To practise as a pharmacist in Luxembourg, you require a licence from the Ministry of Health (Ministère de la Santé).

To obtain such a licence, candidates must satisfy the conditions of professional competence, morality, good repute, and physical and mental health required by the profession.

Who is concerned

Pharmacists who wish to practise in Luxembourg must be a national of:

• an EU Member State; or
• a Member State of the European Economic Area (Iceland, Liechtenstein or Norway), or Switzerland; or
• a third country, and:
  
  • have a valid residence permit; or
  • have been granted international protection.

Prerequisites

Pharmacists must:

• possess the necessary qualifications;
• satisfy the conditions of morality, good repute and physical and mental health required to practise as a pharmacist;
• be proficient in at least one of the languages required to practise the profession in Luxembourg, i.e.:
  • French; or
  • German;
• understand one of the 3 administrative languages of Luxembourg (German, French and Luxembourgish) – Level B2 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages).

Pharmacists' language proficiency in one of the 3 languages may be tested at the request of the Ministry of Health.

Preliminary steps

Recognition of foreign diplomas is not required if the diploma:

• was obtained in an EU Member State;
• conforms to EU standards;
• corresponds to one of the diplomas provided for in Annex V, point 5.6.2 of European Directive 2005/36/EC.

If the diploma was obtained in a third country, or was obtained within the EU but does not conform to the criteria set out above, recognition of the diploma must be sought. Such recognition is possible if:

• the diploma had been previously recognised in another EU or EEA Member State, and;
• such recognition had granted the right to practise in the country in question.

Applications for recognition must be submitted to the Ministry of Higher Education and Research (Ministère de l'Enseignement Supérieur et de la Recherche).

Costs

Pharmacist who wish to practise in Luxembourg must pay a tax to obtain a licence to practise.

The amount of the tax is EUR 450.

The tax must be paid by direct deposit or wire transfer to the bank account of the Registration Duties, Estates and VAT Authority (Administration de l’enregistrement, des domaines et de la TVA), along with a statement of the applicant's identity and the purpose of the payment.

How to proceed

Application for a licence to practise

To set up a business and practise in Luxembourg, pharmacists must submit a duly completed and signed application for a licence to practise as a pharmacist to the Ministry of Health, Department for Healthcare Professionals (Service Professions de Santé), attaching the following documents:

• a copy of a valid ID document or passport, and, for third-country nationals:
  • a copy of a valid residence permit or;
  • a document proving that they have been granted international protection;
• an extract from their criminal record issued within 3 months prior to the application (original document only);
• a certificate of good mental and physical health issued by a licensed doctor (within 3 months prior to the application);
• copies of their diplomas;
• if applicable, the official order confirming recognition of their diploma;
• a certificate of good character issued by the Order of Pharmacists (within 3 months prior to the application);
• a curriculum vitae;
• proof of payment of the EUR 450 tax;
• if the pharmacist's mother tongue is not French, German or Luxembourgish, proof of their language skills.

Once the application has been submitted to the Ministry of Health, the pharmacist will be sent a letter within 4 weeks of the date of submission, informing them:

• either that the application is complete;
• or that the application is incomplete. Any missing documents will be specified in the letter.

When the application is complete, the Ministry of Health will forward it to the Medical Board (Collège médical) for assessment.

The Medical Board can take between 3 weeks and 3 months to issue their assessment.

If the pharmacist is granted a licence to practise in Luxembourg, they must:

• register with social security;
• register for VAT.

Using the title of 'Doctor'

It is possible to work as a pharmacist in Luxembourg without having to use the academic title 'Doctor' or 'Dr'.

However, if the pharmacist wishes to use that title, they must register their qualification in the register of certificates.

A copy of the ministerial decree confirming the registration must then be sent to the Ministry of Health, Department for Healthcare Professionals, which will update the data in the professional register.

Invalidation of the licence to practise

The licence to practise will cease to be valid if the pharmacist does not practise their profession within 2 years of its issuance.

The same applies to pharmacists who have not practised in Luxembourg for more than 2 years.

To obtain a new licence to practise, the pharmacist must fill in the licence application form, sign it and attach the following documents:

• an extract from their criminal record issued within 3 months prior to the application (original document only);
• a certificate of good mental and physical health issued by a licensed doctor (within 3 months prior to the application);
• a certificate of good character issued by the Order of Pharmacists (within 3 months prior to the application);
• a curriculum vitae;
• proof of payment of the EUR 450 tax.

The form must be sent to the Ministry of Health, Department for Healthcare Professionals.

Declaration of provision of temporary service

Pharmacists who wish to practise temporarily in Luxembourg must be legally established in the European Union or the European Economic Area.

If they are coming to Luxembourg for the first time, they must file a declaration with the Ministry of Health beforehand.

The pharmacist must also be sufficiently proficient in German and French, and be able to understand all 3 of the administrative languages of Luxembourg.

Pharmacists coming to work in Luxembourg are subject to the same rules of conduct and disciplinary conditions as professionals with established businesses in Luxembourg.

Forms / Online services

Who to contact