Meeting declaration requirements for cash or equivalent means of payment

Non residents

Residents

When entering Luxembourg, cash, securities or other assets with a value of at least EUR 10,000 must be declared to the Customs and Excise Agency (Administration des douanes et accises) which is responsible for conducting controls in this area in order to combat money laundering and terrorist financing with funds from illicit sources – in particular, the proceeds of illegal drug trafficking.

Who is concerned

These conditions apply to any person carrying cash or equivalent means of payment, whether a resident of Luxembourg or not, regardless of age.

If cash is being carried on behalf of a third party, the person carrying the cash must provide details of the owner of the cash, securities or other assets convertible into cash included in the declaration.

How to proceed

Regulatory framework

Banknotes, cheques, securities or other assets in the amount of EUR 10,000 or more or its equivalent in foreign currency, being carried by a natural person crossing the Luxembourg border, must be declared to the ADA.

The legal objective of this obligation is to combat money laundering and terrorist financing making use of funds from illicit sources – in particular the proceeds of drug trafficking.

For this reason, Luxembourg’s customs and excise agents may carry out checks in this area at any time and in any place throughout the country.

In the event of a failure to declare or a false declaration, the cash or equivalent means of payment are confiscated by the customs and excise agents, who will draw up a statement of charges to be forwarded to the Financial Intelligence Unit (

This obligation complements an EU regulation, which stipulates that any person arriving at the external border control points of the European Union with the intention of entering or leaving and who is carrying:

EUR 10,000 or more in cash;
an equivalent amount in other currencies or in easily convertible assets (bonds, shares, travellers’ cheques, money orders, etc.)

must declare these funds to the customs authorities.

Items to declare

The following items must be declared:

bearer negotiable instruments, including monetary instruments in bearer form such as travellers' cheques;
negotiable instruments including cheques, promissory notes and money orders, either in bearer form and endorsed without restriction, made out to a fictitious payee, or otherwise in such form that the ownership of the instruments is transferred upon their disposal;
incomplete instruments including cheques, promissory notes and money orders signed, but with the payee's name omitted;
currency, bank notes and coins that are in circulation as a medium of exchange;
cheques for which the drawer is not the beneficiary;
non-domiciled letters of credit;
cashier's cheques.

Transfers of gold bullion, gold and silver coins listed on an official market and collector coins that are no longer legal tender are not subject to declaration as provided by the Law of 27 October 2010. However, the export, import or transit of these goods remains subject to customs declaration when they are arriving from or bound for non-EU countries or portions of the customs territory excluded from the fiscal territory for VAT and excise purposes.

Submission of the declaration

This declaration may be made before travelling, by means of a form requested from the Customs and Excise Agency and sent back by:

post (B.P. 1605, L-1016 Luxembourg);
fax [(+352) 28 18 92 20];
email (cashcontrol@do.etat.lu).

The form may also be obtained at the offices of the Customs and Excise Agency.

The declaration contains information on:

the declaring party, including their surname and first name, date and place of birth, and nationality;
the owner of the cash;
the intended recipient of the cash;
the amount and type of funds;
the source of the funds and their intended use;
the transport route;
the means of transport.

Forms / Online services

Cash declaration form

Download the form

Formulaire de déclaration d'argent liquide

Télécharger le formulaire

Anmeldung von Barmitteln

Das Formular herunterladen

Who to contact

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Customs and Excise Directorate – Disputes and Cooperation Department

22, rue de Bitbourg
L-1273 Luxembourg
Luxembourg
Postal address :
B.P. 1605 L-1016 Luxembourg

Phone : (+352) 28 18 28 18

Fax : (+352) 28 18 92 00

(+352) 28 18 28 18 cashcontrol@do.etat.lu Path to Customs and Excise Directorate – Disputes and Cooperation Department

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