Luxembourg:Visa Requirements

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Luxembourg Visa Requirements Map

Luxembourg: Visa Requirements

Visa requirements may change. Always verify the latest information through official government sources.

Visa-Free Entry Requirements

  • A traveler entering without a visa for a short stay must carry a valid passport or travel document recognized by Luxembourg and the Schengen area. The document must be valid for at least three months after the planned departure date from the Schengen area.
  • The visa-free stay is a maximum of 90 days in any 180-day period. Days spent on previous Schengen trips are also included in this calculation.
  • The traveler must be able to prove the purpose and conditions of their trip at border control. For business trips, an official letter of invitation may be requested; for tourist trips, hotel or other accommodation documentation, return flight ticket or proof of onward travel to the next country may be requested.
  • Sufficient financial means must be available to cover the entire duration of stay, the return journey or onward travel to another country. Financial means can be proven through personal resources, bank documents or a formal sponsorship undertaking. A fixed daily amount applicable to all visa-exempt travelers, the period to be covered by the bank statement and the minimum balance required in the account are not specified definitively in the central official source.
  • Travel health insurance must be valid for the planned duration of stay, cover the Schengen area and provide medical coverage of at least 30,000 euros.
  • If financial means are covered by a sponsor residing in Luxembourg, a formal sponsorship undertaking may be used. The sponsor may submit the application online using LuxTrust or an electronic identity card. For a paper application, the sponsor's signature must be certified by the authority at the place of residence and the document must be approved by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
  • The sponsor must submit the data page of their passport or identity card, if a foreigner their Luxembourg residence permit, the last three salary slips or proof of monthly income, and the passport data page of the supported person. The approved sponsorship undertaking can be used within six months, is valid for only one trip and does not alone grant the right to enter the country.
  • The traveler must not be registered in the Schengen Information System for the purpose of refusing entry, must not be subject to an entry ban in force, and must not pose a threat to public order, national security, public health or international relations.
  • Within three days after arriving in Luxembourg, a declaration of arrival must be made to the municipality of stay or an accommodation form must be filled in at a hotel or similar accommodation establishment. The form issued by the accommodation establishment replaces the declaration of arrival.
  • The entry and exit information of short-stay third-country travelers to and from the Schengen area is recorded electronically under the Entry/Exit System. This system is a border registration system replacing manual passport stamps and is not a separate travel authorization application.
  • The number of blank pages required in the passport, that the document was issued within the last 10 years, biometric or machine-readable passport requirements and detailed acceptance criteria for damaged passports are not specified definitively in the central official source for visa-free entry.
  • A general vaccination certificate or medical report requirement for visa-free entry is not specified definitively in the central official source. Border authorities may request additional documents due to the traveler's personal situation, itinerary or public health conditions.

Consular Visa Application Requirements — Short-Stay Schengen Visa – Type C

  • A type C visa may be issued for a stay of up to 90 days in any 180-day period for tourism, family or friend visits, business trips, conferences, trade fairs, cultural or sporting events, short-term training, medical treatment or other short-term purposes.
  • If Luxembourg is the sole or main destination of the trip, the application must be submitted to the embassy, consulate or authorized application center of Luxembourg responsible for the applicant's legal place of residence. In places where Luxembourg is not represented, short-stay applications may be submitted to a representation of another Schengen state acting on behalf of Luxembourg.
  • If traveling to multiple Schengen countries, the application must be submitted to the representation of the country of the main purpose of the trip or the longest stay. If the durations of stay are equal, the representation of the country whose external border is first crossed is competent.
  • The application must be submitted at least 15 calendar days before the planned trip and must not be submitted earlier than six months before the start of the trip. The competent representation may recommend earlier application depending on local workload.
  • The applicant must submit a fully completed and personally signed Schengen visa application form. The application is normally submitted in person. The technical method for completing the form manually or electronically may vary depending on the representation or authorized application center where the application is submitted.
  • Two recent identical passport photographs must be submitted. An official Luxembourg representation checklist requires color photographs of 35 × 45 millimeters compliant with ICAO rules. Details such as background color, maximum date of photograph, digital file format and resolution are not specified definitively in the central official source; the photo rules of the representation where the application is submitted must be applied.
  • The passport or accepted travel document must be valid for at least three months after the expiry date of the requested visa. The Schengen visa checklist requires that the passport was issued within the last 10 years and contains at least two blank pages. No additional central technical requirement applicable to all applications regarding damaged passports, machine-readable passports and biometric passports is specified definitively.
  • Documents appropriate to the purpose of the trip must be provided with the application. These documents may include hotel reservation, other proof of accommodation, official business invitation, invitation for family or friend visit, transport reservation, return ticket and travel itinerary. Whether a reservation is accepted instead of a ticket purchase may vary according to the representation checklist.
  • The business invitation may require the inviting organization's details, purpose of the trip, planned meetings or business program, travel dates, invited person's name, date of birth and passport number, and the party covering transport or accommodation costs. A letter from the applicant's employer explaining the position, employment period and purpose of the trip may also be requested.
  • The applicant must demonstrate that they have sufficient financial means through bank statements, cash resources, credit cards or other income documents. The period of bank statements and minimum account balance applicable to all consular districts are not specified definitively in the central official source. Local representation lists may request the last three months of bank transactions, salary slips, tax documents or documents showing employment and student status.
  • A residence permit or other legal residence document showing legal residence in the country where the application is submitted must be provided. Submitting an application in a place other than the country of legal residence is only possible in justified cases accepted by the competent authority.
  • Travel health insurance must be valid for the entire stay and within the Schengen area. The insurance must cover emergency medical treatment, hospital admission and repatriation to the country for medical reasons or in the event of death, and must provide coverage of at least 30,000 euros.
  • If the application documents are not in German, French or English, they must be translated into one of these languages by a sworn translator. The original, certified copy, notarization, apostille or legalization of some documents may be required depending on the purpose of travel and the representation checklist.
  • For the first visa application, the applicant must appear in person, and their photograph and fingerprints must be taken. Fingerprints provided in a previous Schengen application can be reused within 59 months. If there is doubt regarding identity or the previous biometric record cannot be verified, fingerprints may be taken again.
  • Biometric data may only be collected by Schengen consulates or authorized external service providers. Commercial travel agencies are not authorized to collect biometric data. Border officers may compare the visa holder's fingerprints with records in the Visa Information System.
  • There is no single document list for minors that is uniformly applied centrally and at all representations. The competent representation may request a birth certificate, copies of parents' identity documents or passports, a certified consent letter from both parents for solo travel, consent of the other parent for travel with only one parent, or a court decision showing sole custody.
  • The standard type C visa fee is 90 euros. For children aged 6 years or older but under 12 years, the fee is 45 euros. Children under 6 years and certain categories of students, researchers, family members and official travel may benefit from a fee exemption. The service fee of the application center may be separate from the visa fee.
  • Accepted payment methods vary depending on the representation or authorized application center where the application is submitted. A single payment method valid at all application locations is not specified definitively in the central official source.
  • Applications are normally decided within 15 calendar days. If detailed examination or additional documents are required, the period may be extended up to a maximum of 45 calendar days. The passport transport time between the representation and the application center may be added to this period.
  • A type C visa may be issued for single entry, double entry or multiple entries. The start and end dates on the visa sticker, the number of authorized days and the number of entries must be checked together. A multiple-entry visa allows multiple entries during its validity period, but the 90/180-day stay limit continues to apply.
  • Persons traveling for the purpose of short-term paid employment must obtain a work permit from the Immigration Directorate General of the Luxembourg Ministry of the Interior before travel, unless an exemption applies.
  • A valid visa alone does not grant the right to definitive entry into the country. At the border, passport, accommodation document, invitation, return or onward ticket, proof of financial means, health insurance and documents confirming the purpose of travel may be requested again. For sponsored visits, the original approved sponsorship undertaking may be required to be carried.
  • The competent consulate may request additional documents or an interview to verify the purpose and personal circumstances of the application. A general vaccination certificate or medical report requirement for a short-stay type C visa is not specified definitively in the central official source.

Long-Stay National Visa – Type D

  • A type D visa is issued for persons who will reside in Luxembourg for more than 90 days and are subject to a visa requirement. For employment, study, research, family reunification or other long-term purposes, the applicant must in most cases first obtain a provisional residence permit from the Immigration Directorate General of the Luxembourg Ministry of the Interior.
  • The application for a provisional residence permit must be made before entry into the country and, as a rule, from the applicant's country of origin. Applications made from within Luxembourg are not accepted except for explicitly recognized exceptions.
  • After the provisional residence permit is approved, the D visa application is submitted to the Luxembourg or Belgian diplomatic or consular representation responsible for the applicant's place of residence. It is generally not possible for another Schengen state to issue a long-stay visa on behalf of Luxembourg; long-stay representation can only be conducted through authorized Belgian representations.
  • For a D visa application, a valid passport, approved provisional residence permit, completed and signed national visa form, photograph and supporting documents requested by the representation where the application is submitted must be provided. The number and size of photographs, number of blank pages in the passport and some local additional documents may vary depending on the representation and the purpose of stay.
  • The standard D visa fee is 50 euros. The payment method, representation service fee and local application appointment conditions are not specified definitively in the central official source.
  • The document list for the provisional residence permit, which is the basis for the long-stay visa, is determined according to the purpose of travel. There is no single universal document list applicable to all D visa applicants.
  • For a provisional residence permit application for the purpose of employment, a copy of all pages of the passport, a criminal record certificate or sworn declaration from the country of residence, a curriculum vitae, diploma or vocational qualification documents, a dated and signed employment contract, the original ADEM document authorizing the employer to employ a foreign worker, and a power of attorney if necessary must be submitted.
  • Documents submitted for the purpose of employment must, as a rule, be originals or certified true copies. For the passport and diploma, a normal copy may be accepted. If there is doubt about the authenticity of a document, local authority verification, embassy legalization or The Hague Apostille may be required. Documents not in German, French or English must be translated by a sworn translator.
  • For family reunification, education, research, self-employment and other long-term purposes, the requirements for invitation, family relationship, birth or marriage certificate, acceptance letter, accommodation, sponsor income, health insurance, criminal record or professional documents vary according to the relevant residence category. The purpose-specific checklist of the relevant Guichet.lu procedure must be applied.
  • The official processing time for a provisional residence permit application for employees is normally a maximum of four months. This period is not the consular processing time for the D visa sticker. A definitive central processing time for the D visa valid at all representations is not specified definitively in the central official source.
  • The approved provisional residence permit is valid for 90 days, and entry into the country must be effected by applying for a visa within this period. The D visa is affixed as a sticker in the passport and is valid for a maximum of three months. The right to long-term residence continues with the residence permit to be issued subsequently.
  • Upon entry into the country, the passport, D visa and provisional residence permit must be carried. Within three days after arriving in Luxembourg, a declaration of arrival must be made to the municipality of settlement and, if necessary, a rental contract or other proof of address must be submitted.
  • Depending on the residence category, a medical examination, tuberculosis screening and biometric residence permit application may be required after entry into the country. These procedures are separate from the entry visa and are procedures for completing the residence permit.
  • The competent authority may request additional documents, verification, certification or an interview due to the purpose of stay or the applicant's circumstances. Incomplete provisional residence permit applications may be returned without processing.

Transit Visa Requirements

  • An airport transit visa type A is used for transit through the international transit area of a Schengen airport. This visa does not grant the traveler the right to enter Luxembourg or any other Schengen country.
  • If the transit route requires passing through passport control, collecting and re-checking luggage, changing terminal or airport, or exiting the international transit area, a type A transit visa is not sufficient. In this case, an appropriate short-stay visa granting entry may be required.
  • The application must be submitted before travel to the competent Luxembourg representation or a Schengen representation accepting applications on behalf of Luxembourg. The local checklist of the representation responsible for the applicant's legal place of residence applies.
  • The passport or travel document must be valid for at least three months after the expiry of the requested visa. The Schengen visa checklist requires that the passport was issued within the last 10 years and contains at least two blank pages.
  • The applicant may be required to provide a fully completed and signed Schengen visa form, a recent photograph, flight reservations or tickets, if necessary a visa or residence permit for the next country of entry, and documents showing the transit route.
  • Whether accommodation, insurance, financial means and additional itinerary documents are required for the transit journey depends on the transfer arrangement and the checklist of the representation where the application is submitted. No separate central document list applicable at all representations has been published for a type A transit visa.
  • Biometric procedures including photograph and fingerprints are applied as part of the application. Fingerprints provided in a previous Schengen application can be reused within 59 months; the competent authority may take fingerprints again if it deems it necessary.
  • The standard fee for a type A airport transit visa is 90 euros. A reduction or exemption may apply for children or special application categories. The accepted payment method varies depending on the representation where the application is submitted and is not specified definitively in the central official source.
  • Applications are normally decided within 15 calendar days under the general Schengen processing rules. When additional examination or documents are required, the period may be extended up to 45 calendar days.
  • The number of transits for which the visa can be used, the airports, validity dates and number of entries are indicated on the visa sticker. The visa must only be used for the transit routes and conditions specified on the sticker.
Population
687,448(2026 est.)
Official language
Luxembourgish, French, German
Government type
Parliamentary constitutional monarchy
Continent
Europe
Capital
Luxembourg
Currency
Euro
Area
2,586 km²
Phone code
+352

Luxembourg: Key Destinations

Luxembourg City serves as the capital and primary gateway, with Luxembourg Airport connecting to major European hubs. Other important urban centers include Esch-sur-Alzette and the historic town of Vianden.

The country boasts a rich cultural heritage with the UNESCO-listed Old Quarter, as well as thriving business and European institutions. Visitors enjoy the scenic Moselle wine region, Ardennes forests, and Mullerthal hiking trails.

Luxembourg's compact size makes it easy to explore by car or train, often serving as a base for trips to neighboring Belgium, France, and Germany. Many itineraries combine the capital with day trips to castles and countryside.