Opening a Bank Account: Expressions
The Swedish banking gauntlet — personnummer, BankID, penningtvätt and 'vi behöver fler papper'.
Opening a Swedish bank account at C1 level: personnummer vs samordningsnummer, kundkännedom interrogations, BankID, giro numbers — and the fraud-proof golden rule at the end.
- 1
öppna ett konto
to open an account
Tip: lit. the same.
- 2
personnummer
personal identity number
Tip: lit. 'person number' — the key to everything in Sweden.
- 3
samordningsnummer
a coordination number
Tip: lit. 'coordination number' — the temporary substitute for a personnummer.
- 4
legitimera sig
to identify yourself
Tip: lit. 'legitimate oneself' — show ID.
- 5
giltig legitimation
valid identification
Tip: lit. the same — the phrase on every counter sign.
- 6
kundkännedom
to know your customer
Tip: lit. 'customer knowledge' — why they ask so many questions.
- 7
penningtvättsreglerna
money laundering rules
Tip: lit. 'the money-washing rules'.
- 8
varifrån kommer pengarna?
where does the money come from?
Tip: lit. the same — a legally required question.
- 9
fylla i en blankett
to fill in a form
Tip: lit. the same.
- 10
vi behöver fler papper
we need more documents
Tip: lit. 'we need more papers' — the running joke.
- 11
ett lönekonto
a current account
Tip: lit. 'a salary account'.
- 12
ett sparkonto
a savings account
Tip: lit. the same.
- 13
ett bankkort
a debit card
Tip: lit. 'a bank card'.
- 14
koden
the PIN code
Tip: lit. 'the code' — nobody says PIN-kod out loud.
- 15
internetbanken
internet banking
Tip: lit. the same.
- 16
skaffa BankID
to get BankID
Tip: lit. 'acquire BankID' — the digital identity you need for everything.
- 17
mobilt BankID
mobile BankID
Tip: lit. the same — the app version.
- 18
signera digitalt
to sign digitally
Tip: lit. the same.
- 19
bli utelåst
to be locked out
Tip: lit. 'be locked out' — the modern Swedish nightmare.
- 20
en överföring
a transfer
Tip: lit. the same.
- 21
betalningen gick igenom
the payment went through
Tip: lit. the same.
- 22
täckning saknas
insufficient funds
Tip: lit. 'cover is missing'.
- 23
en kredit
an overdraft
Tip: lit. 'a credit'.
- 24
kontoavgifter
account fees
Tip: lit. the same.
- 25
byta bank
to switch banks
Tip: lit. the same.
- 26
boka tid på bankkontoret
to book an appointment at the branch
Tip: lit. the same — few branches take drop-ins now.
- 27
kontanter tas knappt emot
cash is barely accepted
Tip: lit. the same — a real feature of Swedish life.
- 28
vara en person i politiskt utsatt ställning
to be a politically exposed person
Tip: lit. the same — a question on every form.
- 29
kontots syfte
the purpose of the account
Tip: lit. the same — they must ask.
- 30
förväntad omsättning
expected turnover
Tip: lit. the same.
- 31
ett gemensamt konto
a joint account
Tip: lit. the same — common for couples sharing bills.
- 32
anmäla kontot för löneutbetalning
to register the account for salary
Tip: lit. the same — via Swedbank's register, oddly enough.
- 33
en autogirobetalning
a direct debit
Tip: lit. the same.
- 34
en e-faktura
an e-invoice
Tip: lit. the same — approve it in the app.
- 35
en stående överföring
a standing order
Tip: lit. the same.
- 36
betalningsdatum
the payment date
Tip: lit. the same.
- 37
ett OCR-nummer
an OCR reference
Tip: lit. the same — the long number on Swedish invoices.
- 38
ett bankgironummer
a bankgiro number
Tip: lit. the same — a Swedish payment system.
- 39
ett plusgironummer
a plusgiro number
Tip: lit. the same — the older alternative.
- 40
ett IBAN för utlandet
an IBAN for abroad
Tip: lit. the same.
- 41
överföringsavgiften
the transfer fee
Tip: lit. the same.
- 42
växlingspåslaget
the exchange margin
Tip: lit. the same — where the bank really earns.
- 43
ett kort spärrat för näthandel
a card blocked for online use
Tip: lit. the same — a safety setting.
- 44
höja beloppsgränsen tillfälligt
to raise the limit temporarily
Tip: lit. the same.
- 45
en misstänkt transaktion
a suspicious transaction
Tip: lit. the same.
- 46
spärra kortet direkt
to freeze the card immediately
Tip: lit. the same.
- 47
banken frågar aldrig efter din kod
the bank will never ask for your code
Tip: lit. the same — the sentence that prevents most fraud.