SEB ATM's in Finland esp Vaasa?

Aoife · Post by **Aoife** » Sun Oct 28, 2007 11:52 am

Hello forum folks

I'm taking a 6 month contract in Vaasa and wondering about banking. I searched unsuccessfully for threads about opening a bank account.

Anyhow I have a euro account with SEB and am wondering if there are SEB ATM's in Finland particularly in Vaasa?

If not, is it hard to open a bank account as a EU citizen but not in the Finnish tax system? It is supposed to be OK in all EU countries but I found it was a big challenge in Sweden because I did not have a personnummer. It took a lot of visits to different banks before I found a bank and a person that would take my passport and a letter from my employer and give me a 'fictive' ie made-up personnummer. It only gave me a card though not internet banking.

Your comments gladly received as this is my first post : )

**Sponsor:**

Hank W. · Post by **Hank W.** » Sun Oct 28, 2007 12:02 pm

Banks don't have their own ATM's. They're run by a conglomerate so they're all "Otto". And SEB here isn't a "rif-raf" bank anyways.

Yes well you won't get paid unless you get a personnummer here (or docked 60% taxes) so you better go with the right papers in the right order in the right offices to register (or they tell you to piss off)...

Opening a bank account and everything else has been explained 1001 times, search again... last here

Aoife · Post by **Aoife** » Sun Oct 28, 2007 12:51 pm

Don't you be worrying - I will get paid! I work for an EU company which is sending me to Finland for a while.

The otto thing is interesting - did not realise this.

It would just be handy to have a local account into which to get my travel expenses paid and pay less fees for withdrawals. But if this is impossible I'll just withdraw from my SEB card. It's worked so far in Australia Asia and everywhere else in Europe so I shouldn't think it will be a big deal.

Thanks for the link I'll have a look into it.

Cheers for now

Jukka Aho · Post by **Jukka Aho** » Mon Oct 29, 2007 2:07 am

Aoife wrote:The otto thing is interesting - did not realise this.

See here for more information and here for the locations of the “Otto” ATMs. (Type “Vaasa” in the Paikkakunta search box.)

Alicia · Post by **Alicia** » Mon Oct 29, 2007 8:38 am

Most Ottos are around the town square, plus in the Rewel Center, but all bigger supermarkets have them and I have heard that they have them in the 'burbs as well

They are bright yellow. Hard to miss.

Hank W. · Post by **Hank W.** » Mon Oct 29, 2007 9:26 am

There used to be some banks had their own system for long, but as they started asking for charges and then nobody used them, their upkeep costs skyrocketed. However theres been talk of another competitor coming for the "Otto"... was it the jokers said it'll be called "Anna"

Aoife · Post by **Aoife** » Mon Oct 29, 2007 7:07 pm

That was a great link - even a picture of the famous otto ATM !! 22 automaattia in Vaasa - I don't think I'll have trouble getting cash!

Thanks for the great info folks.

zam · Post by **zam** » Tue Oct 30, 2007 11:25 pm

I guess Sampo Bank (nowadays a subsidiary of Danske Bank) opens a bank account without a Finnish ID number (with Internet banking codes) if you have "a reason" for having it (exchange student, work...). Nordea does that, too, but without the Finnish ID they will not give you the internet bank codes (policy changed this autumn).

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