Finances

Banks
There are several major banks in Sweden, with branches located in all main cities and towns.  ATMs are easy to find, and many shops enable you to withdraw cash when using a credit card to pay for a purchase.  When opening a Swedish bank account as an international student, make sure to take a copy of your Letter of Acceptance to SLU and your passport.  Also remember that banks in Sweden are closed on weekends and public holidays.

Currency
The Swedish krona (kronor in plural) is the national currency.  It is often written as SEK or kr.  One krona is made up of 100 öre.  In 2010, all öre coins were discontinued.  Products can still be priced in öre, but the sum is rounded up the nearest krona when paying with cash.  Bank notes exist in the value of 20, 50, 100, 500 and 1000kr.  The 1 and 5kr coins are silver, and the 10kr coins are gold.  Many English speakers refer to the currency as ‘The Swedish Crown’ because krona literally means crown in Swedish.