Renunciation of inheritance in enforcement 

You can renounce the inheritance and prevent the attachment of the share of the estate in the following ways: 

1. By showing to the enforcement authority that you have renounced the inheritance when the testator was alive. For example, you have accepted the will or notified the testator in writing of the renunciation of the inheritance. 

2. By proving to the enforcement authority that after the testator's death, you have notified the estate of the renunciation of the inheritance in writing. 

3. By presenting a certificate to the enforcement authority that, after the testator died, you have submitted a notification of renunciation of inheritance to us at the Digital and Population Data Services Agency for deposit. 

Depositing a notification of renunciation of inheritance at the Digital and Population Data Services Agency 

If you cannot act using methods 1 or 2, you can submit a notification of renunciation of the inheritance to us for deposit. Deliver it only after the person you are about to inherit from has died.  

The notification is free-form. Remember to include both your and the testator's name and personal identity code or date of birth. 

You have deposited the notification on the day it arrives to us.  

If the enforcement decision has already been made, you can no longer prevent the attachment of your share of the estate. 

We do not comment on the content or validity of the notification. 
 

Always ask for help from experts in inheritance law, when you want to renounce the inheritance. Experts include banks, legal aid offices and law firms. The Digital and Population Data Services Agency does not provide instructions to an individual person's situation. 

No, they do not. Depositing is only useful to you when you have enforcement debts and you want to prevent the attachment of your share of the estate.

Finland does not have a register of notifications of renunciation of inheritance.

Renunciation of inheritance means giving up your inheritance entirely, which means that it will go to your heirs in your place according to the succession order.  

If you wish to determine the persons who your inheritance will go to, it is a gift and not a renunciation of inheritance.  

Contact an expert in inheritance law. Experts include banks, legal aid offices and law firms. The Digital and Population Data Services Agency does not provide instructions to an individual person's situation.

Contact an expert in inheritance law. Experts include banks, legal aid offices and law firms. The Digital and Population Data Services Agency does not provide instructions in an individual person's situation.  

If you are in enforcement and you notify us of the renunciation of inheritance, please note that we will only save the notification of the person requesting the deposit, i.e. you.

No, it does not. The deposit of a notification of renunciation is only necessary when the heir or beneficiary under a will has enforcement debts.

Contact financial and debt counselling to clarify the matter.

The guardians of a minor can only renounce the inheritance on behalf of the minor once they have been authorised to do so by our guardianship experts. Guardians can apply for a permit using the instructions on our pages.

The notification may be free-form for enforcement.

However, it must contain the following information:

• Your and the deceased's name and personal identity code or date of birth 
• Date on which you renounce the inheritance 
• Your signature. 

The notification of renunciation does not need to include witnesses.

It is a good idea to ask for expert help in preparing the notification.

You can renounce the inheritance before the testator dies, for example, 

• by accepting a will  

• by notifying the testator in writing that you will renounce the inheritance.  

However, you cannot ask us to deposit your notification until the testator has died.

You can no longer renounce the inheritance so that it would prevent the attachment of your share of the estate.

You may renounce the inheritance in part, but this does not prevent the attachment of your share of the estate.  

Contact an expert in inheritance law. Experts include banks, legal aid offices and law firms. The Digital and Population Data Services Agency does not provide instructions in an individual person's situation.

We will process your notification within about a month. However, the processing time does not affect the date of deposit of your notification, which is essential for enforcement. The deposit date is the date your notification was received by us.

Once we have processed your notification, we will send you a certificate. It shows the deposit date of your notification.

It isn't. The deposit of the notification of renunciation with the Digital and Population Data Services Agency only affects enforcement.