The administrative installation in Luxembourg

Are you planning to move to the Grand Duchy or simply to change your place of residence in Luxembourg? Besides the boxes, you have to think about many things to manage a move as serenely as possible. You will find here our useful advice to prepare your move and move into your new home with peace of mind!

Administrative formalities before the move

Terminate or transfer your contracts

Before moving, remember to cancel or transfer your contracts and any other supply subscriptions related to the old place of residence. It is advisable to contact directly the dedicated department of the company providing the service or, failing that, the customer service department. This will provide information on the termination or transfer of contracts.

• Are you a tenant? Remember to notify your landlord to terminate your lease, organize the inventory of fixtures and finally recover your deposit. Make sure you have the necessary time (often 3 months before the actual release). It is also a good idea to notify your trustee, whether you are an owner or a tenant.
• Also contact your service providers: gas, electricity, water supply or telephone subscriptions .

Informing your company

When moving, it is imperative toinform your employer. The new address must also be communicated to the company as soon as possible.

In Luxembourg, the tax deduction form – for resident employees and pensioners – is then updated directly by the Administration des contributions directes (ACD).

Requesting extraordinary leave

An employee who moves is entitled to request a personal leave of absence. In Luxembourg, this is two days. The employee remains paid during this period.

In order to make this request, the employee must present supporting documentation to the employer. It can be a lease, a certificate of change of residence… The notice can then be taken only at the time of the move. Leave not taken is forfeited. It cannot give rise to financial compensation.

Note that relocation leave is now limited to once every three years. However, the exception is for business moves.

Information for schools

Schools must be notified of your move. If you have small children, they may be affected by the move. It is then useful that the teaching teams are informed. This will allow them to best manage the situation with the child.

Schooling in the same school

Even if your child remains in the same school after the move, because you are moving to the same area, parents must inform the school of the new address.

Enrolment in a new school

In Luxembourg, the enrollment of a child in public school is based on the place of residence of the parents. This is called “school spirit”. If the move involves a change of school, it is important to proceed quickly with the registration in the new school.

However, if the parents move during the school year, the child is not required to change schools, despite the jurisdiction. In fact, the child can complete the school year in the same school. However, parents must make a written request.

Schooling of a newly arrived foreign child

Children newly arrived in Luxembourg are taken care of by the public services. They can benefit from additional support courses to quickly learn the languages of instruction if they enter public schools.

• Department of Education, Ministry ofEducation, Children and Youth
  

The Education Department (SDE) is in charge of the schooling of foreign children. It welcomes foreign parents and their children and collects all the necessary data for their registration.

After reviewing the student’s file, the SDE will provisionally enroll the child in an age appropriate class. His/her previous experience and language skills are taken into account.

The student then takes a test within a maximum of two weeks to assess his or her skills in math and first language. The child’s previous examinations are also taken into account. Once these assessments are completed, the SDE develops an individualized training project. This project, along with the test results, is then presented to the parents by the educational team. Only then is the child permanently integrated into the school system. Note that a tutor is assigned to him.

• School reception unit for newcomer students
  

The Cellule d’accueil scolaire pour élèves nouveaux arrivants (CASNA) is aimed at young people between 12 and 17 years old who have arrived from abroad and wish to continue their studies in Luxembourg’s post-primary education system. Objective: to facilitate their integration.

The Cellule’s role is to inform these young people about the Luxembourg school system, as well as the support measures available for foreign language children.

Learn more about the Luxembourg school system

Mail follow-up

When moving, it is important to keep track of the mail to avoid that the mail ends up in the mailbox of the new occupant of the house.

To have your mail forwarded internally from Luxembourg, it is necessary to contact the Luxembourg P&T Administration. For this, there are three possibilities:

• Or directly online,
• Either by going to a post office,
• Or by contacting the letter carrier directly, by filling in a form.

Careful! It is important to do this no later than three working days before the desired start date of the mail forwarding. Mail forwarding can be requested during the desired period. This can be from seven days minimum to one year maximum. However, this service is not available for packages.

When subscribing to this service, the post office offers postcards to inform your correspondents of your change of address. It is useless to frank them.

Forwarding of newspapers is free of charge. However, it is strongly recommended that you contact the publisher directly to send them the new address.

Forremovals from abroad to Luxembourg, it is necessary to apply directly to the post office of the country of departure

Preparing for the move

Movers Service

In Luxembourg, there are many moving companies. Among them, Déménagements Nadin, Team relocations, Vaglio déménagement, Tranelux or Wagner frères.

These companies usually take care of the packing material, packing, disassembly and reassembly as well as the administrative formalities. Most of them ensure a move whether it is in Luxembourg or abroad.

The companies’ websites allow you to obtain free estimates.

Rental of a moving van

Instead of hiring movers, you can rent a van and do the move yourself. There are many car rental agencies in Luxembourg. Among them, Ada, Intralux, Vicente, Autorent or Stroll trucks.

Request for occupancy of the public highway

In order to facilitate the move, it is possible to make a request to occupy the public road. You will be allowed to park the moving truck in front of the building or your house, without obstructing the public road.

Moving to Luxembourg City

The request for authorization to occupy the public highway in the capital can be made directly on the Internet. The request for authorization must be submitted to the Traffic Department at least five working days before the date of the move. No parking signs must be posted at least 24 hours prior to the permit being issued.

This request must be made in advance. Please note that this one is not free. The price depends on the equipment and the area.

If the applicant does not comply with the conditions of the permit, the City of Luxembourg is entitled to withdraw the permit. This withdrawal is effective immediately. No refund or compensation can be given.

Other cities

Residents of other cities in the country are invited to contact their local transport department directly.

Our advice for moving boxes

When packing, remember to group the different items in the boxes by room. Clearly indicate on each box (top and side) in which room it is intended. This will make the movers’ job easier and especially yours when it comes to unpacking the boxes.

Also clearly mark boxes with fragile items. Be careful not to overload the boxes (especially with books).

Steps to take on moving day

On the day of the move, remember to :

• Read water, gas and electricity meters. Take a picture of the meters, this will avoid possible worries in case of bad invoicing of the service.
• To make the inventory of fixtures of exit and entry. If possible, postpone these assessments, you will have enough to do on the day.

Steps to take after moving in

The declaration of arrival in the municipality

Anyone moving to Luxembourg must declare their arrival to the commune. It has a period of eight days from its arrival in the territory.

Careful! This period is shortened to three days for non-EU citizens.

The garbage cans

Selective sorting is relatively well developed in Luxembourg. When you move in, it is advisable to find out about the different sorting garbage cans. If you have an individual dwelling, your municipality will offer you several garbage cans. It is usually possible to request specific bags from the hygiene department of the municipality. This is particularly the case for objects to be recycled.

The car and the driver’s license

When a vehicle owner moves, he or she must register the new address on Part I of the vehicle registration certificate. He then has a period of one month.

This change of address is done by SNCA. This process is free of charge if the owner’s address is listed in the national directory of natural and legal persons. Otherwise, the person must provide proof of legal status in Luxembourg in order to proceed with the registration. See the formalities related to your vehicle.

If you are arriving from another country, you may need to change your driver’s license.

Parking

In order to be able to park on the street, a specific parking sticker must be requested from your local administration. This allows you to park for free in the area where you live.

The dogs

Dogs must be declared by their owners to the local authority of their residence. They must present a veterinary certificate and an insurance contract from a company approved – or, failing that, authorized – in Luxembourg.

The identity card

Luxembourgers must renew their identity card if they change their address. The domicile information must be updated. Please contact the local administration of your destination.

Are you moving from abroad to Luxembourg? Find here our advice for an international move.