Filing the details of a fiduciary contract or trust

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Déclaration au registre des fiducies et des trusts

Trustees and fiduciaries are required to file certain details on the beneficial owners of all trusts and fiduciary contracts.

To do so, a Register of Trusts and Fiduciary Contracts (Registre des fiducies et trusts) has been created for the purpose of making available the information stated in trusts and fiduciary contracts under the conditions laid down by law.

This register is maintained by the Registration Duties, Estates and VAT Authority (Administration de l’Enregistrement, des Domaines et de la TVA - AED).

The information filed with the register must be pertinent, accurate and current. Thus, in addition to filing this information, fiduciaries and trustees are required to update it.

Information filed with the Register of Trusts and Fiduciary Contracts is submitted, updated and removed online using MyGuichet.lu.

The Register of Trusts and Fiduciary Contracts is accessible online.

Who is concerned

The obligation to file information with the register occurs in the following situations:

  • any fiduciary contract or express trust in which one fiduciary or trustee is established or resides in Luxembourg must be registered with the Register of Trusts and Fiduciary Contracts;
  • when the different fiduciaries or trustees named in a fiduciary contract or trust are established or reside in different Member States, the fiduciary or trustee established or residing in Luxembourg must submit a certificate to the AED, a registration certificate or an extract of the details on the beneficial owners as recorded in a register kept by a Member State;
  • in the case of express trusts and fiduciary contracts whose fiduciaries or trustees are established neither in Luxembourg nor in another Member State, a filing must be made with Luxembourg's register when the fiduciary or trustee, on behalf of the trust, forms a business relationship in Luxembourg with a professional or acquires real estate in Luxembourg;
  • when the fiduciaries or trustees form multiple business relationships on behalf of the trust in different Member States, the fiduciary or trustee established or residing in Luxembourg must submit a certificate to the AED, a registration certificate or an extract of the details on the beneficial owners as recorded in a register kept by a Member State.

Prerequisites

Information on the fiduciary contract or trust that must be filed with the register

The following information is required:

  • registration number;
  • name of the fiduciary contract or express trust;
  • date of establishment of the fiduciary contract or express trust;
  • identification details for each beneficial owner of the fiduciary contract or trust;
  • information on the ownership or possession by the fiduciary contract or trust of a majority holding in a company or other legal entity. This does not apply to companies or legal entities that are required to file their beneficial ownership details with the Register of Beneficial Owners (Registre des bénéficiaires effectifs - RBE).

Information on the parties to the fiduciary contract or trust that must be filed with the register

Who must be identified?

The following parties must be identified:

  • settlor(s);
  • trustee(s) or fiduciary(ies);
  • protector(s);
  • beneficiary(ies) or category of beneficiaries;
  • any individual exercising effective control over the trust.

What identification information must be provided?

Natural persons

The following information is required for natural persons:

  • surname;
  • given name(s);
  • nationality;
  • day, month and year of birth;
  • place of birth;
  • country of residence;
  • private or business address;
  • identification number in the National Registry of Natural Persons (RNPP) / foreign identification number;
  • nature of the legal person's involvement in the fiduciary contract or trust and the extent of the actual share held (in %);
  • description of the characteristics or the category referring to the beneficial owner(s).
Legal persons

The following information on is required for legal persons:

  • company name (abbreviation and trade name used);
  • exact address of the legal person's registered office;
  • if the legal person is listed in the Luxembourg Trade and Companies Register (Registre de Commerce et des Sociétés - RCS): its registration number;
  • if the legal person is not listed in the Luxembourg Trade and Companies Register: name of the register abroad in which the legal person is listed and the registration number;
  • nature of the legal person's involvement in the fiduciary contract or trust and the extent of the actual share held (in %);
  • description of the characteristics or the category referring to the beneficial owner(s).

When the beneficiaries of the fiduciary contract/trust are referred to by characteristics or category, the filing must:

  • specify that the beneficiaries are referred to by characteristics or category;
  • provide a description of these characteristics or this category.

Example: A fiduciary contract or trust may have beneficiaries that are not determined, but their category must be clear: for example, the future descendants of Mr Z.
The way in which the category is identified must be known so that the natural person can be identified when their rights are known and acquired.
When it is not yet possible to identify one or more beneficial owners, the declarant must specify the category of persons (e.g., future descendants) in whose main interests the structure or legal entity was formed or operates.
The category of beneficial owner may not replace the requirement to identify the beneficial owner(s) when the latter is/are clearly named.

Deadlines

Details and changes must be filed within one month of the event triggering the change, namely:

  • the establishment of the trust deed (fiduciary contract or trust); or
  • the amendment of the trust deed.

Fiduciaries and trustees must notify the AED, by email and within the same time frame, of the termination of the contract or of the circumstances necessitating the filing of the information.

Updates to the information on file must be made within one month of the event triggering the change.

If the registration application is refused, the applicant has 15 days from the date of refusal to comply.

Costs

Persons who can prove a legitimate interest in accessing the register, in the conditions provided for by law, may view the information in the register contingent on payment of a fee.

How to proceed

Filing an application

Applications to submit, update or remove information with the Register of Trusts and Fiduciary Contracts must be filed using MyGuichet.lu.

The procedure has to be carried out manually via MyGuichet.lu whatever the number of beneficiaries to declare.

The information must be accurate and up-to-date.

Any application that is incomplete or not in compliance with the legal and regulatory provisions will be refused.

Supporting documents

Fiduciaries or trustees established or residing in Luxembourg must submit to the AED a registration certificate, or an extract of the details on the beneficial owners as recorded in a register kept by another Member State, when:

  • the different fiduciaries or trustees of an express trust or fiduciary contract are established or reside in different Member States of the European Union;
  • the fiduciary or trustee, acting on behalf of the express trust, forms multiple business relationships in different Member States.

After the registration is filed, and if necessary, the AED may ask the applicant to submit supporting documents.

Registration

A fiduciary contract or trust that is listed in the Register of Trusts and Fiduciary Contracts receives a unique registration number.

The AED is responsible for storing, managing and making available the information on fiduciary contracts and trusts that is on file.

Refusal

If their registration application is refused, applicants must rectify their registration application. Hence, they have to:

  • complete their information;
  • modify their information;
  • submit the required supporting documents.

Retention period

Filings are retained by the Register of Trusts and Fiduciary Contracts for 5 years following:

  • the end of the express trust or fiduciary contract;
  • the termination of the involvement of the person concerned in the trust or fiduciary contract.

Trustees'/fiduciaries' obligations

Trustees and fiduciaries must obtain and retain the information on the different persons involved in the express trust or fiduciary contract.

All the information must be:

  • pertinent, accurate and up-to-date;
  • updated within a reasonable period.

Supervision

The AED supervises compliance with the obligations incumbent on fiduciaries and trustees regarding the acquisition and retention of information.

As such, the AED may:

  • have access to any document in any form and receive or take copies of it;
  • request information from any person;
  • order the fiduciaries/trustees to comply with their legal obligations.

Any person who has access to the information in the Register of Trusts and Fiduciary Contracts must notify the AED as soon as it notes:

  • the existence of incorrect data or the absence of all or part of the data in the Register of Trusts and Fiduciary Contracts; or
  • the absence of a filing or amendment, or information concerning the termination of a fiduciary contract or express trust.

Sanctions

Fiduciaries or trustees who do not meet their obligations are liable to a sanction and/or administrative measure, including:

  • a warning;
  • a reprimand;
  • a public announcement;
  • an administrative fine of up to EUR 1,250,000;
  • an order.

Online services and forms

Online services

Déclaration au registre des fiducies et des trusts

Who to contact

Registration Duties, Estates and VAT Authority

2 of 16 bodies shown

Related procedures and links

Procedures

Filing of beneficial ownership details with the Register of Beneficial Owners

Links

Legal references

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