Any small craft travelling or operating on waterways and bodies of water in Luxembourg must bear an official identification mark.

Applications for small craft identification marks must be filed with the Department of Navigation (Service de la navigation). The Department of Navigation maintains a register of all official marks assigned to small craft.

Who is concerned

The information here applies to the owners or co-owners of a small craft, whether they are natural or legal persons, having their:

• address;
• permanent establishment; or
• registered office in Luxembourg.

The owners or co-owners of recreational craft (pleasure cruisers, pleasure boats and small craft for recreational use) are not affected.

Prerequisites

To obtain the identification mark:

• the length of the vessel must not exceed 20 metres;
• its displacement must not exceed 20 metric tonnes (with the exception of tugboats, pusher boats, passenger craft and ferries);
• it must not be registered outside of Luxembourg.  

The assigned identification mark is only valid on waterways and bodies of water; it is not valid for travel at sea.

The identification mark must be at least 10 cm in height, and be affixed to the bow on both sides of the vessel, in light colours on a dark background or vice versa.

How to proceed

Filing an application

The application for authorisation must state:

• the applicant's surname(s) and first name(s);
• their nationality;
• their address.

The completed application form must be sent to the Department of Navigation, along with the requisite supporting documents:

• proof of civil liability insurance;
• a deed of ownership (only necessary when the application is submitted for the first time);
• an identification certificate (only when renewing or extending the existing identification certificate);
• an official declaration of the loss, theft or destruction of the identification certificate (only when requesting a duplicate certificate);
• if the small craft is owned or kept by a legal person, a copy of the articles constituting and regulating that person.

The Department of Navigation maintains a register for the purpose of:

• managing the official identifying marks assigned to small craft;
• administrative oversight of those marks.

Small craft are included on that register along with the following information:

• the official identification mark and serial number;
• the surnames, first names, occupation, date and place of birth, address or residence of the owners or keepers. In the case of a legal person: the company name, corporate headquarters, establishment address, surname, first name, address and residence of the persons authorised to act on behalf of the legal person;
• the technical specifications of the small craft;
• the dates of assignment, renewal or extension of the official identification mark.
  

Amount

A EUR 12 tax is payable when:

• requesting the issuance of an official identification mark;
• applying for an extension or duplicate of the identification certificate.

This tax is paid in the form of transferable stamps – "Droit de chancellerie", or "stamp duty" – issued by the Registration Duties, Estates and VAT Authority. The stamps must be affixed to the applications.

This tax is not payable to the Governmental and communal administrative bodies.

Validity

The identification certificate for a small craft is valid for 5 years (though in special cases, it may be valid for shorter periods of time).

Renewal

The renewal application must be sent, with the standard form and the requisite supporting documents, to the Department of Navigation.

Forms / Online services

Who to contact