Opening a bank account in Sweden

The short version

A bank account is the first thing to sort out in Sweden — salary, rent, BankID and Swish all hang on it. The good news is that you can open a bank account in Sweden without a personnummer: a so-called payment account with basic features is a legal right for anyone resident in the EU/EEA, and lacking a personnummer is not, by itself, a reason for the bank to say no. The hard part is not the account itself, but the two things that make daily life digital — BankID and Swish — which in practice need a personnummer and a full account.

The practical path usually looks the same: get a personnummer from Skatteverket, open a full account at a bank, activate Mobilt BankID, then connect Swish. If you have just arrived, the whole arrival order is in our New to Sweden guide — this page goes deep on the bank part alone.

See also our New to Sweden guide for every first step, and the cost of living in Sweden for how much you need in the account each month.

Do you need a personnummer?

No — not in order to open an account. Under the Payment Services Act (which implements the EU Payment Accounts Directive), anyone resident in the EU/EEA has the right to a payment account with basic features at essentially any bank that offers accounts to private individuals. The bank must reply in writing within ten business days and may only refuse on narrow grounds, chiefly anti-money-laundering and sanctions rules. Not having a personnummer is explicitly not counted as a reason to refuse.

The difference between Sweden's ID numbers is worth knowing. You get a personnummer from Skatteverket when you are entered in the population register, and it is the key that unlocks a full account, BankID and Swish. A coordination number (samordningsnummer) is a temporary number for people with a shorter link to Sweden; some banks (ICA Banken, for one) accept it, but on its own it does not unlock BankID or Swish.

• Basic payment account: a legal right for EU/EEA residents — even without a personnummer, and including asylum seekers
• Personnummer: from Skatteverket on population registration; unlocks a full account, BankID and Swish
• Coordination number (samordningsnummer): a temporary number, accepted by some banks but not enough for BankID/Swish
• A payment remark on its own is not a lawful reason to deny you a basic account

What documents do you need?

Exactly what the bank wants to see varies between banks and even between branches, because most of it beyond your identity is the bank's own know-your-customer (KYC) practice rather than a legal requirement. It is worth calling the branch first to ask what they in particular require. Have this ready:

A Swedish photo ID makes everything smoother. If you have a personnummer but no approved Swedish photo ID, you can order the Skatteverket ID card — it is the identification most banks want to see.

Which banks are easiest for newcomers?

No bank is guaranteed, and much comes down to the individual branch — so the best advice is to call ahead and ask outright whether they will open an account for you without a personnummer. That said, a few names recur as more flexible for newcomers. Handelsbanken is most often singled out as the most accommodating, while Swedbank can explicitly open a restricted card account without a personnummer. For a fully digital route, ICA Banken documents a path using a coordination number or an EU ID. The easiest bank to open in Sweden for a newcomer is, quite simply, the one that says yes at your branch.

Danske Bank has a smaller branch network but a reputation for flexible student accounts. One common mistake is to count Avanza and Nordnet here — they are savings and investment platforms that assume you already have a Swedish personnummer and often another Swedish account, not a first bank for a newcomer. Most big banks have English-speaking staff, so language is rarely the obstacle.

BankID and Swish: the digital keys

BankID is Sweden's electronic identity and, in practice, the key to the whole of digital Sweden — you use it to log in to your bank, Skatteverket, 1177 healthcare and Försäkringskassan, to sign contracts and to authorise Swish payments. But BankID is only issued by a Swedish bank where you are a customer, and it assumes a personnummer. Getting BankID without a personnummer is therefore, in practice, not possible; this is the heart of the catch-22 for newcomers — you need an account for BankID, and a personnummer for both the account and BankID.

Swish builds on top of this. The service links your phone number to your bank account and requires a Swedish personnummer and Mobilt BankID. In return it is close to unavoidable: around 86 percent of the population uses Swish, for everything from splitting a bill to flea markets and small businesses.

• BankID unlocks: your bank, Skatteverket, 1177, Försäkringskassan, signing and Swish
• Requires: a personnummer + being a customer of a Swedish bank that issues BankID
• In the meantime: handle things at the branch and on paper, and use an app account (below) for salary and card payments
• Order: full account → activate Mobilt BankID → connect Swish

Can you use Revolut, Wise or N26 instead?

Partly, and they can be very useful in the first few weeks — but treat them as a bridge, not a replacement. With an app account you can receive salary via IBAN and pay by card straight away, without waiting for a personnummer. What they do not do is issue BankID, and they only partly cover Swish and Bankgiro.

• Wise: a multi-currency account and card, receives salary via IBAN — but cannot pay to Bankgiro or Plusgiro, and has no BankID or Swish
• Revolut: began issuing Swedish (SE) account numbers from 2025 through a Stockholm branch; Swish and Bankgiro were arriving during 2026 — check what is actually live before relying on it. Does not issue BankID
• N26: an app account open to residents in Sweden, but availability has changed before — check first. No BankID, no Swish

What all three share: none of them gives you BankID, and everyday digital life in Sweden assumes BankID. Use them to solve salary and payments early, but still aim for a Swedish bank account with a personnummer.

Students, asylum seekers and short stays

Your route to an account depends on why you are in Sweden.

• International students: bring your admission letter and your residence permit for studies. Some banks have dedicated student accounts, and opening a Swedish bank account as an international student often goes more smoothly at a branch near the university. If you have no personnummer yet, ask for a basic account.
• Asylum seekers: the documented route is the LMA-card routine. You show the LMA card, and the bank verifies your identity with Migrationsverket. It usually gives a more limited account, but it is an account.
• Short stays and guest workers: with a coordination number, some banks can open a restricted account, and an app account can solve salary and card payments in the meantime.

Did you come here to work or to study? Follow the full arrival order in our New to Sweden guide.

What to do if the bank says no

It happens, often because of know-your-customer and anti-money-laundering rules, or what the law calls special reasons such as past misuse of an account. But remember that a payment remark on its own is not a lawful reason, and neither is the absence of a personnummer. If you are refused a basic payment account: ask for the refusal in writing with reasons, and point to your right under the Payment Services Act. Here is what to do if a Swedish bank rejects your application:

• Go first to the bank's complaints officer (klagomålsansvarig) and ask for written reasons
• Take it to the National Board for Consumer Disputes (ARN) — it is free, and the usual minimum-claim threshold does not apply in cases about the right to an account
• If it is a pattern rather than a single case, you can flag it to Finansinspektionen, which supervises how banks handle the right to a payment account
• As a last resort there is the district court, but you then risk legal costs if you lose

This is general information, not legal advice for your particular case. Always confirm the current terms and your rights with the bank, Konsumenternas or ARN — where the authority's word and our text differ, the authority is the one that holds.