The City of Helsinki will start charging a fee for storing the deceased starting from 2 May 2025. Storing of the deceased will still remain free of charge for the first 21 days. After this, a fee of €10 will be charged for each day. In most cases, the fee will be charged from the estate of the deceased. This fee will not apply to the deceased who were brought to the mortuary by 1 May 2025.
“The periods of storing the deceased have grown longer by 4.5 days in Helsinki over the past two years, and seem to be growing longer still. The population is also aging. The average period of storing a deceased at the City’s mortuaries is 25 days,” says Chief Physician Annamaija Sutela from the Helsinki City Hospital.
“Long public holidays, such as the Christmas season and Easter, are especially challenging in terms of adequate mortuary space. The act decreeing on burials and cremation states that these should be performed without undue delay,” Sutela says.
Help for funeral arrangements is available from funeral homes or parishes.
The City of Helsinki has mortuary spaces for 554 deceased persons, located in premises such as the Helsinki City Hospital and senior centres. The City is also currently building a new mortuary in the Malmi Cemetery for storing the deceased and as a space for loved ones to say their farewells. These new premises should be completed in spring 2026.
