Luxembourg is without a doubt, the most multicultural and cosmopolite country in the world with close to 170 nationalities. If you are expecting to move in Luxembourg to work, here we explain what are the conditions for entry onto the territory.
A little reminder about the country
For 50 years, Luxembourg is a small country which opened up to the world. Foreigners account for 53% of the population of 645.397. The greatest number of foreign nationals are Portuguese (16%), French (8%), Italian (4%), Belgian (3%) and German (2%).
The labor market is composed of 71% of foreigner workers and the economic situation is good: close to 16,000 new jobs have been created in 2022 and the unemployed rate stagnate around 5%.
Luxembourg is a multilingual hub but Luxembourgish is still the national language, used mostly in spoken communication. German is the language of literacy, French is learned from 8, and English from 13. Not to mention the languages spoken at home like Portuguese, Italian and many more. Note also that 91% of residents speaks French in Luxembourg. French and English are the most spoken languages in the private sector. However, Luxembourgish is a prerequisite to work in the public sector.
Conditions to enter onto the territory
The conditions for entry onto the territory depend on the duration intended to stay and your citizenship.
If you are an EU citizen, you benefit from the freedom of movement allowing you to reside and work in any country of the EU like Luxembourg. For a short stay of up to 3 months, no administrative procedure is necessary. If you want to reside in Luxembourg, once you have a work contract or an employment proposal, you need to register within the 3 months of your arrival at the House Hall Administration, which will provide you with a certificate.
If you are a Non EU-citizen, living in one of these countries, you will need a visa type D to live, work or even pass through Luxembourg or any other country from the Schengen area. If you come from another country, please check this list to see the conditions of entry from your country.
Be careful, you are not allowed to be in Luxembourg while your visa application is processed. Once you completed the application papers, you need to send them to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs which will validate or not your temporary residence permit of 90 days. After receiving a temporary residence visa, you may apply for a long term work permit in Luxembourg.
As a general rule, the visa application must be made in the country where the applicant resides, at a Luxembourg consulate or, at a diplomatic mission representing Luxembourg. If there is no Luxembourg consulate and if Luxembourg is not represented, the application must be made to the consulate with territorial jurisdiction for visa applications from that country.
After your arrival on the Luxembourg territory, you will have to ask for a residence permit (its duration depends on your situation), across the Luxembourgish Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs.
Within the 3 first working days, you must make a declaration of arrival at the House Hall Administration of your residence. You will then have 3 months to undergo 2 medical examinations and to make an application for a residence permit with the immigration Directorate of the for Foreign and European Affairs.
If your family members are EU-citizen, they are entitled for applying for a residence permit with the Administration of your House Hall of residence. If they are Non EU-citizen, they will have to follow the same procedure as a worker: with an application for a temporary residence permit, as a family member, then if the visa applicable, ask for a resident permit across the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs.
Useful links and resources
- Luxembourg's government Immigration website
- List of countries that require a visa to come to Luxembourg
- Working in Luxembourg as a third-country national and cross-border worker
- Applying for recognition of the level of studies, the equivalence of diplomas and the equivalence of professional qualifications
- Staying and/or working in Luxembourg for more than 90 days as an EU citizen
Sources : InterNations - Guichet.public.lu - Luxembourg.public.lu
