Swedish BankID: All You Need to Know

Swedish BankID is one of the most used electronic identities in the world. It’s used by millions of people everyday for user authentication and digital signatures.

In this article, we’ll cover:

What BankID is
The BankID user experience
The security levels
The business benefits of BankID
How to get your business started

What is Swedish BankID?

BankID was first introduced by Finansiell ID-Teknik BID AB in 2003.

By the start of 2004, there were 100,000+ BankID users in Sweden. At that time, BankID was mainly used for identity verification for Skatteverket (the Swedish Tax Agency) and Försäkringskassan (the Swedish Social Insurance Agency).

Today, BankID is by far the most used eID in Sweden. In 2023, BankID was used 7.1 billion times and had 8.5 million unique users.

BankID is developed, owned, and run by seven Swedish banks:

Svenska Handelsbanken
Swedbank
SEB
Längsförsäkringar Bank
Skandiabanken
Danske Bank
Ikano Bank

People use BankID to log into governmental services, sign documents, approve electronic payments (SCA), and to verify their identity on private platforms.

BankID is being constantly updated and improved to provide a more secure and complete experience.

In 2022, BankID made it possible for businesses to add a text to explain the intent behind the verification in the BankID app. This helps users understand why and by whom they’re asked to verify to better protect themselves from scams.
In 2023, BankID launched the digital ID-card. All BankID users with a Swedish passport or a physical national ID-card can activate it. The digital ID-card helps verify one’s identity with BankID in physical environments. The ID-card has a QR-code that a verifier can scan to confirm the person’s identity.
In 2024, Secure start became mandatory, introducing verifications with Autostart and QR code to BankID.

How is the BankID user experience?

BankID is available in multiple forms:

Mobile BankID
BankID on file
BankID on card

Mobile BankID is the most used type because of its accessibility and smooth user experience. When verifying their identity via mobile BankID, users can use a personal code or biometrics (Face-ID or fingerprint), depending on what their phone supports.

Secure start: BankID verification with Autostart and QR code

From May 1, 2024, all businesses using BankID were required to comply with Secure start to better protect users from phishing attacks.

Secure start is a technical update that enabled Autostart for BankID verification on the same device and BankID QR-code for verification on another device:

Autostart: When a user hits the “Start BankID” button on a device, they’re redirected to the BankID app on that same device. This is a way to ensure that the same person starts and completes the verification process.
QR-code: When a user wants to verify their identity on another device, they must use the BankID app to scan a QR code on that device’s screen. This ensures that the same person initiates the verification process and scans the QR code.

What are the BankID security levels?

BankID is a secure Swedish eID. According to the Agency for Digital Government (DIGG), BankID fulfills a security level of 3 out of 4.

BankID also lives up to the EU framework eIDAS and meets the level of “Substantial”.

What are the benefits of BankID?

There are several benefits for businesses to verify their users with BankID.

Recognizable eID: BankID is a widely recognized electronic identification system, used by almost the entire Swedish population. This high level of usage ensures that users can rely on a familiar method for identity verification.

Secure identity verification: BankID provides a highly secure way to verify customers' identities, used by government agencies, financial institutions, telecom providers, and several others. This reduces the risk of fraud and ensures that businesses are dealing with verified and legitimate users.

User-friendly experience: The process of verifying identity with BankID is straightforward, requiring just a few clicks and supports the use of biometrics.

Multiple verification methods: BankID supports various verification methods, including digital signatures and over-the-phone verification. This versatility ensures that BankID can be used in a wide range of business cases.

Password-free verification: By using BankID, businesses can avoid the common issues associated with passwords, such as users forgetting them or reusing insecure passwords. This reduces the time and resources spent on password recovery and related support.

Can anyone get BankID?

Certain requirements need to be fulfilled in order to get BankID as a user. You need to:

Have a Swedish social security number
Be a customer of a bank that issues BankID
Verify your identity with an approved Swedish ID (e.g. passport or driver’s license)