How can I acquire Luxembourgish nationality?

The Luxembourg passport, one of the most powerful in the world

The Luxembourg passport allows visa-free travel to 187 countries around the world. According to a study conducted by Henley Passport Index,it is considered one of the most powerful passports in the world. Luxembourg ranks third, behind Japan and Singapore, which are tied for first place, and Finland, Germany, and South Korea, which are tied for second place.

2017 Luxembourg Naturalization Act

Since April 1, 2017, a new law allows residents who have lived in Luxembourg for at least five years to acquire Luxembourg nationality through naturalization, subject to certain conditions. Applicants are not required to renounce their original nationality due to the principle of dual nationality.

Since 2017, the residence requirement under the new law has been reduced from seven years to five years in order to apply for Luxembourg nationality.

In fact, applications for naturalization often occur during the adaptation phase, or even after the expatriation process has been completed.

Who can apply for Luxembourg nationality?

Luxembourg nationality by option

Any person born in Luxembourg, aged 18 or over, automatically obtains Luxembourg nationality under the following conditions:

• they have resided and lived regularly in Luxembourg for at least five consecutive years prior to reaching the age of majority
• one of their parents has lived in Luxembourg for at least twelve consecutive months immediately prior to their birth.

If these two conditions are met, a child born in Luxembourg can obtain citizenship from the age of 12.

Acquisition of Luxembourg nationality by option is possible in 10 specific cases:

• an adult with a Luxembourgish parent or grandparent
• a parent whose minor child is Luxembourgish
• a person married to a Luxembourgish citizen
• a person born in Luxembourg who is over 12 years of age
• adults who have completed at least 7 years of schooling in Luxembourg
• an adult who has lived in Luxembourg on a regular basis for more than 20 years
• an adult who has fulfilled the commitments of the reception and integration contract
• persons of legal age who settled in Luxembourg before the age of 18
• adults with stateless, refugee, or subsidiary protection status
• volunteer soldier.

The right of soil for second-generation immigrants remains in force in Luxembourg. A child born in Luxembourg whose parent or adoptive parent was also born in the Grand Duchy will automatically be granted Luxembourg nationality.

Luxembourg nationality by naturalization

In addition to the cases of recovery of Luxembourg nationality described above, any person who meets the conditions for naturalization may apply for Luxembourg nationality under the following conditions:

• be of legal age (over 18) at the time of application
• have resided legally in Luxembourg for more than 5 years and for at least 1 year without interruption at the time of submitting the application for naturalization
• meet the requirements of good character. This means that the applicant must not have made any false statements, concealed any important facts, or committed any fraud in the naturalization application. They must also not have been convicted of any criminal offense or sentenced to 12 months or more of imprisonment, or to 24 months or more of suspended imprisonment.

Find our administrative guide to Luxembourg here.

Requirements for naturalization as a Luxembourg citizen

Have resided in Luxembourg for at least 5 years

To obtain Luxembourgish citizenship, you must have lived in Luxembourg for at least 5 years and pass two major tests: a language test and a test on Luxembourgish culture and customs.

Passing the Luxembourgish language test

To obtain Luxembourgish nationality, applicants for naturalization must pass the Luxembourgish language assessment test.

This Luxembourgish language exam is organized by the National Institute of Languages of Luxembourg. The exam consists of two separate tests: oral expression and oral comprehension. These tests take place over two days. Applicants must take both tests.

Luxembourgish oral expression exam

For the oral expression part, the level required for the exam is level A2 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages. This level corresponds to the ability to hold a basic conversation in Luxembourgish.

Candidates must be able to introduce themselves, ask for directions, shop in a store, ask for news about someone, etc.
The exam lasts approximately 15 minutes, during which candidates must speak in Luxembourgish in front of two examiners, one acting as moderator and the other as observer. The exam consists of two separate parts.
For the first part, candidates choose one of two topics. They must answer questions asked by one of the examiners. For the second part, candidates choose one of three images. They must describe this image.

Luxembourgish listening comprehension exam

For the Luxembourgish listening comprehension test, candidates must demonstrate a B1 level. To do so, they must be able to understand topics related to everyday life, work, friends, the radio, etc. During this exam, which lasts approximately 25 minutes, candidates listen to three different texts. They must answer multiple-choice questions for each text. The exam is graded by two examiners.

Candidates must achieve an average score in the oral expression test to pass the language assessment exam. If they do not achieve an average score in the oral test, their score may be compensated by the score obtained in the oral comprehension test.

Candidates receive their test results by mail approximately two weeks after the last test.

The registration fees for the exam and Luxembourgish language courses may be reimbursed by the State. However, if the candidate does not take one or both exams, they will have to retake them and pay the registration fees again.

Passing the "Living Together in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg" test

In order to obtain citizenship or naturalization, candidates must also obtain a "Living Together in Luxembourg" certificate in addition to passing the language test.

This certification is obtained by participating in the "Living Together in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg" civic education courses organized by the Adult Education Service of the Ministry of Education, Children, and Youth. The courses are mandatory. A certificate confirming participation in the course is issued to participants at the end of the session.

The "Living Together in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg" course consists of three modules totaling 24 hours of instruction:

1. Fundamental rights of citizens (6-hour module)
2. Luxembourg's state and municipal institutions (12-hour module)
3. The history of Luxembourg and European integration (6-hour module).

You can also take the "Living Together in Luxembourg" exam after reviewing the various topics yourself via the Living Together in the Grand Duchy website .

People who have completed part of their schooling in Luxembourg

People who have completed at least 7 years of schooling in theLuxembourg public education system, or who have a residence permit and have been living in Luxembourg since December 31, 1984 , are exempt from the requirements to be assessed on their spoken Luxembourgish language skills and from civic education classes.

Access to forms to register for the course Living Together in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg

How to apply for Luxembourg citizenship?

Before submitting the naturalization application form, applicants must have passed the language tests and completed the civic education courses (see above).

Applicants must send a dated and signed application for naturalization to the Minister of Justice.

Please note that all documents must be submitted to the municipality of your place of residence. All documents must be provided in one of Luxembourg's official languages (French, German, Luxembourgish) or translated by a certified translation agency.

Find out more about acquiring Luxembourgish nationality

For any inquiries regarding the right to Luxembourg nationality, please contact the Ministry of Justice's Nationality Infoline:

• from Luxembourg, call 8002 1000 (toll-free), and
• from abroad, call +352 247-885 88.

The infoline is available Monday to Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and from 1:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Under certain conditions, the costs incurred (up to a maximum amount) for acquiring Luxembourg nationality may be reimbursed. The request must be made to the Ministry of Justice, Indigénat Service.

For other topics related to integration, visit our "Integration" pages.

Luxembourg nationality confers the right and obligation to vote in Luxembourg elections.

The principle of dual nationality

Since January 1, 2009, it has been possible to acquire Luxembourg nationality while retaining one's original nationality. This is the principle of dual nationality.

However, it should be noted that while Luxembourg accepts this principle of dual nationality, this is not the case in all countries. It is possible that the country of origin of the applicant for Luxembourg nationality does not apply this principle. It is up to the applicant to check with the authorities of the country of which they are already a national.

What impact will this have on Luxembourg's demographic trends? Our analysis.