Urn lowering and placing the ashes in Helsinki

The one-year rule, release of the urn and storage

The Funeral Act requires that the ashes are buried or otherwise placed permanently in one place within one year of the cremation. The ashes may not be divided between several places, and the urn cannot be kept at home permanently; keeping it at home temporarily before placement is possible as long as the one-year limit is met. The crematorium releases the urn only once the recipient has stated in writing where the ashes will be placed. If placement does not happen despite a reminder, the ashes are placed at the estate's cost in the cemetery the deceased was entitled to. The urn is ready a few days after the cremation. The parish union crematoria at Malmi and Honkanummi store the urn free of charge for six months and then for 30 euros per started month. The Hietaniemi crematorium run by Krematoriosäätiö stores the urn free for three months and for a full year for 80 euros. There is no hurry, but it is wise to decide before the storage fees begin.

The options and prices for a Helsinki resident

The Helsinki parish union's price list from 1 February 2026 separates the price of the place from the placing fee, that is the act of burying the urn or the ashes, which costs a Helsinki resident 150 euros in every option. The prices below apply to a deceased whose home municipality was Helsinki. Church membership does not affect the price of the grave; the home municipality does.

• Urn grave for 25 years: 180 euros plus the placing fee of 150 euros; lease extension 7.20 euros per year
• Memorial grove: 90 euros plus the placing fee of 150 euros; optional name plaque on the common memorial 170 euros
• Scattering area in a cemetery: 90 euros plus the placing fee of 150 euros
• Columbarium at Hietaniemi cemetery for 25 years: 300 euros plus the placing fee of 150 euros; extension 12 euros per year
• Urn locker in Kallio church for 25 years: 250 euros, only for members of the Helsinki parishes
• Family grave with an existing grave right: placing fee 150 euros
• Scattering outside a cemetery: with the permission of the landowner or the owner of the water area; no memorial may be placed

Urn grave and family grave

An urn grave is a grave of your own where several urns can be buried and a memorial can be erected. A Helsinki resident leases the grave for 25 years for 180 euros, and the lease can be extended for 7.20 euros per year. In blocks with continuous concrete base beams a further 170 euros is charged. New urn graves are given from the cemeteries at Malmi, Honkanummi, Maunula and Östersundom and from the non-denominational area at Honkanummi; at Hietaniemi urn graves free up for Helsinki residents only occasionally, and Kulosaari cemetery is primarily for members of Kulosaari parish. If the family already has a grave, the urn can be buried in it, and the fee is the placing fee of 150 euros. The grave right is checked with the burial services, and 25 years of the lease must remain at the time of burial; if needed the term is extended for a fee. For the urn grave a grave rights holder is named among the relatives; that person is responsible for the grave's care and represents the family in matters concerning the grave. The parish offers grave care services for a fee.

Memorial grove and scattering area

In a memorial grove the urn or the ashes are buried in a common area of the cemetery without a marked grave of their own. The place costs a Helsinki resident 90 euros and the placing fee is 150 euros. The family may take part in the burial, and the cemetery's verger guides them. The grove blocks have a common memorial where a name plaque can be bought for 170 euros; the plaque is optional. The anonymous groves at Hietaniemi and in the Maunula urn grove have no plaque at all. The scattering area differs from the grove in one respect: the verger scatters the ashes on the area without the family present. The price is the same, 90 euros plus the placing fee of 150 euros. Neither option has a grave to maintain, so no grave care agreement, base beam or memorial of your own is needed. Flowers and candles are brought to the common memorial place. The option suits families who want a place in the cemetery to visit but no grave to tend.

Columbarium and the urn locker in Kallio church

A columbarium is an urn vault where the urn is placed in its own locker and does not decompose. The columbarium at Hietaniemi cemetery costs a Helsinki resident 300 euros for 25 years plus the placing fee of 150 euros; extending the lease costs 12 euros per year. An urn placed in a locker must be non-biodegradable. A locker in the urn vault of Kallio church costs 250 euros for 25 years and is available only to members of the Helsinki parishes. The price includes transport of the urn from the parish union crematorium to the church and engraving of the deceased's name on the urn. After 25 years the ashes are buried in the rock grave under the church, where a place costs 90 euros. A name plaque on the wall of the church hall can be bought for 170 euros for one name and 210 euros for two. Both options give a name and a place to visit without an outdoor grave to maintain. For a non-resident the Hietaniemi columbarium costs 610 euros.

Scattering outside a cemetery

The ashes may also be buried or scattered outside a cemetery, for example on your own land or at sea. Under the Funeral Act the placement requires the consent of the landowner or holder of the area, and on water the permission of the owner of the water area. No memorial may be placed at the spot. The City of Helsinki has designated the sea areas west of Harmaja and north-west of Rysäkivi for scattering ashes. The place of placement is stated in writing to the crematorium when the urn is released, and in this option too the ashes must be placed in one place within a year of the cremation. Scattering needs no urn; if an urn is lowered into water or into the ground it must be biodegradable. The family carries out the scattering themselves, and the moment can be shaped as you wish: a few words, music or a moment of silence. We help with the permissions and draw up the written statement to the crematorium for you.

Which urn for which placement

The place of placement decides the urn's material. The columbarium and the urn locker in Kallio church need a non-biodegradable urn, for example ceramic or metal, because the urn stays in the locker for the whole lease. In an urn grave and a memorial grove the urn must be biodegradable; in the grove the ashes can also be buried without an urn. At the scattering area and outside a cemetery no urn is needed, unless an urn is lowered into water, in which case it too must be biodegradable. Our range includes wooden, ceramic and metal urns as well as biodegradable options: the Klassinen urn costs 95 euros and the Design urn 240 euros. For each urn we tell you which placement it suits. We deliver the urn to the crematorium before the cremation so the ashes go straight into the urn you chose. Materials and models are covered in more detail in the guide Choosing an urn.

• Columbarium and urn locker: non-biodegradable urn
• Urn grave and family grave: biodegradable urn
• Memorial grove: biodegradable urn or ashes without an urn
• Scattering area and scattering in nature: no urn; a biodegradable urn if lowered into water

Booking the urn lowering and what happens at the grave

The time of the urn lowering is agreed with the Helsinki parish union's burial services, and we make the booking for you at the same time as the cremation and the grave are arranged. Before the lowering the urn is collected from the crematorium and brought to the grave; we handle the collection and transport. The occasion is usually short and intimate. The closest family gather at the grave, the cemetery's verger guides them and lowers the urn or lets the family do it. A pastor can attend if you wish; if the blessing was not held at the coffin it can be held at the urn. The family may read a few words, sing or lay flowers on the grave. In the columbarium the urn is placed in the locker in the same way. At the scattering area the verger scatters the ashes without the family present. A memorial gathering can follow the urn lowering, for example as coffee at home or at our partner restaurant.

Espoo and Vantaa

In Espoo an urn burial costs an Espoo resident 684 euros in total: the grave lease for 25 years 220 euros, the burial 165 euros and lawn care for 25 years 299 euros; some plots carry a further 160 euros for a base beam. A memorial grove or scattering area costs 140 euros plus the procedure 100 euros, 240 euros in total; the 30 euro name plate is optional. The Gräsa columbarium costs 620 euros, the burial 165 euros and the door plate 140 euros; at Tapiola the lease for 20 years is 555 euros, the burial 165 euros and the plate 140 euros. The urn is kept free of charge at the Espoo crematorium for the year. In Vantaa the parish prices from 1 January 2026 include cremation at Honkanummi for 260 euros: memorial grove 70 euros plus burial 198 euros, 528 euros in total; scattering area or vault grave 70 euros plus 116 euros, 446 euros in total; urn grave for 25 years 327 euros plus burial 164 euros, 751 euros in total. A non-resident pays more in both cities. More in the guides Funerals in Espoo and Funerals in Vantaa.

What you can leave to us

Once the cremation is entrusted to us, we handle the placement of the ashes through to the end. We explain the options and the parish union's fees in advance, book the place and the time of the urn lowering with the burial services, obtain an urn suited to the placement, draw up the written statement of the place of placement for the crematorium and transport the urn to the grave or the columbarium. The parish union's fees are invoiced to you as they are, without a margin. If the place is in another town, we arrange the grave with that parish and handle the urn's transport. If the decision is still taking shape, the urn waits at the crematorium, and we remind you in good time before storage fees begin. Call 09 6129 890 or book a planning visit at Annankatu 12; the visit is free of charge. You can also handle everything by phone or online in the family's shared space, where every relative sees the same options, prices and schedule.

Frequently asked questions