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Opening
a Finnish Bank Account
Finnish
Bank Charges
Finnish
Bank Interest Rates
Additional
Information
Opening
a Finnish Personal Bank Account
(business customers see Opening
a Corporate Bank Account)
Opening a personal account is generally
fast and simple, although the documentation required
appears to vary slightly not only between banks, but
between branches. Someone in the bank will usually speak
acceptable English - other foreign languages could prove
problematic, so take along a Finnish friend if you have
one!
Go to the nearest convenient branch* of
the bank you choose, and to minimise the possibility
of difficulty take as much official identification
as you can.
*click for
a list of ALL Finnish banks/branches (pdf, 05/2007)
An EU / EEA citizen may well succeed
with the minimum documentation:
- Passport
- Additional photo ID
- Proof of address
Success will be ensured for everyone if the
following can also be provided:
While you open the account, be sure to ask for:
- statements to be sent to you in English (other options:
Finnish or Swedish)
- online banking facilities, if you have access to
a computer
- the ability to use your ATM card in shops, restaurants
etc. (i.e. not just cash machines)
Interest Rates
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Finnish Bank
Charges
Charges (or bank fees / service charges / service fees)
very slightly between banks but are generally quite
reasonable.
Nordea, for example, offers the following basic services
free of charge to all customers:
- Payment of bills by direct debiting
- One account statement per month in Netbank or by
mail
- Balance queries from ATMs and at Nordea branches
- Cash withdrawals from own account in Finland at
Otto. ATMs and branches
- ATM card, one card per account/customer
- Transfers between own accounts in Nordea Bank Finland
- Cash deposits into own account in Nordea Bank Finland
Charges for Nordea's other services
depend on whether you sign up for a "Netbank" package,
starting from
€ 0,50 per month. Details of
Nordea's fees are available here (Finnish/Swedish).
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Finnish Bank
Interest Rates
Since mid-2003 interest rates on bank deposits have been quite stable at approximately 1%, from a high of about 2% in 2001.
Comprehensive interest rate statistics on loans, deposits, housing loans, student loans and more are available at the Finnish Central Bank (Suomen Pankki) Web site.
*Use the Search box in the top right hand corner, or the Site map
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