How to obtain Luxembourg citizenship

Naturalization is a popular and easy way to obtain citizenship, but there are certain requirements that must be met.

Do you meet the basic requirements

All criteria must be met for successful naturalization

If at least one of the requirements is not met, you will not be able to obtain citizenship.

*The mandatory items are marked with red asterisks.

5-year term

Residence in Luxembourg for at least 5 years

Proof of knowledge of the Luxembourg language

Successfully passed the Luxembourg language exam Sproochentest Lëtzebuergesch

Understanding of the principles of integration

Confirmation of their understanding of the principles of integration into the local culture with a certificate of the course "Vivre Ensemble au Grand-Duché de Luxembourg". The course and its final test cover the following topics Citizenship — 6 hours, State structure — 12 hours, History of the Grand Duchy and European integration — 6 hours.

Clean reputation

You have a good reputation, which means that you have not committed a crime, withheld important information, made false statements, have no criminal record, have not been accused of fraud, etc.

All criteria must be met for successful naturalization

If at least one of the requirements is not met, you will not be able to obtain citizenship.

*The mandatory items are marked with red asterisks.

The list of documents required when applying for citizenship by naturalization is not very long, but all of them are extremely important.

You will need:

Make sure you have all the documents

At least one of the official papers is missing, the application will not be accepted.

*The mandatory items are marked with red asterisks.

Birth Certificate

Your own and for children under 18, if applicable

Foreign passport

Copies of all pages and copies of children's passports, if you have any

Criminal record certificates

To be obtained from the countries of which you are or have been a citizen. To be obtained from the country or countries where you have resided for the last 15 years, beginning at the age of 18.

Biographical Questionnaire

Special questionnaire provided on the form attached below

Certificate of passing the Sproochentest Lëtzebuergesch

This is a test in Luxembourgish. It consists of two parts: an oral test (level A2) and a listening test (level B1).

Certificate of successful completion of Vivre ensemble au Grand-Duché de Luxembourg

This document can be obtained in 2 ways — either by attending the course or by taking the test immediately without attending the course.

Authorization of the judge

In case of guardianship or custody of children, in addition to the above documents, you will need the authorization of the supervising judge.

Make sure you have all the documents

At least one of the official papers is missing, the application will not be accepted.

*The mandatory items are marked with red asterisks.

A biographical questionnaire is a type of statement that you must submit with your documents. You can download it and review the information you need to provide.

Integration courses are an initiative of the Grand Duchy. The aim is to introduce the main historical milestones, the social and legal norms and the particularities of life in Luxembourg to a person wishing to acquire citizenship or to stay in the country for a longer period of time.

The course and exam cover the following subjects

The final exam for the course may be multiple choice or yes/no. You can take the exam after you have completed the entire course, or you can take it immediately without waiting for the course to end and without attending class.

Registration for the course is free of charge

It is open to anyone who is 18 years of age or older

Apply now

Knowing the Luxembourgish language is an important step in acquiring citizenship. The language is a national treasure and the pride of the Grand Duchy, so you must learn it anyway.

There are many courses and teachers. In this matter, the State does not limit your choice in any way: you can turn to the teacher you prefer.

This division of skill levels seems a bit irrational to me, but the creators know best.

Vika, teacher of Luxembourgish

Read interview

As you have already understood, the exam consists of two blocks: Listening and Speaking, and there is no Written section. To pass the exam, you must score at least half of the maximum score.

Speaking

Listening

The cost of the exam is 75 euros, and the exam is considered passed if the arithmetic average of the two blocks exceeds half of the total possible points.

The naturalization process is free of charge. However, there may be costs associated with earlier steps: translation of documents, taking exams, and others.

The application and the complete set of documents from Step 2 of this guide are submitted to the civil registry office of the municipality where the applicant resides.

Please note that by signing the application form, the applicant authorizes the Ministry of Justice to request Certificate No. 2 on Criminal Record from the Public Prosecutor's Office. The Ministry may request additional documents if the documents submitted by the candidate are insufficient or do not meet the requirements to prove the necessary criteria.

Normally, it takes up to eight months for the Department of Justice to review a file. However, due to COVID-19 and the increase in the number of refugees, this period has been increased to 10 months. This means that your specific case may be reviewed sooner, but it is worth focusing on this timeframe.

If a positive decision has been made on your application, the Ministry will send you a confirmation by mail. The same applies to a negative decision.