Open a bank account in Sweden
Publish date: 5 February 2024
If you plan to stay in Stockholm for a longer period of time, we recommend that you open a bank account. Please be aware that most banks will ask for your Swedish personal identity number in order for them to open the account for you.
Some banks may even ask you to bring along a Swedish citizen to verify your identity. However, according to the law on deposit insurance (lag (1995:1571) om insättningsgaranti 11§b), most banks have an obligation to open a bank account for you, unless there are specific reasons preventing them from doing so, so long as you can identify yourself.
To make the process of opening a bank account as smooth as possible, bring your passport, a certificate or letter of acceptance/employment from your employer, the document from the Tax Agency that confirms your personal identity number (personbevis) and your tenancy agreement to confirm your address in Sweden. Should you still encounter a problem, we recommend that you contact Solvit to get help.
When you open a bank account you will get a debit card and internet and telephone banking services linked to the account. The best and cheapest way to pay bills is through the bank's payment service, which is also available online. Banks are generally open between 10.00 and 15.00, some up until 18.00.
If you plan to stay for a shorter period, perhaps only a few months, it's often best to use your current bank account as Swedish banks may be hesitant to open one for you. We recommend that you contact whoever will be handling your salary payments in good time and provide them with the information they need to pay your salary into your bank account in your home country. Please note that foreign checks usually take a long time to process and you pay extra for processing fees. Once in Sweden, you can use your international payment card in any store, bank and cash machines/ATMs. Please be aware that not all banks carry cash anymore.
Major Swedish banks
Below are links to information in English from four major Swedish banks. Please take the time to read what the bank requires from you in order to open an account, as it depends on whether you have a Swedish personal identification number or not.
International banks with personal banking services in Stockholm
Paying bills without a Swedish bank account
If you don’t have a bank account in Sweden but need to pay a bill, you can take your bill to a Forex Bank and pay a fee for them to handle the payment for you. Forex is located in many places around Stockholm; for more information, see their website. Please be aware that many banks in Sweden no longer handle cash.
Using an E-ID
With E-ID you can identify yourself to both companies and authorities, log in to e-services and sign contracts. E-ID is a common way to identify yourself in digital environments. It is basically like showing your ID, but digitally. You need an E-ID to use payment app Swish and to identify yourself digitally to authorities. To register for an E-ID you must have a Swedish personal identity number and have reached a certain age.
There are a couple of different E-ID to choose from: