Before you start

Personnummer and a personbevis from Skatteverket
Passport and residence permit card
Proof of your reason to be in Sweden — usually the employment contract
A Swedish address

Step-by-step

1
Get the personbevis first
Skatteverket's personbevis certificate is what a bank wants as proof of registration. You can order it online once you are registered and it is free. Turning up without it wastes a branch appointment.
OnlineWho: YouAfter registration
2
Book a branch appointment rather than applying online
First accounts for foreign nationals are opened in person almost everywhere. Book ahead — Stockholm branches run appointment-only and walk-ins are commonly turned away. Bring passport, personbevis, permit card and contract.
In personWho: YouWeek 2–4
3
Ask specifically for BankID at the same appointment
Mobile BankID is issued by your bank and is the single most useful thing you will get that day. Some banks issue it immediately, others impose a waiting period for new customers. Ask before you choose the bank.
In personWho: You
4
Register for Swish
Swish links your phone number to your account for instant payments between individuals and to many small businesses. It is how you split a restaurant bill, pay a second-hand seller or buy from a market stall. It requires BankID.
Mobile appWho: You
5
Set up e-invoices and autogiro for bills
Swedish bills arrive as e-invoices in your online bank rather than on paper. Set up autogiro direct debits for rent and utilities early; late payment produces a betalningsanmärkning, a payment remark that damages your credit standing for years.
OnlineWho: You
6
Keep a small amount of cash for the rare cash-only case
You will need it very seldom — some flea markets, a few rural buses, occasional cloakrooms. Stockholm has been effectively cashless for years and even many banks no longer handle notes over the counter.
In personWho: You

Documents you’ll need

Personbevis from Skatteverket
Passport
Residence permit card
Employment contract
Swedish phone number

Things most newcomers don’t know

BankID is not a banking product, it is your identity — and losing access to it stops your life.

Swedish public services, 1177 healthcare, the tax agency, insurers, letting agents, parcel lockers and second-hand marketplaces all authenticate with BankID. If you change phone, let it expire, or close the bank account it was issued against, you lose access to all of them at once and restoring it usually means another branch visit. Renew it early and keep the bank relationship alive even if you move most banking elsewhere.

Source: community-reported

Banks differ sharply on how they treat new arrivals, and it is worth shopping around before booking.

Under EU rules banks must offer a basic payment account to anyone lawfully resident, but the practical experience varies enormously: some issue BankID at the first appointment, some impose a customer-history wait, and some are far more comfortable with residence permit cards than others. Ask two or three what they need before booking, rather than accepting the first refusal as the Swedish position.

Source: Finansinspektionen

A single missed bill can leave a payment remark that follows you for years.

Sweden's credit information system records betalningsanmärkningar from unpaid debts referred to Kronofogden, and they stay on file for three years for individuals. Landlords, mobile operators and lenders check. Newcomers get caught because Swedish bills arrive as e-invoices in the online bank rather than on paper, and an unnoticed one becomes a debt collection matter surprisingly fast. Set up autogiro on day one.

Source: Kronofogden

Swish is close to compulsory socially, and it is not optional infrastructure.

Splitting a bill, paying for a second-hand sofa, contributing to a colleague's leaving present, buying strawberries at a market stall — all of it happens over Swish, keyed to your phone number. Without it you are the person holding up the group. It requires BankID, which requires the account, which requires the personnummer, which is the same chain as everything else here.

Source: community-reported

Common mistakes to avoid

Turning up at a branch without the personbevis and losing the appointment.
Choosing a bank without asking when it will issue BankID.
Letting BankID expire, or closing the account it is tied to.
Missing an e-invoice and collecting a payment remark that lasts three years.
Assuming you can pay cash — a great many Stockholm businesses simply do not accept it.

Some of this may be out of date. Spotted something inaccurate? Help us keep it right for the next newcomer.