Sooner or later a Swedish app or website will ask you to “Logga in med BankID” and offer nothing else. Here is why you can’t, what that actually blocks, and the workaround for each case.
When you need this
A login screen with a single blue BankID button. A market stall with a Swish sign. A clinic that says “book on 1177.se”. A Swedish friend who offers to “just sign in for you”. Or you’ve read that Sweden now has an e-ID for foreigners and wonder whether it’s worth downloading before the trip.
What BankID is and why you can’t have it
BankID is Sweden’s dominant e-legitimation, or electronic ID. Swedes use it to log in to their bank, sign contracts, pay by Swish, reach healthcare records and prove who they are online. Swedish banks issue it, on top of the population register.
The wall is the personnummer, the Swedish personal identity number. To order Mobile BankID you need an approved Swedish ID document showing your personnummer. Swedbank’s own FAQ adds that you cannot get it with a samordningsnummer (the coordination number non-residents are sometimes given), because a personnummer is required.
So the chain breaks at the first link:
| Service | Needs | Can a tourist get it? |
|---|---|---|
| BankID | Swedish personnummer + Swedish bank | No |
| Swish | BankID + Swedish bank account | No |
| 1177.se login | Swedish personnummer + BankID or Freja+ | No |
| Swedish prepaid SIM | Foreign passport or ID card is enough | Yes, but it unlocks none of the above |
No app, SIM card, foreign bank or fee changes this. Eligibility is the barrier, not money. Anyone online offering “BankID for foreigners” is selling something that doesn’t exist.
What the wall actually blocks
For a short visit, less than you fear. Hotels, trains, museums, restaurants and shops take cards, and 92% of in-store purchases in Sweden are card payments. Swish, the BankID-based app, accounts for only about 2% of Swedes’ most recent in-store purchases.
The wall genuinely bites in three places:
- Swish. Market stalls, flea markets (loppis), club kiosks and friends splitting a bill. See our Swish guide for tourists.
- Logged-in public services. 1177.se, the national healthcare portal, needs a Swedish personnummer plus BankID or Freja+ to book, message a clinic or read results. It says outright that a foreign e-identification won’t work.
- Private services that use BankID as sign-up or ID. Some apps and sites default to BankID. Online pharmacy parcels, for example, must be signed for, and collection points ask for ID or BankID.
Freja and Sverige-id: the 2026 stories
Two developments get described as “an e-ID for foreigners”. Neither helps a tourist.
Freja with a foreign passport
Freja is a private e-ID app. Anyone can open an account with an email address, and Freja can add a biometric passport from 170+ countries with an NFC scan and a selfie. The catch is the assurance level. Digg, the government’s digitalisation agency, approved Freja for users without a personnummer or coordination number at level 2. Most personal e-services require level 3.
The level-3 version, Freja+, is open to foreigners only with a verified coordination number and residence in Sweden, and currently only to EU/EEA citizens. For a holiday, Freja does not unlock Swish, banking or 1177.se.
Sverige-id, the state e-ID
From 1 December 2026 the Swedish Police issue a state e-ID, Sverige-id, under a new law (Lag 2026:1358). The law allows it only for Swedish citizens and for foreigners who are folkbokförda, meaning registered as living in Sweden. Tourists are neither. From the same date, public bodies must accept authorised Swedish e-IDs at the assurance level their service requires. That widens choice for residents, not access for visitors.
EU citizens: the eIDAS exception
If your country’s national e-ID is notified under the EU’s eIDAS rules, some Swedish agency logins offer a “Foreign eID” option. Skatteverket, the tax agency, is one, and its list of countries grows over time. Most of its e-services still need a Swedish personnummer, though, and 1177.se doesn’t take foreign e-IDs at all.
How to get around it
| Situation | What to do instead |
|---|---|
| Swish-only seller | Pay by card if they have a terminal; otherwise cash, or a friend pays and you repay them in cash |
| Friends split the bill by Swish | Pay the whole bill by card and let them settle with you |
| Need medical advice | Phone 1177: from a foreign phone, +46 771-11 77 00; skip the personnummer prompt and wait in the queue |
| Emergency | Call 112 |
| Parcel pickup or ID check | Show your passport or national ID card |
| App or site offers only BankID | Look for another login option, guest checkout, email login or a phone line, or ask staff |
| Parking | Use the city’s card machines or an approved parking app |
Add your card to Apple Pay or Google Pay and you get the tap-your-phone convenience Swedes get from Swish. For the full payment picture, see using cards in Sweden.
Staying longer
The route to BankID is residency: become folkbokförd, receive a personnummer, open a Swedish bank account, then order BankID. From December 2026, registered residents can also apply for Sverige-id. That takes weeks to months. It isn’t something to start on a holiday.
Mistakes to avoid
- Buying a Swedish SIM to “get BankID”. A SIM gives you a number and data, registered against your foreign passport. BankID is tied to a personnummer and a bank, not a phone number. Our SIM card guide covers what a Swedish number does unlock.
- Assuming a coordination number is enough. It isn’t, for BankID.
- Treating Freja as a BankID substitute. It is an identity app, not a bank, and a passport-only account doesn’t reach the level most services need.
- Letting a friend sign with their BankID for you. BankID is a legal signature. Whatever is signed counts as the holder’s own act, and banks tell holders never to use it at someone else’s prompting. “Sign this for me” is exactly how Swedish BankID fraud works. A friend paying a Swish seller and taking your cash is fine. A friend logging in as you is not.
- Spending an evening on 1177.se registration. Phone instead.
Practical information
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| BankID for tourists | Not available: requires a Swedish personnummer |
| BankID cost (for those eligible) | Free from the bank |
| Coordination number enough? | No |
| Freja, passport-only | Assurance level 2; most personal e-services need level 3 |
| Freja+ for foreigners | Verified coordination number, residence in Sweden, EU/EEA citizens |
| Sverige-id | From 1 December 2026; citizens and registered residents only |
| 1177 from a foreign phone | +46 771-11 77 00, cost of an ordinary call |
| Emergency | 112 |
| Your ID in Sweden | Passport or national ID card |
FAQ
Can a tourist get BankID in Sweden?
No. BankID is issued by Swedish banks only to people with a Swedish personnummer, and Swedbank states that even a coordination number is not enough. Visitors have neither, so no bank can issue one, and no app, SIM card or foreign bank changes that. Plan around it: pay by card, phone rather than log in, and show your passport as ID.
Does a Swedish SIM card give me BankID?
No. A Swedish prepaid SIM gives you a number and data, and operators register it against your foreign passport or ID card without any BankID. But BankID is tied to a Swedish personnummer and a Swedish bank, not to a phone number, so the SIM leaves you exactly where you started. The same goes for Swish, which runs on BankID.
Is Freja eID a BankID alternative for foreigners?
Only partly. Anyone can open a Freja account, and it can add a biometric passport from many countries. But a passport-only account sits at assurance level 2, while most personal e-services require level 3. The level-3 version, Freja+, needs a verified coordination number and residence in Sweden. For a holiday, Freja does not unlock Swish, banking or 1177.se.
Can I book a doctor on 1177.se without BankID?
No. Logging in to 1177.se requires a Swedish personnummer plus BankID or Freja+, and a foreign e-identification is not accepted. Phone instead: from a foreign number, 1177 lists +46 771-11 77 00. When the system asks for a personnummer, you may skip it and wait in the queue. In an emergency, call 112.
Will Sweden’s new state e-ID, Sverige-id, work for tourists?
No. Sverige-id launches on 1 December 2026, but the law allows it only for Swedish citizens and for foreigners who are registered as residents in Sweden (folkbokförda), aged nine or older. It is aimed at people who live in Sweden without BankID, not at visitors. Your passport stays your identity document here.
Can a Swedish friend use their BankID for me?
They shouldn’t. BankID is a personal legal identity: whatever is signed with it counts as the holder’s own act, and banks warn holders never to use it at someone else’s prompting. A friend can pay a Swish-only seller for you and take cash back, which is ordinary. Logging in or signing on your behalf is not.
Related guides
- Swish for tourists: the BankID-based app you’ll meet most often
- Using cards in Sweden: the payment method that replaces it for you
- 1177 medical advice: getting healthcare help by phone, no BankID needed
- SIM cards and eSIMs in Sweden: what a Swedish number does and doesn’t unlock
- Parking in Sweden: paying by card machine or app
Facts verified 2026-09-24. Sources: Swedbank, Swish, Sveriges Riksbank, 1177, Freja eID, Skatteverket, Sveriges Riksdag (Lag 2026:1358), Polismyndigheten, Regeringen — full register in this topic’s source file. Found something outdated? Tell us and we’ll fix it.