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A Swedish business account belongs to an aktiebolag (AB) registered by Bolagsverket, the Swedish Companies Registration Office. Banks are supervised by Finansinspektionen. Deposits fall under the state deposit guarantee run by Riksgälden, the Swedish National Debt Office, which since 1 January 2026 pays up to SEK 1,150,000 per depositor per institution, up from SEK 1,050,000. Companies and other legal persons are covered; financial institutions, municipalities, regions and government agencies are not. Accounts are in kronor, a Swedish IBAN is 24 characters beginning with SE, and Sweden belongs to SEPA.
A new AB needs share capital of at least SEK 25,000, and cash must go into a special account opened by the founders with a bank, a credit market company or a comparable credit institution in another EEA state (Companies Act, chapter 2, section 17). Swedish banks call their bank certificate (bankintyg) a basic document Bolagsverket needs before registering the company and issuing the organisation number. SEB and Nordea send theirs digitally to verksamt.se, and Nordea offers an English-language application. For founders abroad, SEB’s note matters most: where the owners and board are not registered as living in Sweden, or the company is a shelf company, applicants must contact the bank instead of using the online form.
Swedish company law lets a foreigner own and run an AB within two limits. At least half the board, and the managing director too, must be resident in the EEA unless Bolagsverket grants a time-limited exemption, and an AB with none of its officers or signatories living in Sweden needs a resident there to accept service of documents. The banks’ digital channels add a third limit, BankID, which requires a Swedish personal identity number (personnummer), a customer relationship with an issuing bank and a valid ID document. Someone never registered as living in Sweden can be given a coordination number (samordningsnummer), though BankID’s conditions name the personal identity number; Skatteverket issues it on application or at an authority’s request, after an identity check in person at a service centre or, in some cases, a Swedish embassy.
| Bank | Route for an AB with owners abroad | What it says it needs |
|---|---|---|
| SEB | Application by post where an owner is foreign or not resident in Sweden; digital start-up meeting after registration and F-tax approval | Organisation chart, certified copies of the signatories’ ID, a certified passport copy for foreign owners; a credit report on the board, special signatories and beneficial owners |
| Swedbank | Online application, then a branch visit by every beneficial owner and representative who signs jointly; about four to six weeks before the bank responds | Personal details and addresses of owners and representatives; it may run credit checks on all of them |
| Handelsbanken | Always starts with a personal meeting, usually at a branch | Business plan and forecasts; for a shelf or existing AB, a power of attorney to open the account and the purchase contract |
| Nordea, a branch of Nordea Bank Abp | Digital bank certificate application, available in English | Memorandum and articles from verksamt.se; a business customer application once the AB is registered |
SEB puts its whole route at four to six weeks when the file is complete from the start, before Bolagsverket’s and Skatteverket’s own processing. Lunar Business, a digital bank, is out of reach for most foreign owners: it requires a Swedish BankID and tax residence in Scandinavia.
At SEB, buying a shelf company (lagerbolag) works like this: the seller’s bank power of attorney lets the buyer open a basic account and pay in the share capital, SEB issues a certificate known as a likvidintyg, the seller reports the change to Bolagsverket, and the buyer receives a general power of attorney to act for the company. Swedbank asks shelf company buyers to attach the purchase agreement, minutes, change notification, likvidintyg, general power of attorney and articles, and to bring the original power of attorney to the branch. Where an AB already holds an account, that account is the AB’s and remains with it; the bank vets the new owners, board members and signatories and then decides between continuing, requesting more or closing. Swedbank uses a separate change-of-ownership application, also in English. Current companies are listed under ready-made shelf companies in Sweden.
We are able to provide a ready-made AB or start one for you through company formation in Sweden, prepare the certified passport copies, shelf company papers and CRS and FATCA tax residence self-certification Swedish banks must collect, and, should we have a working relationship with a bank that suits the case, make the introduction. Only the bank can approve the account. See also the Sweden hub and our guide to shelf companies with a bank account.
Yes. A director living abroad can sign for an AB, provided at least half the board and the managing director live in the EEA or Bolagsverket has granted an exemption. The banks set the practical terms: SEB takes owners not resident in Sweden by post with certified passport copies, Swedbank wants every joint signatory at a branch, and BankID needs a Swedish personal identity number.
Partly. SEB handles foreign or non-resident owners by post and holds its start-up meeting digitally, while Swedbank requires every beneficial owner and joint signatory at a branch and Handelsbanken starts with a personal meeting, usually at a branch. A coordination number, if you need one, also means an identity check in person at a Skatteverket service centre or, in some cases, an embassy.
If the share capital of at least SEK 25,000 is paid in cash, it must go into a special account with a bank, a credit market company or a comparable EEA credit institution, and Swedish banks describe their certificate of that payment as a basic document for registration. SEB and Nordea send theirs digitally to verksamt.se.
Since 1 January 2026, up to SEK 1,150,000 per depositor per institution, and companies are covered alongside private depositors. Financial institutions, municipalities, regions and government agencies are excluded. At Nordea in Sweden, Finland’s scheme covers deposits first, because the Swedish business is a branch of Nordea Bank Abp.