• Drafting and placing the death notice in the paper (we)

Before the ceremony: content and flowers

The content of the ceremony is yours, and we make sure of the practical side. The order of a blessing is established: a hymn or music, opening blessing, Bible reading and prayer, the pastor's speech, blessing with sand, hymns; it lasts about half an hour. You decide the music, the speeches and any order of service, and the pastor goes through them with you at the meeting. Flowers are ordered 2-4 days before the ceremony and delivered straight to the chapel or church. The dress code is dark and covering, but a lack of dark clothes is no reason to stay away; the deceased may have wished otherwise.

• Meeting with the pastor: music, hymns, speeches and words of remembrance (you and the pastor)
• Coffin spray 185 euros and other flowers; ordered 2-4 days before (we order from the florist)
• Bearers: usually six, at least four; give us the names (you name them, we guide)
• Order of service, if wanted; a photograph for the memorial table (you)
• Any performer or recorded music; agreed with the parish (you, we pass it on)
• The deceased's clothes to us by the time of collection at the latest (you)

The memorial reception

The memorial reception has no official form. It is usually held after the blessing in a parish hall, at home or in a restaurant. The memorial table carries a white cloth, a candle, a photograph and flowers; the table and candle are part of our service. Condolence cards can be read aloud or left unread, and at the end one of the family thanks the guests. We arrange catering from partner restaurants from 29.90 euros per person, from coffee to a three-course dinner; some venues charge no separate room fee, and equipment for showing photographs is available.

• Venue: parish hall, home or restaurant; estimated number of guests (you decide, we book)
• Catering from 29.90 euros per person (we order)
• Memorial table: white cloth, candle, photograph and flowers (we)
• Who reads the condolence cards and who thanks the guests at the end (you)
• Photographs or a short slideshow, if you wish (you, equipment at the venue)

The funeral day

On the funeral day you need not remember the customs; we and the parish verger guide you on the spot. The coffin is carried feet first, and in the procession the pastor and verger go first, the closest family right behind. The family lays their flowers beside the coffin at the start or the end of the ceremony, or only at the grave. If the deceased is cremated, the coffin stays in place after the blessing or is carried to the car, and what happens to the flowers has been agreed with the parish in advance. This list is the day in brief.

• Arrive at the chapel or church in good time; bearers shown their places (we guide)
• Flowers beside the coffin at the start or end, or at the grave (you, the verger guides)
• Blessing of about half an hour: music, speech, blessing with sand, hymns (the pastor)
• The coffin carried feet first to the grave or car; six bearers, at least four (the bearers, we direct)
• Photography at the ceremony, if you wish; agree the photographer in advance (you)
• Moving on to the reception and thanking the guests at the end (you)

After the funeral

Some things can wait weeks or months, and only the estate inventory has a strict statutory deadline. After cremation the urn is ready within a few days, and the ashes must be placed permanently in one place within a year; the parish union crematoria store the urn free for six months. Parish invoices arrive after the blessing, in Espoo after about 3-5 weeks. There is no deadline for a gravestone, and a stone is not compulsory. Funeral costs are deductible in the estate inventory, so keep the receipts.

• Collecting the urn and the urn lowering; time agreed with burial services, urn burial in Helsinki 150 euros (we arrange)
• Thanks for condolences: cards, a message or a newspaper notice (you, we draft the notice)
• Estate inventory within three months of the death; the deed to the Tax Administration within a month of the meeting; 590 euros from us for funeral clients (we, if you wish)
• Gravestone or added engraving: grey granite from 510 euros; memorial plan to the parish (we handle with the partner stonemason)
• Grave care: a grave rights holder is named and is responsible for care; parish care service for a fee (you)
• Paying the parish's and our invoices; the bank usually pays from the deceased's account against the invoice (you)

The estate's practical matters in brief

The death goes to the population register from the doctor's notification and from there to Kela, the banks and pension providers. Insurance companies are not informed automatically, so life insurance and burial benefits must be claimed by you. The deceased's online banking codes and cards stop working once the bank learns of the death; using them is unlawful. This list is a summary; the full guide is The estate's practical matters: bank, insurance, post and subscriptions.

• Bank: accounts in the estate's name with the extract; funeral invoices from the deceased's account (you)
• Insurers: notify about life insurance and burial benefits (you)
• Post redirected to the estate's carer; phone, newspapers, memberships and streaming cancelled (you)
• Employer, housing manager and landlord; leave for the funeral day per the collective agreement (you)
• Social media accounts per the platform's rules (you)
• Receipts kept for the estate inventory (you)

What you can leave to us and the next step

The mark (we) on the list means our office handles the item without a separate request once you have made your decisions. Collection, transports, coffin and urn, dressing, the burial permit and documents, bookings with the parish and crematorium, ordering flowers, guiding the bearers, reception catering, the death notice, arranging the urn lowering, the gravestone plan and, if you wish, the estate inventory for 590 euros are our part. All choices, prices and the schedule are visible in the family's shared online space, where relatives living far away see the same information and sign electronically. Parish and crematorium fees are invoiced unchanged. We serve you in Finnish, Swedish and English. Call 09 6129 890 or book a planning visit at Annankatu 12; the visit is free. The office is open weekdays 9-16, we answer the phone around the clock, and there is free courtyard parking with entry from Uudenmaankatu 17. You can also start online at your own pace.

Frequently asked questions