Death Certificate

Issuing a Death Certificate

When a person dies in Finland, the attending doctor or on-call physician confirms the death and initiates the death certificate process. In cases of death occurring in a hospital or care facility, the certificate is usually issued quickly since the patient's medical history is known. For deaths at home, a doctor is called to confirm the death, after which the cause-of-death investigation begins.

The Act on the Investigation of Cause of Death (459/1973) requires that the cause of every death occurring in Finland must be investigated. The death certificate is issued electronically through the healthcare system, and the information is automatically transmitted to the Digital and Population Data Services Agency (DVV), which registers the death in the population information system.

Contents of a Death Certificate

The death certificate includes the deceased's personal details, time and place of death, immediate cause of death, and any contributing factors. The document also states the manner of death: natural death, accident, homicide, suicide, or undetermined. Based on this information, the death can be recorded in statistics and a burial permit can be issued.

Difference from a Burial Permit

The death certificate and the burial permit are two separate documents, although they are often issued simultaneously. The death certificate is a medical document about the cause of death, while the burial permit is an authorization issued by authorities for burial or cremation. In practice, the doctor issues the burial permit at the same time as signing the death certificate, provided the cause of death is clear and there are no obstacles to burial.

Special Circumstances

In forensic cause-of-death investigations, the process differs from the standard one. The police order the investigation, and the forensic pathologist issues the death certificate only after the investigation is completed. In such cases, a temporary burial permit may be issued so that the burial timeline is not unreasonably delayed. For deaths occurring abroad, a certificate from a local doctor is required, which is validated in Finland through the DVV.

Family members generally do not need to handle obtaining the death certificate themselves, as the funeral home manages the transfer of documents as part of their service.