 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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