Visa to Luxembourg

Luxembourg is a small Western European duchy state with a stable developed economy, which is part of the EU. Trips to this country are available for tourists, entrepreneurs and investors, university students.

Depending on the type of entry permit to Luxembourg, the following advantages are available to a foreign citizen:

• free visits to the EU countries of interest, acquaintance with architecture and nature; 
• on-site study of available opportunities for starting a business, buying real estate, investing funds; 
• legal stay in a country with a very high standard of living; 
• the opportunity to consider the option of obtaining citizenship after several years of residence on a residence permit.  

Important

Unstable relations between countries can slow down the verification of visa documents and affect the criteria for issuing entry permits in general. Before requesting a Schengen visa through Luxembourg, you should check with the consulate's secretariat whether it is possible to visit the country in the near future.

The approximate time for obtaining a visa to Luxembourg is 10-14 working days for short–term permits and up to 4 months for long–term ones.

Freelancer Visa

A digital nomad visa to Luxembourg is a residence permit based on self-employment. The document looks like a plastic card with personal information about the foreigner, including biometrics. This visa is suitable for employees of international companies located outside the EU and for startups. The work of a foreigner requesting a residence permit for a freelancer must meet the economic interests of the duchy. He also has to prove documentarily that the format is deleted. This should be explicitly stated in the employment contract.

To obtain a residence permit Luxembourg for a self-employed foreign citizen, a residence permit is issued. Here are the conditions that he must meet in order to receive a positive response from the authorities:

• confirm the qualifications required to engage in economic activity (the procedure differs for representatives of liberal professions, commercial workers and craftsmen); 
• show an account statement where the minimum wage in Luxembourg is multiplied by 12 months (2,500 € in 2024); 
• for startups – to justify the viability and sustainability of the project, its integration into the economy.

Another document without which a digital nomad visa will not be given is a permit to engage in professional activity. It is required for all foreigners intending to live and work remotely in the country.

Among the advantages offered to the holder of this type of visa, it is worth noting:

• a long stay in a safe country with a very high standard of living until the expiration of the document; 
• flights and trips in the Schengen area without restrictions; 
• a wide variety of goods, high quality services in all areas; 
• the opportunity to choose the grounds for the transition to Luxembourg citizenship within 5-7 years of legal residence in the state. 

Before issuing a visa to a remote worker or entrepreneur, the authorities of the duchy will make sure that his employment contract was issued at least six months ago, and the format of work is prescribed in it. An employee will need a bank statement, a certificate of payroll, a medical policy covering health services worth 30,000 €.

The validity period of the residence permit for the digital nomad is 3 years. It is allowed to extend it for the same period. You cannot leave the country for more than 183 days a year.

How much does a visa cost?

The fee for obtaining an entry permit to Luxembourg for one adult is 90 €, the amount was approved on June 11, 2024. For minors, the fee is divided in half and paid (45 €). These amounts are given in cash in parallel with the submission of documents for verification to the consulate. The services of an intermediary – the visa application center – are paid separately.

Types of visas

There are four main types of permits:

• student (type D) – it allows you to study at an accredited educational institution in Luxembourg and legally stay in the country until the course ends; 
• tourist (type C) – gives you the opportunity to fly and travel around the Duchy and other EU countries without the right to work and study; 
• business (type C or D) – allows you to once or enter the state many times to solve commercial tasks: participate in industry events, sign contracts, etc.; 
• working (type D) – assumes official employment in a Luxembourg company. 

Student's

The review period is from 60 to 90 days.

International students planning to study in Luxembourg for a course lasting more than three months must apply for a student visa. An important condition is that the university or college must be accredited.

The student enters the course of interest, receives an invitation email from the dean's office confirming enrollment, buys a medical policy, shows the availability of a source of funds for staying in the country and the balance in the bank account. It is also necessary to confirm the payment of the course cost and pass the exam for knowledge of the language of instruction.

The student's visa is extended every year.

A student residence permit allows you to legally stay in Luxembourg and travel across the EU. Having such permits, it is impossible to get a full-time job.  

Tourist

The review period is 15 days.

To travel to Luxembourg as a traveler (without the right to work in European companies, open a company and get an education), any open Schengen visa C or D is suitable. If the tourist does not have such an entry permit, you should collect the documents and submit them to the consulate for verification.

The validity period of a single-entry traveler's visa is until the official end of the tour. It is allowed to fly and travel to other EU states, but most days will need to be spent in Luxembourg.

In addition to the standard set of documents, travelers check hotel room reservations and receipts for the purchase of air tickets before applying for a visa. You also need to show the tour program.

Business (for business trips)

The review period is 10 days.

A business visa is intended for business trips to Luxembourg. Unlike entry and work permits, it does not allow you to get a job in European companies. On a business visa, you can go to a summit, a meeting of businessmen, a scientific conference, the signing of commercial agreements and contracts for the supply of goods.

A business entry permit is issued for 90 days or less. The first visa of this type is usually given for one specific trip. Multiple travel permits also exist, the need for them is documented. For example, a company may apply for an interest in regular trips of an employee to Luxembourg.

Please note!

An invitation from a European partner, a work certificate and original documents to be drawn up and signed in Luxembourg must be submitted to the consulate for verification.  

Working

The review period is up to 2 months.

If a foreigner is going to be employed by a Luxembourg company under an employment contract, he will have to obtain a type D work visa. Such a permit is issued for the duration of the contract and, if necessary, extended. You do not need to leave Luxembourg to extend your work visa.

To submit documents for verification to the consulate, you should request an invitation letter from a European company and ask them to send an electronic version of the TD. On the employer's side, the rental of housing (apartments, hotel rooms) remains, confirmed by the contract. The consulate also needs to show the availability of funds for living in Luxembourg. In 2024, this amount is 113 € per day.

A foreign employee needs to insure his health and cover medical services in the amount of 30,000 €, transfer and notarize his diploma of education. When checking documents, inspectors pay attention to the profile experience, which should not be less than three years. A translated and certified work record will be suitable for its confirmation.

Required documents

Here is a list of papers requested by the Luxembourg authorities from those wishing to visit the state:

• consent to the processing of personal data; 
• a copy of the internal passport, it does not need to be notarized; 
• a valid international passport that meets the following conditions: at least three blank pages for pasting the visa, the deadline – the duration of the trip plus three months;
• two color photographs, the size of which is 35x45 mm; 
• a certificate from the company where the visa applicant is officially employed, printed on the company's letterhead and signed by the director; 
• a bank statement (in English), where funds are available at the rate of 113 € per day per foreigner;
• booking of air tickets and apartments or a hotel (an apartment rental agreement is also suitable); 
• a medical policy for the amount that corresponds to a specific type of entry permit – from 30,000 €.

Applicants for student, business and work visas are supported by additional papers to the standard list of documents. They are listed above for each category of permission to visit the duchy.

Recent changes in the Luxembourg visa issue

After June 11, 2024, the fee for checking documents on new questionnaires for most foreigners increased from 80 to 90 €, and for their family members – up to 45 €. The exceptions are States that have an agreement on a simplified visa processing regime with the Duchy of Luxembourg. For example, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, North Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Serbia, Ukraine. For adult passport holders of these countries, the fee is still 35 €, and there is no need to pay the fee for children under twelve years old.

In 2024, the duchy has an acceleration state program Fit 4 Start for startups from the fields of Health Tech, space and Data Analytics. Citizens of any country can apply to participate in it. Those startups whose candidacies will be approved are entitled to receive a grant of 150,000 € for localization of production and support in moving a team of employees to the country.

To participate in the program, you need to submit a business plan to the consulate for verification, write an application in any form about the desire to obtain a visa based on the opening of a startup, attach a diploma of higher education, a copy of the workbook, a bank statement with 20-80,000 € in the account.