Genealogy report: DIY or professional service?
Losing a loved one brings a wave of practical matters, often at a time when energy is at its lowest. The genealogy report is one of the first tasks needed for the estate inventory.
You can compile it yourself, but the process involves more steps than most people anticipate. This guide covers what DIY actually requires and when letting a professional handle it saves time and worry.
What does a genealogy report actually mean?
A genealogy report is not a single document. It is a collection of official certificates that proves who the heirs of the deceased are. The core of this collection is the deceased's unbroken certificate chain from the age of 15 until the date of death, but the deceased's chain alone is not enough.
For the estate inventory and bank processing, certificates are also needed for heirs, spouses, and if the deceased was childless, the deceased's parents. If an heir died before the deceased, their own genealogy report is also required.
Each certificate is ordered separately from the authority that held the person's records during that particular period. Finland has multiple registry authorities, and identifying the correct one requires knowledge of the deceased's and heirs' life histories.
Legal requirement: Under the Finnish Code of Inheritance (Perintökaari, 40/1965), the estate inventory deed must include a genealogy report identifying all heirs. An incomplete report can delay the estate inventory or lead to additional requests from the Tax Administration.
What does DIY require in practice?
Compiling a genealogy report yourself is possible. But it means handling four separate steps on your own, each of which takes time and requires precision.
- Research which registries are needed. Depending on the life histories of the deceased and heirs, orders may need to go to several different authorities. Read more about the different registry authorities.
- Order each certificate separately. Each authority has its own form, processing time, and fee schedule. The scope of required documents depends on the family situation: if an heir died before the deceased or the deceased was childless, the scope expands significantly.
- Wait and track. Each authority processes orders on its own schedule. If an order was sent to the wrong authority, the process starts over for that certificate.
- Verify completeness. This is the most critical step. The deceased's unbroken chain is only part of the picture. You also need certificates for heirs, spouses, and potentially the deceased's parents. We return to this in more detail below.
Most common mistake: Many people order only the most recent certificate from a single authority. However, the chain of certificates must be unbroken from age 15 until death. A gap in the chain is usually discovered at the estate inventory or by the bank, and ordering the missing certificate afterwards takes additional weeks.
Why completeness matters
The genealogy report is needed for the estate inventory, bank processing, and tax administration. If a certificate is missing, it is usually discovered at one of these stages. Ordering a missing certificate afterwards means a new waiting period and delays to the entire process.
A complete genealogy report ensures that everything proceeds smoothly:
- The estate inventory can proceed on schedule when all certificates are ready.
- Bank processing goes smoothly when the bank can confirm the heirs in one go.
- Inheritance tax processing proceeds without requests for additional documentation.
This is exactly why we verify every genealogy report before delivery. When you submit the documents, you can trust that nothing critical is missing.
Ordering is the easy part. Verification is not.
Ordering certificates is the most visible part of the process, but not the most difficult. The real challenge is ensuring that the complete document package is truly comprehensive: the deceased's unbroken chain is intact, the necessary certificates for heirs and spouses are included, and any special situations have been accounted for.
An individual certificate may appear complete, but the document set required for the estate inventory may still be incomplete. This is where professional experience makes the difference.
How we work: We order all required certificates and genealogy reports on your behalf, review them, and ensure the complete package is comprehensive before delivery. You can focus on other matters. Filling in the order form takes about 5 minutes.
How does the procurement method affect total estate inventory costs?
The single largest cost in an estate inventory is the professional's hourly fee. Compiling the genealogy report and verifying its completeness is a task where you can save significantly without affecting the quality of the outcome.
Most heirs have three options:
A: The law firm or bank handles everything
The professional identifies the authorities, orders certificates and verifies the chain's completeness. This is effortless, but expensive: routine work is typically billed as a separate document procurement fee (approx. €150–400) or charged at the lawyer's hourly rate.
B: You order the certificates yourself
You save on the ordering phase, but you bear the responsibility for the research yourself. Watch for the hidden cost: since the lawyer is legally responsible for the estate inventory's validity, they must still review every certificate you provide carefully. If even one certificate is missing, the savings can quickly be consumed by the lawyer's supplementary work and additional ordering rounds.
C: Order a pre-verified package from us (€79)
We handle the entire process: ordering certificates and verifying the unbroken chain on your behalf. The lawyer receives a complete, professionally verified package that is accepted as-is for the estate inventory and by banks. This minimises the lawyer's time and directly lowers your estate inventory bill.
Comparison: genealogy report procurement methods
| A: Bank or lawyer | B: Order yourself | C: Sukuselvitys.fi | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost | €150–400* | €0 | €79 |
| Scope of work | Procurement and verification | You do all the work | Procurement and verification |
| Lawyer's work | Included in fee | Full review (hourly rate) | Final check only |
| Chain verification liability | Professional liability | Your liability | Professional liability |
* Typical document procurement fee charged by banks and law firms. Usually does not include potential hourly charges for resolving gaps in the chain.
* Typical document procurement fee charged by banks and law firms.
Why Sukuselvitys.fi is a safe choice
A professionally verified genealogy report reduces the lawyer's workload and your bill
Filling in the order form takes about five minutes. We handle the rest.
Start your order — 79 €About costs: Authority fees are the same whether you order yourself or through the service. Sukuselvitys.fi's €79 service fee covers researching the registry history, ordering from all authorities, verifying the certificate chain, and delivering the completed documents. Both the service fee and authority fees are deductible from the estate for inheritance tax purposes.
Frequently asked questions
You take care of your family. We take care of the documents.
We order all required official certificates and genealogy reports, verify the complete set and deliver it ready. You don't need to figure out where to order each document.
Order genealogy report — 79 €