Whether you need a visa for Luxembourg depends on your nationality and how long you’re staying. Luxembourg belongs to the Schengen area, so EU, EEA, and Swiss nationals can live and work here without one.
Nationals of many visa-exempt countries, including the UK, the US, Canada, and Australia, can visit for up to 90 days in any 180-day period without a visa, although they’ll still need proper authorisation to work or settle for longer.
Third-country nationals who don’t fall into either group apply for a short-stay or long-stay visa before travelling. Tourism and short business trips are fairly simple, and for longer stays or work, there’s more paperwork, much of which you can handle online through MyGuichet.
Short-stay visas for Luxembourg
For a stay of up to 90 days in any 180-day period, the document you’ll want is a short-stay visa for Luxembourg, known as a type C visa. There’s no extending the 90 days except in cases of force majeure or serious personal circumstances. What you’ll need to provide is a little different depending on whether you’re here for leisure or plan to do any work while you’re in the country.
Third-country nationals who need a visa and are travelling for leisure apply for a Schengen visa before they arrive. You’ll lodge the application at a Luxembourg embassy or consulate, and where Luxembourg has no mission of its own, Belgium or the Netherlands handles it on its behalf, often through an external visa centre.
If you’re visiting more than one Schengen country on a single trip, apply through the consulate of the country where you’ll spend the most time. If you’ll spend equal time in each, the consulate at your first point of entry handles the application.
A type C visa is either single-entry or multiple-entry. The paperwork is fairly standard. You’ll need a passport that is valid for at least three months beyond your planned departure, proof of accommodation and enough funds for the trip, travel medical insurance that meets the Schengen minimum, and a return or onward ticket. Consulates usually make their determination within about 15 days if it’s not too busy.
There’s one practical thing to know at the border. Since 2026, border officers log every non-EU visitor’s entry and exit biometrically under the Schengen Entry/Exit System, so first-time arrivals should allow a bit of extra time at passport control. A separate online travel authorisation, ETIAS, is on the way for visa-exempt travellers, and it’s worth checking the official EU travel portal before you fly.
Taking up paid work during a short stay is a different matter. A tourist visa isn’t enough, so you’ll need a separate work authorisation, and that starts with a job offer from a Luxembourg employer. Anyone moving here for a job usually goes down the long-stay route below instead.
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Long-stay visas for Luxembourg
Staying longer than 90 days means applying for Luxembourg’s long-stay visa, the type D.
Your first move is to request a temporary authorisation to stay from the Directorate of Immigration, which is part of the Ministry of Home Affairs. That authorisation is valid for 90 days, and within that window, you submit the type D visa application at a Luxembourg embassy or consulate, or at the Belgian or Dutch mission that represents Luxembourg. Once it’s granted, the visa is generally valid for anything from 90 days up to a year.
If you’re moving for a job, you’ll attach a signed contract with a Luxembourg employer to the authorisation application. Your employer will have done some groundwork first, though. They must have advertised the post with the Agency for the Development of Employment (ADEM), and only once ADEM is satisfied that no suitable candidates are available locally or elsewhere in the EU will it issue the certificate that clears them to hire a third-country national. For roles on Luxembourg’s official shortage-occupation list, there’s no waiting period.
There are a few more steps once you’re in the country. Within three days of arriving, you need to register with your local commune, and there’s a medical check for foreigners to complete soon after. The residence permit for salaried workers is the final step, and it’s issued by the Directorate of Immigration.
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Residence permits for Luxembourg
Once you’re in the country, the document that lets you stay on is your residence permit for Luxembourg. The Directorate of Immigration, part of the Ministry of Home Affairs, handles these applications. After approval, the directorate invites you to book an appointment to have your photograph and fingerprints taken. You’ll then receive a biometric residence card, which is also your work authorisation.
Your first residence permit is generally valid for a year and tied to one job in one sector. Later permits are valid for longer, and they’re no longer tied to a single job, so you’re free to change employer or field.
Useful links
Visa requirements can change at short notice, and expats should contact their respective embassy or consulate for the latest details.