How to obtain and renew a residence permit in Luxembourg

The residence permit in Luxembourg not only grants an opportunity to move to the country but also provides several rights and resources you can use throughout the EU.

How to obtain a residence permit in Luxembourg

To qualify for a residence permit in Luxembourg, you must meet special criteria. For each situation and case the papers and grounds, proofs and certificates change. But some things are the same in most of the cases. To assume your chances, you must have the following met.

Residence permits for EU citizens

Citizens of the EU and Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland can move to Luxembourg and live here without a residence permit for the first three months of stay.

To live in the country for more than three months — you need legal grounds, such as study in Luxembourg, employment, business or kinship with a Luxembourg citizen. The documents to be provided depend on the status.

Residence permits for everyone else

Citizens of non-EU countries who would like to stay in the country for up to three months must obtain a short-term visa. Also, you can submit an application to the immigration office of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to obtain a residence permit, which is based on a long-term visa. There are several ways to legally stay in Luxembourg.

Grounds for obtaining a titre de séjour

As mentioned before, a lot depends on your legal grounds for a long-time stay in Luxembourg. They can include the following ones.

Employment

Marriage

Study

Investment

Family reunification

How to renew a residence permit in Luxembourg?

The main difference between a residence permit and citizenship is the limited validity period. If you plan to stay in Luxembourg for a long time, sooner or later this document will need to be prolonged.

How long is the residence permit valid for?

The residence permit is valid from 1 year to several years. It all depends on the type of activity and the type of card issued.

You must apply to renew the residence permit in Luxembourg two months before the expiration of the current certificate.

Application form for renewal

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To renew your residence permit, you will need to submit an application form

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To renew your residence permit, you will need to submit an application form

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What documents are needed for renewal (all cases)?

Applications for renewal must be submitted to the Immigration Office of the Luxembourg Ministry of Foreign Affairs by post in one complete package application.

You can also have your residence permit extended in your municipality. They will contact the immigration office themselves. For more information or any help regarding the renewal of the card contact your commune office.

Here you will find all the documents needed for different categories of workers to prolong residence permits in Luxembourg.

Residence permit renewal for salaried workers

The most common type of immigration to Luxembourg is for work and employment reasons, so it makes sense that this is also the most common type of prolongation.

To apply for renewal for this type of residence permit, you will need certain documents:

Something's missing

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*The mandatory items are marked with red asterisks.

Copies of all pages of your passport;

Copy of a valid employment contract

Compliant with Luxembourg labor law, dated and signed

A recent certificate of affiliation

That must include all connections of the employee with the social security system

A recent certificate of no criminal record in Luxembourg

Proof of payment of the 80 euros state fee.

Something's missing

Make sure you gathered all the documents

*The mandatory items are marked with red asterisks.

Residence permit renewal for Blue Card workers

Employees with the EU Blue Card are granted a residence permit for up to 4 years, or, if the contract is for less than 4 years, for the duration of the contract + 3 months.

In case the Blue Card owner can prove the effectiveness of their work and there are no impending circumstances, the residence permit is extended for the same period of time.

The application is accompanied by a list of documents:

Something's missing

Make sure you gathered all the documents

*The mandatory items are marked with red asterisks.

Copies of all passport pages

A copy of the employment contract

Compliant with Luxembourg labor law, dated and signed

proof of payment of wages

E.g. last 3 payslips, tax returns, etc.

A recent certificate of affiliation

That must include all connections of the employee with the social security system

A recent certificate of no criminal record in Luxembourg

Proof of payment of the 80 euros state fee

Something's missing

Make sure you gathered all the documents

*The mandatory items are marked with red asterisks.

Residence permit renewal for posted workers

The procedure for extending a residence permit for such workers is identical regardless of the country of incorporation of the company. Employees of the company from the EU and third countries go through the same steps.

However, the renewal of this type of residence permit in Luxembourg is possible only if the period of the business trip is extended by mutual agreement between the sending and receiving parties.

You will need the following documents:

Something's missing

Make sure you gathered all the documents

*The mandatory items are marked with red asterisks.

Confirmation of the business trip continuation

A justification for the requested extension

Copy of an annex to the contract between the sending company and the recipient of services

Copy of the employer's authorization to extend the business trip

Copy of an annex to the contract of service provision

Copy of a valid passport in its entirety

Copy of a permanent employment contract with the date and signature of the sending employee and the sending company

A certificate of registration with the social security system of the country of origin/country of dispatch or Luxembourg

A recent certificate of no criminal record in Luxembourg

Proof of payment of the 80 euros state fee

Something's missing

Make sure you gathered all the documents

*The mandatory items are marked with red asterisks.

Residence permit renewal for seasonal workers

The validity of the residence permit for seasonal employees cannot exceed 5 months in one year. The residence permit is renewed for the same period. It will not be possible to get more — this is the specifics of such employment.

The documents required for the residence permit renewal:

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*The mandatory items are marked with red asterisks.

A copy of all pages of the passport

A copy of the contract for seasonal work (currently in force and in compliance with the Luxembourg labor law) with the date and signature

A recent Luxembourg Social Security enrollment certificate showing all the seasonal worker's past admissions

A recent certificate of no criminal record in Luxembourg

Proof of payment of the 80 euros state fee

Something's missing

Make sure you gathered all the documents

*The mandatory items are marked with red asterisks.

Residence permit renewal for independants and self-employed

A temporary residence permit for self-employed persons in Luxembourg is issued for a period of up to 3 years. You can renew the permit for an equivalent period by submitting the following documents.

You'll need:

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*The mandatory items are marked with red asterisks.

A copy of all pages of the passport

Documents confirming that the conditions for access to the profession are still fulfilled (e.g., a business permit)

Recent affiliation certificates showing all of the self-employed person's previous affiliations with the Luxembourg social security system and, if applicable, his or her employees

A copy of the personal income tax return for the previous year and proof that it has been properly filed

A recent certificate of no criminal record in Luxembourg

Proof of payment of the 80 euros state fee

Something's missing

Make sure you gathered all the documents

*The mandatory items are marked with red asterisks.

Add these documents for your registered companies

• a complete balance sheet for the period preceding the application, as well as confirmation that it has been duly filed with the Commercial and Commercial Register (RCS);
• a copy of the income tax return for the previous fiscal year, as well as proof that it has been duly filed;
• a copy of the VAT return, as well as proof that it was duly filed.

A list of documents and the period of validity of the residence permit may vary according to the category of the document you previously obtained. However, the basic documents are usually the same.

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When it comes to the state fee payment, you need to make a bank transfer to the account with the correct commentary. Then you need to print out the transfer notice and attach it to the documents. The Ministry does not send a separate confirmation of payment.