A third-country national who wishes to come to Luxembourg to work as a young au pair for a period of more than 3 months, 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;
  • hold a valid passport;
  • for persons subject to visa requirements in order to enter Luxembourg: request a type D visa after having obtained the temporary authorisation to stay;

• Step 2: after entering the country:
  • make a declaration of arrival in the new commune of residence in Luxembourg;
  • undergo a medical check;
  • submit an application for a residence permit.

Who is concerned

Third-country nationals (i.e. nationals from a country which is not a EU Member State or a country treated as such - Iceland, Norway, Liechtenstein and Switzerland) who are between 18 and 30 years old and wish to reside in Luxembourg as a young au pair are subject to these dispositions. These persons must first have a temporary authorisation to stay, then a residence permit.

The application for a temporary authorisation to stay must be submitted by the young au pair. However, they may mandate a third party, such as the future host family, to carry out the necessary procedures.

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 the written approval from the Ministry of Youth.

To get this approval, they also have to meet the specific conditions required to be a young au pair, namely:

• be at least 18 and under 30;
• hold a certificate giving them access to higher education in their country of origin, or give proof that they have attended class until the age of 17 at the minimum;
• have basic knowledge of the languages spoken by the host family, as well as English or one of the country's 3 administrative languages (German, French or Luxembourgish);
• provide a medical certificate established less than 3 months prior to their arrival, proving that the young au pair is able to carry out simple routine family tasks, including childcare;
• have signed an au pair hosting agreement with an approved host family;
• not carry out any salaried or freelance work during their time as an au pair.

How to proceed

Step 1: before entering the country

Application for a temporary authorisation to stay

The future young third-country national au pair must submit an application for a temporary authorisation to stay (on plain paper) from the country of origin:

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

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

• a copy of their valid passport, in its entirety;
• where applicable, a copy of the residence permit issued in another EU Member State if they already reside in the Schengen area;
  
• a copy of the criminal record or an affidavit (sworn declaration) established in the country of residence;
• the written approval from the Minister in charge of Youth in accordance with article 3 of the law of 18 February 2013 on hosting au-pairs;
• Where necessary, a power of attorney.

The documents enclosed must be originals or certified true copies (except for the passport where a plain copy will suffice). Should the authenticity of a document be in doubt, the Minister of Immigration can request that the document be authenticated by the appropriate local authority and legalised by a Luxembourg diplomatic or consular representation in the third country nationals country of residence (or alternatively notarised with an apostille of the Hague).

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 60 days. If the information or supporting documents provided are incomplete, the Minister will inform the applicant on any additional information to be provided and will grant a reasonable period of time in which to submit the information required The 60-day deadline will then be suspended until the required documents or information are received within the set deadline. Should the additional information or documentation fail to be supplied within the deadline, the application is rejected.

In case of a favourable reply, the third-country national receives a 'temporary authorisation to stay', sent by post. This 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 he is not subject to visa requirements, enter Luxembourg territory and make a declaration of arrival to the administration of the commune where he resides.

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

Passport and visa

If he is 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 a visa obligation must submit, before their journey and from their country of origin, a type D visa application and present their temporary authorisation to stay to the Luxembourg diplomatic or consular representation in their country of origin, or, failing that, to the embassy or consulate of the country in the Schengen area which represents Luxembourg for the issuance of long stay visas (only 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 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. Third-country nationals are nonetheless required to 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 issued by another EU Member State);
• the original copy of the temporary authorisation to stay;
• where applicable, a valid proof of address.

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

The copy of the declaration of arrival together with the temporary authorisation to stay are valid as an authorisation to stay and allow to carry out activities as an au pair until the residence permit is issued.

Medical check-up

Before applying for the residence permit, the young third-country national au pair 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

Young third-country au pairs must submit an application for a residence permit for third-country nationals to the Immigration Directorate of the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs within 3 months of entry into 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 established by the communal authority;
• 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'.

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.

Forms / Online services

Who to contact