Genealogical Report for Estate Inventory

What is a genealogical report?

A genealogical report consists of multiple official certificates (virkatodistus) that together form an unbroken chain covering the person's life from age 15 to their date of death. The certificates contain all population register entries: places of residence, marriages, children and other recorded events.

In practice, the report typically consists of 3–6 separate certificates, each covering a specific time period with a specific authority. When placed in sequence, they must form a continuous chain without any gaps. The number of certificates depends on how many different register keepers the person belonged to during their lifetime.

Why is it needed for estate inventory?

Under Chapter 20, Section 3 of Finland's Code of Inheritance, the estate inventory deed must include a genealogical report of the deceased. Its purpose is to conclusively establish who the deceased's heirs are. Without it, there is no certainty that there are no unknown heirs.

In practice, this means that the estate inventory deed cannot be submitted to the Tax Administration without a genealogical report, and inheritance taxation cannot be carried out. The estate inventory deed is also needed for banking, real estate transactions and many other actions involving the estate.

The estate inventory must be completed within three months of death (Code of Inheritance 20:1), so it is advisable to begin obtaining the genealogical report as soon as possible.

Where to order a genealogical report

Official certificates for the genealogical report are ordered from different authorities depending on which register the person belonged to during their life. The main register keepers are:

• Digital and Population Data Services Agency (DVV) handles records of persons registered in the civil population register. DVV's register also contains all entries made after 1 October 1999 regardless of religious community.
• Evangelical Lutheran Church regional central registers contain records from the period of church membership prior to 1 October 1999.
• Orthodox Church maintains its own membership register, from which certificates are needed for the period of Orthodox parish membership.
• National Archives holds the oldest population records, particularly for persons born before the 1900s.
• Foreign authorities are needed if the deceased lived abroad. A corresponding certificate from that country's authority is required for the period spent abroad.

The complexity arises because most people have belonged to more than one register during their life. For example, a person who was baptised in the Lutheran church, left the church as an adult and moved between municipalities needs certificates from both the church and DVV. Each register keeper's certificate must be ordered separately.

What does a genealogical report cost?

Ordering yourself

When you order certificates directly from the authorities, you pay only the authority fees. A single official certificate typically costs around €45–85 depending on the register keeper and scope of the certificate. In a typical case (3–5 certificates), the total authority fees amount to approximately €135–425.

Ordering yourself requires knowing which authority is responsible for which period, and being able to verify the chain's completeness. An incomplete genealogical report can significantly delay the estate inventory.

Through our service

Sukuselvitys.fi's service fee is €79 (incl. VAT). The fee covers all work: we determine which authorities are needed, order the certificates for the deceased and, where required, for heirs, spouses and the deceased's parents, verify the completeness of the entire document set and deliver everything ready for estate inventory. Authority fees are invoiced separately based on actual costs.

All costs related to the genealogical report, both the service fee and authority fees, are tax-deductible in inheritance taxation and reimbursable from the estate's assets. The orderer is responsible for all payments if the estate has insufficient funds.

Comparison: DIY vs. our service

How long does it take?

Processing time for a single certificate is typically 2 to 4 weeks, depending on the authority and time of year. The complete genealogical report usually takes 2–6 weeks, but the time depends significantly on the deceased's life history and how many certificates are needed.

Since the estate inventory must be completed within three months of death, obtaining the genealogical report should begin without delay. If timing becomes an issue, an extension can be requested from the Tax Administration.

For whom is a genealogical report needed?

A genealogical report is not always needed only for the deceased. The estate inventory may require reports for several individuals:

• The deceased always. This is a mandatory attachment to the estate inventory deed, covering the period from age 15 to the date of death.
• The surviving spouse for the duration of the marriage, if the deceased was married.
• A deceased heir, if one of the deceased's heirs died before the deceased or before the estate inventory. In that case, the deceased heir's heirs (substitute heirs) take their place.
• A person who renounced their inheritance, if the renunciation extends to the substitute heirs.

Genealogical report vs. official certificate

The terms are often confused, but there is a clear distinction:

• Official certificate (virkatodistus) is a single document issued by a specific authority for a specific time period.
• Genealogical report (sukuselvitys) is the complete set of multiple official certificates covering the person's entire life from age 15 to death as an unbroken chain.

Estate inventory specifically requires the complete genealogical report. A single official certificate is not sufficient, unless the person happened to belong to the same register their entire life.

When is a genealogical report sufficient?

The deceased's genealogical report is sufficient when it meets three conditions:

1. Unbroken chain from age 15 to date of death. Every time period must be covered by an official certificate with no gaps.
2. All register keepers are covered. If the person belonged to multiple registers (e.g. both a parish and the civil register), a certificate is needed from each.
3. Certificates are of the correct type. A simple address certificate or membership certificate is not sufficient. The official certificate must contain information about family changes (marriages, children), not just place of residence.

However, the deceased's unbroken chain alone is not enough for estate inventory. The genealogical report identifies the deceased's entire circle of heirs, and each heir's status must be verified. You also need life certificates for living heirs, genealogical reports for heirs who died before the deceased, certificates for the spouse, and in the case of a childless deceased, genealogical reports for the deceased's parents.

An incomplete document set is the most common reason for the Tax Administration to return the estate inventory deed for supplementation. Typical deficiencies include a missing certificate for one period, the wrong type of certificate, a missing life certificate for an heir, or failure to cover time spent abroad.

Order your report easily

Ordering a genealogical report is straightforward, but verifying the complete document set requires expertise. We handle both for you:

1. Fill in the order form with the deceased's basic details.
2. We determine which certificates are needed for the deceased, heirs, spouses and, where applicable, the deceased's parents, and order them from all relevant authorities.
3. We verify the complete set: the deceased's unbroken chain, heir details and all documents needed for estate inventory and bank processing.
4. We deliver the complete genealogical report ready for the estate inventory.

The service fee is €79 (incl. VAT). Authority fees are invoiced separately. You can cancel the order before it is sent to the authorities.