Hey friends,
today I want to leave a note about a particular helpful thing I've just figured out. In the guide for new International / Exchange students it is strongly recommended to open a bank account here in Sweden. This argument is however rather flawed. First of all, the following information mostly apply to those of you who are citizen of a EU country. As a fresh new student arriving in Sweden you don't have anything but your passport and probably the letter of acceptance. Additionally you don't want to pay stupid money conversion fees when getting some swedish crowns. One of your first things would then be to open a bank account at one of the major banks such as Nordea or Swedbank. You cannot go to any bank of your choice since you usually need your Swedisch Personnumber in order to open an account.
However, those banks together with SEB offer "good deals" for you as a non-Swedish citizen. Last year for instance, I got a basic account with Swedbank, including a debit card (required to get money from the ATM and to pay without cash) and had to pay 130 SEK per 3 months for the use. You may now argue that this is not much for this service. But honestly, when do you really need a swedish bank account? Usually when you have to pay your rent, the student union fee or when you receive money for working here. For the first two things there exists an easier solution.
Since lately the conversion rate between Euro and SEK changes frequently and it is therefore not really wise to transfer money from a non-swedish Euro account to a new swedish account. Instead you should use the SEPA transaction. SEPA is the fee-free wiring of money withing countries of the European Union. It is widespreaded and as secure as other systems. However, to use this system, you need two numbers: the International Bank Account Number (IBAN) and and the Bank Identification Code (BIC / SWIFT) in order to place your transaction. Usually your bills only contain the Postgiro or Autogiro number which is used here in Sweden. You cannot use this number for your SEPA transaction. You will need instead to ask the landlord or the student union to tell you those numbers. I did this with Uppsala Studentkår and here is the result:
Sometimes asking perhaps stupid questions helps a lot.
Finally for all of you who may plan on coming to Sweden to stay there for a while I have one suggestion to avoid those payment issues. The SEB ("Svenska Enskilda Banken") operates beyond the borders of Sweden and allows you to use either swedish crowns or Euro without paying fees. Particularly this means that you can pay with your VISA card any bill in SEK and you won't be charged for the conversion. You just should be careful with getting money from the ATM and if so, use your Debit card at an SEB-ATM. For example I just opened an account when I was in Germany back in December 2008. For students this account is free of charge. I got a VISA/EC card together with it and I can use it here in Sweden without any additional costs. But finally, it's up to you on how you spend your money while being here: whether it is in a pub or for stupid non-necessary fees is your own responsibility.
Hejdå,
today I want to leave a note about a particular helpful thing I've just figured out. In the guide for new International / Exchange students it is strongly recommended to open a bank account here in Sweden. This argument is however rather flawed. First of all, the following information mostly apply to those of you who are citizen of a EU country. As a fresh new student arriving in Sweden you don't have anything but your passport and probably the letter of acceptance. Additionally you don't want to pay stupid money conversion fees when getting some swedish crowns. One of your first things would then be to open a bank account at one of the major banks such as Nordea or Swedbank. You cannot go to any bank of your choice since you usually need your Swedisch Personnumber in order to open an account.
However, those banks together with SEB offer "good deals" for you as a non-Swedish citizen. Last year for instance, I got a basic account with Swedbank, including a debit card (required to get money from the ATM and to pay without cash) and had to pay 130 SEK per 3 months for the use. You may now argue that this is not much for this service. But honestly, when do you really need a swedish bank account? Usually when you have to pay your rent, the student union fee or when you receive money for working here. For the first two things there exists an easier solution.
Since lately the conversion rate between Euro and SEK changes frequently and it is therefore not really wise to transfer money from a non-swedish Euro account to a new swedish account. Instead you should use the SEPA transaction. SEPA is the fee-free wiring of money withing countries of the European Union. It is widespreaded and as secure as other systems. However, to use this system, you need two numbers: the International Bank Account Number (IBAN) and and the Bank Identification Code (BIC / SWIFT) in order to place your transaction. Usually your bills only contain the Postgiro or Autogiro number which is used here in Sweden. You cannot use this number for your SEPA transaction. You will need instead to ask the landlord or the student union to tell you those numbers. I did this with Uppsala Studentkår and here is the result:
Dear Stephan,
Here are the numbers that you requested.
Iban-number: SE6050000000053681024782
Bic/Swift-code: ESSESESS
Bic/Swift-code: ESSESESS
Best regards
Uppsala Student Union
Sometimes asking perhaps stupid questions helps a lot.
Finally for all of you who may plan on coming to Sweden to stay there for a while I have one suggestion to avoid those payment issues. The SEB ("Svenska Enskilda Banken") operates beyond the borders of Sweden and allows you to use either swedish crowns or Euro without paying fees. Particularly this means that you can pay with your VISA card any bill in SEK and you won't be charged for the conversion. You just should be careful with getting money from the ATM and if so, use your Debit card at an SEB-ATM. For example I just opened an account when I was in Germany back in December 2008. For students this account is free of charge. I got a VISA/EC card together with it and I can use it here in Sweden without any additional costs. But finally, it's up to you on how you spend your money while being here: whether it is in a pub or for stupid non-necessary fees is your own responsibility.
Hejdå,
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