When someone close to you dies abroad or in another town

Two different situations, the same principle

This guide covers two situations that feel similar but proceed differently. The first is a death abroad: the deceased must be brought to Finland before the funeral can be planned in detail. The second is a death in Finland somewhere other than where the funeral will be held: either the person died in another town and will be buried in Helsinki, or died in Helsinki and will be buried in their home town. The same principle applies to both. Under the Burial Act, the Evangelical Lutheran parish of the home municipality must provide a grave to anyone whose home municipality lies in its area, regardless of church membership. Parish fees therefore follow the home municipality, not the place of death. Transport and documents are the part that needs the most arranging, and we handle them for you.

Death abroad: the first contacts

Abroad, the death is confirmed by the authorities and health care of that country, and the deceased remains in their care at first. The first practical step is to contact the Finnish diplomatic mission in that country: the embassy or consulate advises on what the local authorities require and which documents are needed. The second step is to call us. Once we know which country and which institution the deceased is in, we contact a local partner and the authorities and start gathering the documents. You do not need to travel to the country for the arrangements unless you wish to. If a relative is on site, they can act as the contact between us and the local parties. The third step is to notify the insurance company, because news of the death does not reach it automatically.

• The Finnish mission in the country: advises on local requirements and documents.
• Us: local contacts, documents, coffin, air transport and reception in Finland.
• You: notifying the insurer and the funeral decisions once the deceased is in Finland.

Documents for repatriation

Repatriation requires a death certificate issued in the country of death and other official documents that authorise moving the deceased from one country to another. Requirements vary by country, which is exactly why this is best left to us: we know what to ask for and obtain the documents with the help of our partner and the mission. In Finland, burial and cremation can take place only once a doctor has issued the burial permit. For a deceased arriving from abroad, the permit may require a forensic examination in Finland, which delays it. Arrangements can still begin before the permit is ready. Our office service, 390 euros, covers obtaining the documents and delivering them to the parish and crematorium; the costs of the international part we tell you in writing in advance.

Repatriation: coffin, airline and arrival in Finland

For international transport the deceased is placed in a coffin that meets international requirements; an ordinary coffin is not enough. Our partner in the country of death obtains the coffin and prepares the deceased for the flight, and we handle contact with the airline and the authorities of both countries. Once the flight is confirmed, we tell you the arrival time. We receive the deceased at the airport and move them in our own vehicle either to a hospital cold room or to a chapel, depending on whether a forensic examination is still needed in Finland. From here the funeral proceeds as after a death in Finland: the blessing is held Tuesday to Saturday, cremation usually takes place within 1 to 2 weeks, and the coffin can be changed for the blessing to the model you have chosen. If you wish to say goodbye in the chapel before the blessing, we book the viewing for you, price 80 euros.

Insurance and costs

Travel insurance may cover the repatriation of the deceased in full or in part. Terms differ between policies, so check the policy terms and notify the insurance company of the death right away: insurers do not learn of a death automatically, the relatives must report it themselves. We supply the documents and itemisations the insurer needs. The cost of repatriation consists of the measures in the country of death, the international coffin, the flight and the transfers in Finland, and we give a written estimate before anything is agreed. Funeral costs are paid from the estate and are deductible in the estate inventory. If the estate cannot cover them, social assistance for necessary funeral costs can be applied for from the wellbeing services county's social services. The estate inventory must be held within three months of the death also when the death happened abroad; for a justified reason an extension can be applied for from the Tax Administration.

Timing when the deceased is brought from abroad

In Finland the funeral is usually held within 2 to 4 weeks of the death. When the deceased is brought from abroad, the timetable is less certain: the processing by the authorities of the country of death, the completion of documents and the airline's available transport slots set the pace, and none of these can be promised in advance. We tell you about every step as soon as we know it and record the details in the family's shared online space, where every relative sees the same status. The waiting time can be put to use: the coffin, urn, flowers and memorial reception can be chosen calmly, and we can provisionally book the blessing as soon as the arrival date is confirmed. The newspaper notice is best published once the day of the blessing is certain, or worded so that the blessing is announced separately. The Burial Act requires burial or cremation without undue delay, and the time repatriation takes is an acceptable reason here.

Death in another town, burial in Helsinki

When someone has died elsewhere in Finland and the funeral is held in Helsinki, we collect the deceased from the hospital or care institution in the town of death and bring them to Helsinki in a coffin. The long transport is priced by distance, and you receive the price in writing before anything is agreed. Parish fees depend on the deceased's home municipality at the time of death. If the home municipality was Helsinki, the resident prices apply even though the death occurred elsewhere: cremation at a parish union crematorium 260 euros, urn burial 150 euros, urn grave 180 euros, memorial grove 90 euros, coffin burial 690 euros. If the home municipality was elsewhere, non-resident prices apply in Helsinki: cremation 500 euros, urn burial 170 euros, urn grave 310 euros, memorial grove or scattering area 150 euros, Hietaniemi columbarium 610 euros. At the Krematoriosäätiö crematorium in Hietaniemi, cremation costs 320 euros for everyone regardless of home municipality. New coffin graves in Helsinki are given only to Helsinki residents; an existing family grave can be used when at least 25 years of the grave right remain.

Death in Helsinki, burial in another town

If someone died in Helsinki but the funeral will be held in their home town, there are two options. The first is to transport the deceased in a coffin to the home town: we handle the collection, placing in the coffin, transport and interim storage, and the contact with the parish there, which books the grave, chapel and blessing time according to its own price list. The second is to cremate in Helsinki and take the urn to the home town. Cremation of a non-resident costs 500 euros at a parish union crematorium and 320 euros at the Hietaniemi crematorium; the blessing can be held in Helsinki at the coffin and the urn lowered later in the home town. The crematorium releases the ashes only once the place of placement has been stated to it in writing, and the ashes must be placed permanently in one place within a year of the cremation. We can hand the urn to you or deliver it to the destination parish. In both options we state the total cost in writing before you decide.

• Coffin transport to the home town: priced by distance, the destination parish's own fees.
• Cremation in Helsinki, urn to the home town: 500 euros at the parish union or 320 euros at Hietaniemi.
• The ashes are placed permanently in one place within a year; the place is stated to the crematorium in writing.

Arranging when the family is far away

In these situations the relatives are often in different towns or countries. We agree on one contact person with whom we go through the decisions by phone, and we record every choice, price and time in the family's shared online space, where each relative sees the same status and can comment on it. The planning visit can be replaced by a call, and the whole arrangement can be handled online. Invoices and payment links are shared in the same space. If some relatives arrive only later, we arrange a separate farewell moment for them in the chapel before the blessing. Relatives travelling from far away can be a reason to postpone the blessing; we then tell you what the extra days of storage cost, so the decision is yours. The details of remote arrangements, including electronic signatures and a power of attorney for the estate inventory, are collected in the guide Arranging a funeral from another town or from abroad.

What we handle for you and the next step

For repatriation we handle contact with the partner in the country of death, the mission, the airline and the authorities, obtaining the documents, the international coffin, the reception at the airport and every transfer in Finland. For long transports within Finland we handle the collection, placing in the coffin, transport, interim storage and contact with the parish at the destination. In both cases we give a written cost estimate before anything is agreed and supply the documents the insurer needs. You decide the form of burial, the ceremony and the place. Call 09 6129 890, we answer around the clock, or book a planning visit at Annankatu 12; the visit is free of charge. We serve you in Finnish, Swedish and English, and everything can also be handled by phone or entirely online, wherever in the world you are.

Frequently asked questions