What Documents Are Needed for Estate Inventory in Finland?
Estate inventory in Finland requires several documents: the deceased's genealogy report, official certificates for the heirs, any will and prenuptial agreement, and information on the estate's assets and debts as of the date of death.
Estate inventory in brief: what is it and when must it be held?
At the estate inventory meeting, an estate inventory deed is drawn up that compiles information on the deceased's assets and debts as well as the heirs. The estate inventory deed is both a tax return and a document needed for handling many matters, for example at banks and with various authorities.
The estate inventory must be completed within three months of death. An extension can be applied for from the Tax Administration within the same three-month period, and it is granted only for justified reasons. An estate inventory deed must always be drawn up, even if the deceased left no assets or only debts. As a rule, the shareholders of the estate are not personally liable for the deceased's debts: the debts are paid from the estate's assets. In practice this protection requires that the estate inventory is conducted within the deadline and that the information given in it is correct.
Documents required for estate inventory
Under the Code of Inheritance, the estate inventory deed must include a register extract showing the heirs, as well as any will and prenuptial agreement. In practice, the following documents are needed for estate inventory:
- Genealogy report of the deceased (chain of official certificates)
- Official certificate or life certificate for living heirs as needed
- Genealogy report for heirs who died before the deceased (to establish the right of representation)
- Genealogy report for the deceased's parents, if the deceased had no children
- Will (if one was made)
- Prenuptial agreement (if one was made)
- Information on assets and debts as of the date of death
The genealogy report: why is it the hardest to obtain?
The genealogy report is not a single document, but a collection of official certificates. In practice, this requires an unbroken chain of official certificates covering the entire period during which the deceased was registered as an individual in the population register, typically from about age 15 until the date of death.
Even a single missing period means an incomplete chain, which is typically discovered at the estate inventory meeting or at the bank.
The key factor is which registers the deceased belonged to during their lifetime. If the deceased was both a church member and later left the church, certificates are needed from both registry keepers. The number of places the deceased lived, however, does not affect the number of orders: for example, the Evangelical Lutheran Church delivers all records in a single order regardless of how many parishes the person was registered in.
Where to order the genealogy report
The correct registry keeper depends on which register the deceased belonged to during each period:
- Evangelical Lutheran Church (EVL): all persons who were members of the EVL. Orders are handled by the church's regional central registries.
- Orthodox Church: a separate registry for Orthodox members.
- DVV (Digital and Population Data Services Agency): persons who were not church members, and for those who left the church, covering the period after departure.
- National Archives: church records more than 100 years old and records relating to ceded territories (for example ceded Karelia).
- Foreign authorities: if the deceased or an heir lived abroad.
Life certificate: when is it needed?
A life certificate is needed for a living heir when their being alive is not evident from the deceased's genealogy report, for example when the heir lives in a different location or has left the church. Life certificates are issued by DVV or, for church members, the relevant parish.
Right of representation: why is a genealogy report needed for heirs who died before the deceased?
If a child of the deceased died before the deceased, the inheritance passes to that child's descendants: first the grandchildren, thereafter the great-grandchildren. Because of this right of representation, the circle of estate shareholders may be wider than initially expected, and a separate genealogy report is needed for the predeceased heir to establish their descendants.
Genealogy report for a childless deceased: establishing parents and siblings
If the deceased had no children, the surviving spouse or the deceased's closest relatives inherit. If neither parent is alive, the siblings inherit, and the children or grandchildren of a deceased sibling take that sibling's place.
A childless deceased's genealogy report must therefore also include the genealogy report of the deceased's parents, so that all siblings who are heirs and their descendants can be established.
What must be attached to the estate inventory deed, and what not?
Must be attached to the estate inventory deed (Tax Administration):
The will and prenuptial agreement are attached to the estate inventory deed, as is the deed of distribution if the estate has already been divided, and the deed of partition or deed of distribution if the deceased's spouse died earlier and partition has been carried out.
Does NOT need to be attached to the estate inventory deed (Tax Administration):
Balance certificates for deposits, receipts for estate expenses, the genealogy report (i.e. official certificates), or a copy of any other estate inventory deed do not need to be attached.
Submit only copies of documents to the Tax Administration. Keep the originals yourself.
What must the estate inventory deed contain?
The estate inventory deed must state the time and place of the procedure, the deceased's full details (name, occupation, domicile, dates of birth and death), the names, domiciles and kinship of all shareholders. For minors, dates of birth must also be stated. Every heir must be mentioned, even if they receive no property from the estate.
Assets and debts are recorded as they were on the date of death, and the value of the assets must also be stated. Inheritance tax for each heir is calculated on the basis of this information.
Submitting the estate inventory deed to the Tax Administration
The estate inventory deed must be submitted to the Tax Administration within 1 month of the estate inventory.
This deadline applies even if you have received an extension for conducting the estate inventory.
Practical checklist: timeline
Authorities' processing times can be several weeks, and multiple orders are typically needed, so there is little room for delays. Recommended order:
- Order genealogy reports and official certificates immediately after death
- Determine whether a will and prenuptial agreement exist
- Compile information on assets and debts as of the date of death
- Conduct the estate inventory within three months of death
- Submit the estate inventory deed to the Tax Administration within 1 month of the estate inventory