A third-country national who wishes to come to Luxembourg for a period of more than 3 months in order to invest in an existing or future undertaking must follow a procedure in 2 consecutive steps:

• Step 1: before entering the country:
  • submit an application for a temporary authorisation to stay to the Immigration Directorate of the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs;
  • be in possession of a valid passport;
  • for persons who are subject to a visa, request a visa type D after having obtained the temporary authorisation to stay;
  • obtain an approval from the Minister of the Economy or from the Minister of Finance, depending on the case:
• Step 2: after entering the country:
  • file a declaration of arrival with the new commune of residence in Luxembourg within 3 days of arrival;
  • undergo a medical check;
  • submit an application for a residence permit for investors.

Who is concerned

Third-country nationals can apply for a residence permit as an investor provided they plan to invest:

• at least EUR 500,000 in an existing company with its registered office in Luxembourg an commit to keep for a duration of at least 5 years:
  • their investment;
  • a level of employment which must be equivalent to the level at the time of the investment (in the case of an acquisition of a company in difficulty and under a redundancy plan, the aforementioned requirement does not apply); or
• at least EUR 500,000 in a new business still to be created, with its registered office in Luxembourg and at least 5 work positions which must be created within 3 years of the incorporation of the business. The recruitment of staff must be in collaboration with the National Employment Agency (Agence pour le développement de l'emploi - ADEM); or
  
• at least EUR 3 million in a management and investment structure, either existing or still to be created, with its registered office in Luxembourg where it must have and maintain the necessary substance; or
• at least EUR 20 million in the form of a deposit of funds with a financial institution established in Luxembourg, and with the commitment to keep said deposit for at least 5 years.

With regard to investments in existing or still to be created businesses (investments of at least EUR 500,000), the company must or will have to carry out a commercial, craft or industrial activity.

The effective beneficiary of the deposited or invested assets, must be the investor in person or their spouse or registered partner.

Prerequisites

Third-country nationals must meet the following requirements first:

• hold a valid passport;
• check whether or not they have to obtain a visa to enter the Schengen area;
• have obtained an approval from the Minister of the Economy or the Minister of Finance with regard to their investment.

Preliminary steps

Third-country nationals are required to present their project or proof of investment to the Minister of the Economy or to the Minister of Finance and must have obtained the approval from the minister concerned before they can submit their application for an authorisation to stay.

The Minister of the Economy is competent in matters of investment projects of:

• at least EUR 500,000 in an existing business;
• at least EUR 500,000 in a new business still to be created.

The Minister of Finance is responsible for the analysis of proof of investments of:

• at least EUR 3 million in a management and investment structure, whether already existing or still to be created;
• at least EUR 20 million in the form of a deposit with a financial institution established in Luxembourg.

The minister concerned sends a written notification to the third-country national investor. In the case of approval, the third-country national has to, before entering the country, submit the application for the authorisation to stay.

How to proceed

Step 1: before entering Luxembourg

Authorisation to stay

The third-country national must submit an application for an authorisation to stay (on plain paper) from their country of origin:

• to the Immigration Directorate of the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs; or
  
• to a Luxembourg diplomatic or consular body or to a diplomatic or consular mission representing Luxembourg.

Except in exceptional cases (e.g., third-country nationals who already hold a residence permit in Luxembourg), the application must be submitted and approved before coming to Luxembourg. Applications submitted from Luxembourg are inadmissible.

The application for a temporary authorisation to stay must contain the applicant's identity details (surname, first names and address) and must be accompanied by the following documents:

• a copy of their valid passport, in its entirety;
• an extract from the criminal record or an affidavit (sworn declaration) established in the country of residence;
• where necessary, a power of attorney.

Only complete applications will be processed. Incomplete applications will be returned to the applicant.

If the documents are not drawn up in German, French or English, an official translation by a sworn translator must be attached.

The time required for a response from the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs is generally a maximum of 3 months. If no response is received within this time, the application shall be deemed to have been rejected.

In case of a favourable reply, the third-country national receives a 'temporary authorisation to stay', sent by post. The temporary authorisation to stay is valid for a duration of 90 days. During that time, the third-country national must:

• either apply for an entry visa to the Schengen area, if they are subject to visa requirements;
• or, if they are not subject to visa requirements, enter Luxembourg territory and make a declaration of arrival to the administration of the commune where they reside.

After entering Luxembourg, the third-country national must take steps to obtain a residence permit.

Passport and visa

If they are not subject to visa requirements, the third-country national may enter Luxembourg with the authorisation to stay and a valid passport.

Third-country nationals subject to visa requirements must, before coming to Luxembourg and from their country of origin, submit a type D visa application and present their authorisation to stay:

• to the Luxembourg diplomatic or consular representation in their country of origin; or
• failing that, to the Belgian embassy or consulate.

The visa, valid for a maximum period of 3 months, is affixed in the passport in the form of a seal.

If the applicant's passport is due to expire in less than 6 months, it should be renewed before coming to Luxembourg.

If the third-country national has a valid residence permit for family members of an EU citizen or a valid residence permit issued by another EU Member State, a visa is not required. The third-country national must nonetheless have a temporary authorisation to stay in Luxembourg.

Step 2: after entering the country

Declaration of arrival

When entering Luxembourg territory, the third-country national must hold valid travel documents (visa and passport, where applicable), as well as the temporary authorisation to stay.

They must make a declaration of arrival at the administration of the commune where they intend to establish residence, within 3 days of arrival in Luxembourg, presenting:

• a valid travel document (passport and, where applicable, a visa or a residence permit or authorisation issued by another EU Member State);
• the original temporary authorisation to stay;
• and where applicable a valid proof of address (i.e.: rental agreement, electricity bill, etc.).

The applicant will receive a copy of the declaration of arrival as a receipt.

The copy of the declaration of arrival together with the authorisation to stay serve as a right of residence until the residence permit is issued.

Medical check

Before applying for the residence permit, the young third-country national must undergo a medical check for foreigners as soon as possible which consists in:

• a medical examination by a doctor established in Luxembourg and authorised to work as a general practitioner, a practitioner specialised in internal medicine or pediatrics; and
  
• a tuberculosis (TB) screening performed at a medical analysis laboratory (with a prescription from the doctor who performed the medical examination) or at the Health and Social Welfare League (Ligue médico-sociale - LMS), for any person aged 2 years and over; and
• a tuberculosis screening using a tuberculin test at the Health and Social Welfare League (Ligue médico-sociale - LMS) for children aged between 2 months and 2 years.

After receiving the results of these examinations, the Health Inspection (Inspection sanitaire) of the Health Directorate (Direction de la Santé) will issue a medical certificate, which will be sent to the Immigration Directorate of the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs to allow the residence permit application to be processed.

Residence permit application

Third-country national must submit an application for a residence permit to the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs within 3 months of arrival to Luxembourg.

The following documents must be sent together with the residence permit application form:

• a copy of their valid passport, in its entirety;
• a copy of the declaration of arrival issued by the communal administration;
• proof of suitable housing (rental agreement, property deed, etc.);
• proof of payment of a fee of EUR 80 to account IBAN LU46 1111 2582 2814 0000 (BIC: CCPLLULL, beneficiary: Ministère des Affaires étrangères et européennes, Direction de l'immigration; communication: titre de séjour dans le chef de [insert name here]).

When the application is approved, the applicant will receive a letter inviting them to make an appointment with the Immigration Directorate of the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs in order to have their photograph and fingerprints taken, which will be incorporated into the residence permit. The applicant may also bring a recent photograph compliant with OACI/ICAO standards ('biometric passport standards').

A few days after the biometric data have been collected, the applicant can pick up the residence permit in person at the Immigration Directorate, by appointment.

The residence permit takes the form of a chip card containing the biometric data.

The residence permit includes information about its holder (surname, first name, nationality, date and place of birth), as well as specific information about the residence permit (permit category, date of beginning and end of validity of the permit).

Certain residence permit categories include additional information in the field 'observation'.

Validity and renewal of the permit

Validity period of the residence permit

The residence permit is valid from the date of the declaration of arrival at the commune. It is renewable on request as long as the eligibility conditions are met.

The residence permit for 'investors' is valid for a maximum of 3 years and is renewable provided the conditions for renewal are still met.

Exceptionally, third-country nationals who have obtained the long term resident status in another EU Member State and who have obtained a temporary authorisation to stay as an investor in Luxembourg, before entering Luxembourg, can apply, on plain paper, for a long-term residence permit valid for a period of 5 years and renewable on request.

Investors who invested at least EUR 500,000 in an existing company or in the creation of a company can also apply for a business permit if they meet the conditions required.

Renewal of the permit

Third-country nationals must send their application for renewal of the residence permit to the Immigration Directorate of the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs within 2 months prior to the expiry date of the residence permit, together with:

• a copy of their valid passport, in its entirety;
• a recent extract from the Luxembourg criminal record;
• proof of payment of a EUR 80 fee into the IBAN account LU46 1111 2582 2814 0000 (BIC: CCPLLULL, beneficiary: Ministère des Affaires étrangères et européennes, Direction de l'immigration; Communication: titre de séjour dans le chef de 'insert your name here').

After 5 years of lawful and uninterrupted stay on the territory of Luxembourg, third-country nationals may submit an application for a long-term residence permit.

Loss, theft or damage to the residence permit

In case of loss, theft or deterioration of the residence permit, a specific procedure needs to be followed.

Review of the application

After 12 months at the latest of the issuance of the temporary authorisation to stay for investors, the minister who validated the investment project will verify if the conditions regarding the investment project are still met.

If they are not, the minister can grant a deadline (maximum 12 months) to correct the situation. If the situation has not changed after the deadline has passed, the minister concerned can address the minister responsible for immigration matters and suggest that the residence permit be withdrawn.

The third-country national is required to present any useful document on pain of which they may be withdrawn their residence permit.

Forms / Online services

Who to contact