The exercise of certain health professions in Luxembourg (known as regulated healthcare professions) is subject to receiving an authorisation to practise beforehand.

This authorisation to practise is issued by the Ministry of Health.

Who is concerned

Who is concerned

A professional healthcare practitioner who wishes to settle and practise in Luxembourg must be a national of:

• an EU Member State; or
• a State of the European Economic Area (Iceland, Liechtenstein or Norway), or Switzerland; or
• a third country.

Third-country nationals must also:

• have a valid residence permit; or
• have been granted international protection.

Persons who have been temporarily or permanently disqualified from practising in the country in which they last practised their profession are not permitted to practise in Luxembourg either. The same applies if disqualification proceedings are pending.

Professions concerned

The professions concerned are:

• health care assistant (aide-soignant);
• social and hygiene worker (assistant d’hygiène sociale);
• social worker (assistant social);
• surgical assistant (assistant technique médical de chirurgie);
• medical laboratory assistant (assistant technique médical de laboratoire);
• radiology technician (assistant technique médical de radiologie);
• dietician (diététicien);
• occupational therapist (ergothérapeute);
• nurse (infirmier);
• anaesthetics and intensive care nurse (infirmier en anesthésie et réanimation);
• paediatric nurse (infirmier en pédiatrie);
• head nurse (infirmier gradué);
• psychiatric nurse (infirmier psychiatrique);
• laboratory assistant (laborantin);
• masseur (masseur);
• physiotherapist (masseur-kinésithérapeute);
• speech therapist (orthophoniste);
• orthoptist (orthoptiste);
• osteopath (ostéopathe);
• curative teacher (pédagogue curatif);
• chiropodist (podologue);
• psychomotor therapist (rééducateur en psychomotricité);
• midwife (sage-femme).

Prerequisites

Whatever the planned health profession, the professional must fulfil several conditions:

• hold a Luxembourg or foreign diploma giving them access to the intended profession;
• have the necessary linguistic skills required (see below) to practise the profession:
  • either Luxembourgish;
  • French;
  • or German;
• understand one of the 3 administrative languages of Luxembourg (German, French or Luxembourgish).

Preliminary steps

Diplomas and recognition of diplomas

Holders of a Luxembourgish diploma may directly submit their application for an authorisation to practise to the Ministry of Health.

If the diploma was not obtained in Luxembourg, the professional must request the recognition of their diploma.

General care nurses and midwives holding evidence of formal qualification as referred to in Annex 5.2.2. or 5.2.2. in Directive 2005/36/EC are exempt from the recognition procedure and may directly apply for an authorisation to practise to the Ministry of Health.

General care nurses and midwives whose formal qualifications are not compliant with the aforementioned Directive, as well as all other health professions listed above under 'Professions concerned', must submit their application for recognition:

• if they have a secondary school graduation diploma, of equivalent or lower level: to the Ministry of Education, Children and Youth (MENEJ); or
• if they have obtained a diploma higher than the secondary school graduation diploma: to the Ministry of Higher Education and Research (MESR).

Language abilities required

Each health professional must have the linguistic abilities which are necessary to carry out their profession in Luxembourg.

Their disciplinary, civil and criminal liability may be incurred if, owing to insufficient language abilities, they make a mistake in the performance of their duties.

If the person's mother tongue is not French, German or Luxembourgish, proof of their language abilities must be provided in order to be authorised to practise the profession.

The minimum level of language abilities required with respect to French or German is equivalent to the Level B2 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). The level can be proven by any means such as:

• a copy of the training certificates obtained in one of these 2 languages;
• proof of professional experience in a French or German speaking country.

If the health professional cannot provide any evidence as listed above, the language proficiency must be demonstrated by a level B2 proficiency certificate from an approved examination centre.

In Luxembourg, the approved examination centre is the National Institute for Languages Luxembourg (Institut national des langues Luxembourg - INLL).

Costs

Each application for an authorisation to practise requires a prior payment of a fee of EUR 75 for each authorisation to practise and each intended profession.

For applications submitted by post, the fee must be paid to the following bank account:

Note: neither the refusal by the Ministry of Health to grant the authorisation to practise nor the applicant's withdrawal of their application give rise to a reimbursement of the fee paid.

How to proceed

Application for an authorisation to practise

Applicants can submit their application for an authorisation to practise online using MyGuichet.lu (see the section 'Forms / Online services').

After the application has been submitted, applicants will receive all subsequent messages and notifications of changes with respect to the processing status by email.

Applicants can also submit their application by post. The application form and required supporting documents must be sent to the following address:

The application form for the authorisation to practise can be downloaded in the section 'Forms / Online services' below.

Supporting documents

Applicants must include the following supporting documents with their application:

• a copy of a valid identity document, and, for third-country nationals:
  • a copy of a valid residence permit; or
  • a document attesting that they have been granted international protection;
• an extract from their criminal record less than 3 months old and issued by their country of residence;

if the professional has been living in the country in question for less than one year, they must attach an extract from their criminal record issued by the country or countries in which they had practised previously;

• a certificate of good mental and physical health less than 3 months old and issued by a licensed doctor;
• a copy of their Luxembourgish or foreign diploma;
• where applicable, a copy of the official decree attesting the recognition of the professional qualifications;
• proof of payment of the EUR 75 fee;
• if the person's mother tongue is not French, German or Luxembourgish, proof of their language abilities.

Translations of documents

Documents must be accompanied by a translation into English, French, German or Luxembourgish if one or more of these documents is in a language other than one of these 4 languages.

Processing the application

After the application for authorisation to practise (or the application for renewal) has been examined, the decision is sent to the applicant by post.

Invalidation of the authorisation

The authorisation to practise ceases to be valid if the health professional does not start practising the profession within 2 years of the issuance of the authorisation.

The same applies for health professionals who cease to practise their professional activity in Luxembourg for a duration of more than 2 years.

The invalidated authorisation to practise can be renewed upon request.

Application for a renewal of the authorisation to practise

Applicants can submit their application for renewal online using MyGuichet.lu (see the section 'Forms / Online services').

After the application has been submitted, applicants will receive all subsequent messages and notifications of changes with respect to the processing status by email.

Applicants can also submit their application by post. The application form and required supporting documents must be sent to the following address:

The application form can be downloaded under 'Forms / Online services' below.

Supporting documents

Applicants must include the following supporting documents with their application:

• a copy of a valid identity document, and, for third-country nationals:
  • a copy of a valid residence permit; or
  • a document attesting that they have been granted international protection;
• an extract from their criminal record less than 3 months old and issued by their country of residence;

if the professional has been living in the country in question for less than one year, they must attach an extract from their criminal record issued by the country or countries in which they had practised previously;

• a certificate of good mental and physical health issued by a licensed doctor (within 3 months prior to the application).

Translations of documents

Documents must be accompanied by a translation into English, French, German or Luxembourgish if one or more of these documents is in a language other than one of these 4 languages.

Processing the application

After the application for authorisation to practise (or the application for renewal) has been examined, the decision is sent to the applicant by post.

To speed up the processing of their application, applicants must make sure they provide all the required information and include the required supporting documents with their application.

Work reintegration internship

If the health professional has not exercised their profession for at least 5 years, they must take part in a reintegration internship before starting their activity again.

They must inform the Minister of Health of their intention to take such a course, specifying:

• the number of years of inactivity;
• the workplace and department they wish to reintegrate;
• whether or not they have participated in continuing education in the field.

The minister will provide the professional with:

• the number of hours of practical training they must receive;
• the number of lesson hours the professional will have to attend;
• an internship agreement.
  

The internship agreement must be signed between the intern, the internship supervisor, the representative of the training centre, and the Ministry of Health.

The internship supervisor must have at least 5 years of professional experience in the same profession as the professional on the reintegration training course.

Possibilities of appeal in the event of refusal

The applicant may appeal the decision by filing the appeal with the administrative tribunal within 3 months of being notified of the decision.

Penalties

The professional is liable to imprisonment from 8 days to 3 months, as well as a fine of EUR 251 to EUR 5,000:

• in the event of unauthorised practise of the profession; or
• if the licence was obtained based on fraudulent declarations.

Register of healthcare professions

As a reminder, the health professionals' contact details are listed in the register of healthcare professions.

To this end, health professionals are required, on pain of disciplinary sanctions, to regularly update their contact information in the register if their situation changes (employer, occupation rate, address of the medical practice, email address, phone number, etc.).

Requesting duplicates

A copy of the authorisation to practise can be obtained against payment of a EUR 10 fee. Applications for duplicate copies must be made by post or email to the Ministry of Health and must contain:

• proof of payment of the EUR 10 fee; and
• a copy of an identity document.

The fee must be paid by wire transfer on the following account:

Forms / Online services

Who to contact