Business accounts: Sweden

Updated 6 October 2026

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Sweden is one of Europe's most digital economies: cash is barely used, and payments, taxes and paperwork run through bank accounts and electronic identification. Banks are supervised by Finansinspektionen, the Swedish financial supervisory authority. A Swedish bank account is needed by companies operating in Sweden or with Swedish clients and by people relocating there. The main difficulty for foreigners is that banks tie their services to a Swedish identity number and a real link to the country.

Below: who a Swedish account suits, what is needed to open one, why applications are refused and how we help.

A Swedish company and its account

Most often the account is opened for a Swedish limited company (aktiebolag). The minimum share capital of a private company is SEK 25,000, about $2,490, and of a public company SEK 500,000, about $49,785. The capital is paid into an account before the company is registered with Bolagsverket, so the bank is involved from the start. Corporate income tax is 20.6%. More about the country on our Sweden: all programs page.

What you need for the account

• An identity number. Swedish banks work with a Swedish personal identity number or a coordination number, which the Swedish Tax Agency assigns to people not registered in Sweden. Without one, many services, including electronic ID, are unavailable.
• A link to Sweden. Work, a company, a residence permit or property in the country.
• Owner information. For a company, all beneficial owners and directors with passports and addresses.
• A description of the business and expected turnover, and the source of funds.

Personal account

Banks must offer individuals legally resident in the EU a payment account with basic features. People who are just moving first need a number and proof of address, so we plan the account together with the move, for example under the Swedish startup visa.

Documents

• passport and proof of address;
• a Swedish personal identity or coordination number;
• for a company, the registration certificate and articles, and owner and director details;
• a business description and proof of source of funds.

How the account opening works

1. Number and address. We help apply to the Tax Agency for a coordination number and confirm the address.
2. Choosing the bank. We select a bank that works with your type of business and payment countries.
3. Document file. We prepare the business description, owner details and source of funds.
4. Meeting the bank. We prepare the owner for the meeting or video call where the bank clarifies details.
5. Opening and capital. For a new company we pay in the capital and obtain the bank certificate needed for registration.

Why applications are refused

• no Swedish number and no real link to Sweden;
• the company is registered abroad and does not operate in Sweden;
• an opaque ownership structure or an unverified source of funds;
• links to sanctioned countries.

Taxes and reporting after opening

The bank looks not only at the documents at opening but also at how the company operates afterwards. A Swedish company registers with the Tax Agency as a taxpayer and, if it hires staff, as an employer. VAT registration is mandatory if annual turnover exceeds SEK 120,000, about $11,950 at the 5 October 2026 rate, rounded up: this threshold has applied since 1 January 2025, previously it was SEK 80,000. The standard VAT rate is 25%.

A limited company files its annual report with the Swedish Companies Registration Office. If the account is funded from abroad, the bank expects turnover to match the business description and tax returns, so we set up bookkeeping and payments together with an accountant from the first month.

What we do

We assess the chances, help obtain a coordination number, choose the bank, prepare the business description and documents, and handle the application and the bank's questions until it decides. If you need a company, we register it; see company registration in Sweden. A manager will calculate the cost in the chat.

What we do

• Corporate account - opening assistance

See also

Company formation · Personal account · Investment property · All country programs

FAQ