Moving to Luxembourg: how to go about it?

Moving and establishing residence in Luxembourg

To establish temporary or permanent residence in Luxembourg, you will need a residence permit.

If you are not a citizen of the European Union and are coming to study, work, or live in the country, you will need to obtain a visa prior to your arrival. You can obtain a residence permit as an employee or self-employed person, student, researcher, intern, or for a number of other professions.

Citizens of the Schengen area benefit from the free movement of goods and persons.

To apply for a temporary residence permit, you must visit a Luxembourg embassy or consulate near you before your departure for Luxembourg. You will need to provide them with certain documents:

• A passport that is valid after your arrival,
• All applicable birth certificates and marriage/divorce certificates for family members
• Proof of financial means,
• Proof of employment in Luxembourg,
• Proof of admission to school (students).

Most of these documents will need to be officially translated. You will generally have to wait at least 3 months before obtaining your temporary residence permit. This serves as both a work permit and a residence permit.

To find out more about the different types of residence permits in Luxembourg, click here.

Taxes and duties for moving to Luxembourg

Importing your personal belongings into Luxembourg

Are you planning to move to Luxembourg? Good news: you can bring your personal belongings with you without paying import duties. To do so, you must meet the following requirements:

• You must have owned and used your personal belongings yourself for at least 6 months
• You must have lived abroad for the past 12 months
• Your shipment of personal belongings must arrive within a maximum of one year after your move to Luxembourg
• Your personal belongings must also be considered by customs as "corresponding to your social status." In other words, the value of what you bring into the country must correspond to your overall income level. This requirement, which may seem strange, limits the importation of luxury goods that are illegally resold for profit in Luxembourg.

You will also not be able to lend to others, sell, or dispose of duty-free goods for six months after their arrival in the country.

Documents required to import household goods into Luxembourg

To obtain an import tax exemption on your household goods, you will need:

• A complete inventory of household goods written in French or English, with a signature at the bottom of each page
• Original bill of lading or air waybill (AWB)
• Passport
• Separate packing list
• Form 136 F
• Type D temporary residence visa
• Certificate of address registration proving the city where you will be living
• Arrival declaration provided at least 3 business days after your arrival
• Certificate of residence from the Department of Foreign Affairs if you have not already received one before your arrival.

Do you need temporary accommodation while you look for a permanent place to live? Click here.

Taxes and duties on the importation of personal vehicles

Exemption for personal vehicles

You can import your personal vehicle into Luxembourg duty-free. To do so, you must have purchased it at least 6 months before importing it. It must also have more than 6,000 km on the odometer. You cannot sell or transfer ownership of the car within one year of importing it.

Documents required to import a personal vehicle into Luxembourg

You will need to provide a fairly comprehensive set of documents while your vehicle is being processed for import into Luxembourg. You will need:

• Title and registration
• Valid driver's license. For more information on the steps to follow to properly integrate your car into the moving process, see the instructions on how to obtain a valid driver's license in Luxembourg.
• Vehicle insurance: you must have proof of insurance for at least 6 months and a copy of your international insurance coverage
• Purchase invoice for the vehicle
• COM4 declaration, including documents proving that you are the owner of the vehicle, proving that you have used the vehicle in your country of origin, and an official certificate of change of residence
• Form T, which gives you permission to move your vehicle within the EU
• Letter from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirming your employment in Luxembourg.

The conditions listed here are for informational purposes only and may differ slightly depending on the details of your move, so we recommend that you contact the Luxembourg customs office directly if you have any questions or need to verify your conditions.

More information on the administrative formalities for importing a vehicle into Luxembourg