Life certificate

You can use a certificate of life to give proof of your basic information and your existence at the certificate's time of issue. You need the certificate for purposes such as estate inventory if you are the heir or the beneficiary of the deceased person. You only need a life certificate of yourself for an estate inventory if information about your existence is not stated on the report on family relationships.

The following information is included in the certificate when you order a standard certificate via the self-service. A standard certificate means that the certificate always contains the same information and the selected optional information: 

Information that the person is alive or that it cannot be confirmed whether the person is alive

  • Name
  • Date of birth (or personal identity code)
  • Municipality of residence
  • Permanent address
  • In addition, you can add your previous names to the certificate. If the person has a guardian or a power of attorney, this will also be marked on the certificate. 

If you need other information, order the certificate by email, phone or a form.

How to order certificates 

You can order a certificate of yourself or another person for an acceptable purpose of use. Please note that you can use the self-service only to order a certificate for yourself or your dependants.  

Certificates ordered and delivered through the self-service are cheaper, and you receive certificates quickly. Prices can be found at the bottom of the page.

Self-service

You can order a life certificate through the self-serviceLink to an external websiteOpens in a new tab if you live in Finland permanently. You need online banking codes or a mobile certificate for the order. You pay the certificate by making an online payment. 

Ordering a certificate for use in Finland through the self-service is cheaper and is immediately available online.

The certificate will be sent to you in Suomi.fi MessagesLink to an external websiteOpens in a new tab. To have the certificate sent to you, you will need to have enabled Suomi.fi Messages. 
If you are not using Suomi.fi Messages, you can download the certificate in PDF format right after paying. Please remember to save the document on your device!
If the certificate is required by a foreign authority, the certificate will be sent to you by mail. Your order will be processed within 2-5 business days, after which the postal service will deliver the certificate.

If you live abroad permanently, you cannot order a life certificate. To get a life certificate, you must visit personally either at the Finnish Embassy or at the Digital and Population Data Services Agency's service point, at the Notary Public’s department. Alternatively you can find out if you can get a life certificate from authorities in your home country.

Other channels for ordering

Check your data! 

You can check your personal data in the Population Information System from the Personal Data service. You can find your current personal data, name history information and property and building ownership information on the service. You can also check your residential history data saved in the Population Information System.

Personal Data service

If your personal data contains mistakes, you can correct your own given name, occupation, email address, native language and communication language. In other cases, please contact our customer service by phone at 0295 536 220 or visit a service location. 

Processing times 

  • 1 week (+ mail delivery time)
  • You can get an online certificate for use in Finland immediately through the self-service.

Price

Fees per document in 2024:

Self-service 
You pay for the certificates when placing your order.

• Electronic certificate from the self-service 12 € / document
• Certificate from the self-service by post 20 € / document
• Certificate and multilingual EU standard form by post 34 € / documents
• Certificate and Apostille by post from the self-service 56 € / documents

Online form, e-mail, phone and visiting at the service location 
We will send the invoice separately. If the customer’s home municipality is overseas, we will ask for payment in advance. If you visit one of our service locations, you pay at the service location.

• Certificate 23 € / document
• Manually prepared certificate 70 € / document
• Multilingual EU standard form attached to the certificate (translation assistance form) 14 € / document
• Apostille 36 € / document

 

Fees per document from 1st January 2025:

Self-service 
You pay for the certificates when placing your order.

• Electronic certificate from the self-service 14 € / document
• Certificate from the self-service by post 21 € / document
• Certificate and multilingual EU standard form by post 36 € / documents
• Certificate and Apostille by post from the self-service 59 € / documents

Online form, e-mail, phone and visiting at the service location 
We will send the invoice separately. If the customer’s home municipality is overseas, we will ask for payment in advance. If you visit one of our service locations, you pay at the service location.

• Certificate 25 € / document
• Manually prepared certificate 80 € / document
• Multilingual EU standard form attached to the certificate (translation assistance form) 15 € / document
• Apostille 38 € / document

 

Delivery of the certificate

Self-service

When you order a certificate for a Finnish operator from the self-service,

  • you will receive it as an electronic PDF document. You can download the certificate from the My Certificates tab of the self-service to your device immediately after payment. The certificate can be downloaded from the self-service within 24 hours.
  • The certificate will also be sent to you to Suomi.fi Messages if you have enabled the service before ordering.
  • No signature will be added to the certificate, and you cannot add a translation form or an Apostille certificate to it later.
  • Electronic certificates ordered from the self-service are not delivered by paper mail or electronically by encrypted mail.

 

When you order a certificate for a foreign operator from the self-service,

  • it will be sent to you by paper mail to your home address. In this case, the certificate is stamped and signed. You can also order an EU translation form or an Apostille. Which one you need depends on the area that you need the certificate for.
  • Your order will be processed within 2-5 business days, after which the postal service will deliver the certificate.
  • If you live abroad, you will receive certificates as electronic PDF documents or by post to your home address, depending on whether you need a certificate for a Finnish actor or abroad.

 

Order placed by e-mail or phone:

  • The certificate will be sent to you via Suomi.fi Messages, encrypted e-mail to your preferred address, or by paper mail. You can choose the delivery method yourself when placing the order.

Contact us

Telephone service

Telephone number +358 295 536 230

Service hours:

  • Mon-Fri 9-15

Email

Use secure email if your message contains personal or otherwise confidential information. Choose the following address as the recipient:

Send secure email

You can take care of the following matters:

  • Certificates from the Population Information System
  • Residence certificate
  • Marriage certificate
  • Life certificate
  • Birth certificate
  • Civil status certificate
  • List of residents

If you are ordering a report on family relationships, see ordering instructions on the page Report on family relationships.

Population of Finland 5 648 149