Burials

Any religious elements of the funeral service must be consistent with the beliefs of the deceased. Many religions have their own customs and requirements for funeral arrangements.

There are cases where a person dies without having expressed any wishes regarding who should arrange their funeral, whether they should be buried or cremated or what should be done with their ashes. In these cases, the responsibility for funeral arrangements can fall on

• the deceased person’s widow or widower,
• a person who was cohabiting (as if married) with the deceased at the time of their death, or
• the closest heirs of the deceased.

If none of the above is willing to arrange a funeral, the job can be given to another person who was close to the deceased. The last resort is for the local authority in which the deceased resided to arrange their funeral.

Any disputes concerning funeral arrangements can be finally settled in court.

The wishes of the deceased are any preferences that the deceased person expressed before they died. Funeral arrangements should reflect the wishes and beliefs of the deceased as much as is possible within reason. 

The law excuses relatives from respecting wishes or choices based on the deceased’s beliefs that would be an unreasonable burden to honour for practical or financial reasons.

Making funeral arrangements is easier for the family members if the deceased person recorded their wishes before they passed. A person’s last wishes should specify, for example,

• whether they wish to be buried or cremated,
• where they would like to be buried, and
• what their funeral should be like.

A registered organisation or foundation (e.g. a registered religious community) can apply for a permit to start a cemetery. The Regional State Administrative Agency decides on the matter on the basis of the provisions of the Funeral Services Act.  

The permit process is subject to a fee. You can find the current price on the application form. 

Cemeteries are not permitted to be profit-seeking.

In order to be authorised to start a cemetery, you need to be able to demonstrate that you are capable of taking care of one. This involves, among other things, producing a realistic plan of how your cemetery will be managed in the long term.

The property manager must own the land on which the cemetery is established. If the property manager does not own the land, they must have

• the landowner’s permission to start the cemetery and
• a priority lease or other right to the property.

The lease or other right must be for a fixed term of at least 130 and no more than 200 years. The lease must cover the entire property.

The property must be free of all liens and encumbrances within the meaning of the Funeral Services Act. Any restrictions on the use of the property must be entered into the land register.

Establishing a private burial ground for a designated deceased person requires a permit from the Regional State Administrative Agency. The place of the private burial ground is marked with a gravestone. The location must be suitable for the purpose, and the landowner or tenant must give their consent for establishing the burial ground. 

The permit process is subject to a fee. You can find the current price on the application form. 

Yes. We inform the controller of the Land Information System of the establishment of any new cemeteries or private burial grounds in order to allow for the relevant property records to be updated. The existence of a cemetery or a private burial ground on a property affects its use.

No permission is needed if you are not starting a private burial ground. A grave without a headstone or other visible marker does not constitute a private burial ground.

You also need consent from the landowner before you can bury or scatter ashes on their property or in a body of water on their land. If the property is occupied by a tenant, you also need the tenant’s permission. It is best to ask for the permission in writing to avoid misunderstandings later.

You have one year from the cremation of your loved one to either permanently bury or scatter their ashes.

The crematorium must be told in writing where the ashes will be interred before the urn can be released. If the person responsible for interment has not dealt with the ashes within one year despite a reminder, the crematorium has the right to inter the ashes in an appropriate cemetery at the estate’s expense.

In Finnish burial culture, a grave is considered to be a final resting place and the inviolability of graves is important.

An interred body or cremated remains can only be moved to another grave in special circumstances. To relocate an interred body or ashes, you need permission from the competent Regional State Administrative Agency, which in this case is the Regional State Administrative Agency for Eastern Finland. We have prepared a template for seeking permission. The permit process is subject to a fee. You can find the current price on the application form. 

Consent from health protection authorities is also required.

We examine each case individually to determine whether grounds for relocation exist. Relocation can be authorised, for example, if

• it was not originally possible to bury the deceased in the location of their or their family’s choice,
• the deceased was a refugee or an asylum seeker, and the situation in their home country changes so that their remains can now safely be moved there, or
• moving the remains is necessary due to important health protection or land use reasons.

We recommend that you contact us as soon as you become aware of a reason to move interred remains to find out more even before you formally request relocation.

State aid can be granted for the maintenance of some of the war graves of the displaced population.

Aid is also granted for the restoration of cemeteries in the ceded territory. Cemeteries in the ceded territory refer to war graves as well as military and civilian cemeteries of Finnish soldiers in the territory that was ceded to Russia at the end of the Second World War.

The aid is granted for costs related to the maintenance and renovation of graves and cemeteries (wages, purchase of services, purchase of materials, supplies and goods), travel, transport and other necessary costs. No aid is available for planning trips or drafting the plans. 

The maintenance of graves may include e.g. the restoration of burial sites, their maintenance and preservation, the erection of monuments and statues, the setting up of memorial plates and planting flowers, and other measures related to the preservation of the memory of the deceased.

 

The application period is open once a year in spring.

Applications for discretionary government grants for the maintenance of the war graves of the displaced population must be submitted by 16 May 2025 at 4.15 p.m. There are no state aid granted for the maintenance of cemeteries in the ceded territory 2025. 

Individuals, companies or organisations as well as public administration organisations can apply for the aid.

Submit the application in the electronic service Applyforgrants.fi.

The aid can be used until the end of the year when it was granted. Submit a report on the use of the grant to the Regional State Administrative Agency for Eastern Finland by the end of March of the year following the application year.

It is possible to apply for maintenance aid for the maintenance of burial sites and monuments of Russian soldiers in Finland. This falls in the scope of preserving the memory of Russian soldiers who were killed in Finland as a result of the Second World War.

To qualify for the aid, you must first make a maintenance agreement on grave or memorial maintenance with the Regional State Administrative Agency for Eastern Finland. The contract may be concluded by a person, company or organisation as well as by a public administration organisation.

Aid is paid for the costs related to the maintenance and renovation of graves and cemeteries (work fees, purchase of services, purchase of materials, supplies and goods), travel and transport costs and other necessary costs in accordance with the maintenance agreement. 

The maintenance of graves may include e.g. the restoration of burial sites, their maintenance and preservation, the erection of monuments and statues, the setting up of memorial plates and planting flowers, and other measures related to the preservation of the memory of the deceased.