At the middle stage of administering a death estate, an estate inventory is carried out. Preparations for this may take up to three months. After that, the estate inventory deed is reviewed.

Estate inventory

What is the estate inventory? What attachments do I need for the estate inventory deed? See the instructions.

The estate inventory is an event at which an estate inventory deed is prepared. The estate inventory deed lists the property and distributees of a death estate. The surviving spouse’s assets and debts must also be specified in the estate inventory deed. It is also a tax declaration used as the basis for levying the inheritance tax. 

The estate inventory deed must be completed within three months of the date of death. However, it is possible to apply for an extension to the time limit from the Finnish Tax Administration if needed. Submit the estate inventory deed to the Tax Administration within one month of its completion.

Reviewing the estate inventory

We also have a duty to know our death estate customers. To identify and verify the individuals authorised to manage the estate’s affairs, we need to have a signed estate inventory deed and all its appendixes. Make sure that you attach all necessary appendices. Submit the estate inventory deed with attachments to us easily or bring it to the nearest OP cooperative bank. After we have received the estate inventory deed and all its appendices, we will review them. This will usually take a few weeks. 

Attachments to the estate inventory

We need the following extracts from the population register along with the signed estate inventory:

  • An unbroken record of the deceased’s family relations from the age of 15
  • An unbroken report on family relationships from the age of 15 of distributees who have deceased in order to determine the next in line for inheritance
  • Reports on family relationships of the spouses or former spouses of the above persons for the duration of the marriage

A report on family relationships is either an extract from the population register in the form of a report on family relationships issued by a parish, or a report on family relationships issued by the Digital and Population Data Services Agency (Finnish Digital Agency). The report on family relationships must cover all parishes or population registers in which the persons have been registered during the requested time period. The report on family relationships must indicate the person’s family relationships and changes of residence. A report on the spouse’s family relationships is required for the duration of the marriage as in some situations, the spouses’ joint children are listed only in the register of the other parent. If the Finnish Digital Agency has confirmed the list of distributees given in the estate inventory deed, the reports on family relationships do not generally need to be submitted to us.

Documents related to the sale of an apartment

Did the decedent leave housing company shares or residential property as an inheritance that you are considering selling? You do not need to acquire the documents related to the sale of an apartment in connection with the estate inventory yet, but the sale is considered possible only after the estate inventory deed has been concluded.

Depending on the situation, we may also need the following documents to be included with the estate inventory deed:

If the decedent had a last will and testament

  • Last will and testament and possible services of will and notices of acceptance
  • Possible notifications of demanding one’s lawful share or not demanding it

If the decedent was widowed at the time of death

  • Estate inventory deed of the previously deceased spouse, including appendices (such as a report on family relationships and a possible last will and testament), and any deed of division of marital assets and deed of estate distribution prepared after the death of the said spouse

If the decedent had a prenuptial agreement

  • Prenuptial agreement and its registration certificate

If the decedent was divorced

  • Deed of division of marital assets made after a divorce

If any of the distributees renounces inheritance

  • A written declaration of renouncement of inheritance and a report on family relationships regarding the person renouncing inheritance

If a distributee has died after the death of the decedent

  • Estate inventory deed of the deceased distributee, including attachments

If any of the distributees lives abroad

  • Up-to-date certificate of life (not older than three months)

If any of the distributees is a minor or under legal guardianship

  • Decision of legal guardianship or a certificate (such as an extract from the population register) stating the legal guardian
  • Decision on the legal guardian’s substitute, if any
  • Permission of the Digital and Population Data Services Agency to distribute marital assets and/or estate, including attachments
  • Signed deed of division of marital assets and/or deed of estate distribution

Please note that the listed documents do not necessarily apply to all death estates, nor is the list exhaustive. We will contact you if we need any additional documents for the estate inventory deed.
 
Go to the section After the estate inventory >