Foreign driving licence in Luxembourg: exchange or transcribe
Skimming?
We've prepared the shortcut for you.
Your to-do list, in 5 steps
Practical guide · trigger.lu
Foreign driving licence in Luxembourg: exchange or transcribe
- Exchange
- Luxembourg bulletin No. 4 less than 3 months old
- Transcription
- extract from your country (under 3 months old, covering 5 years) and bulletin No. 4
Details
Bulletin No. 4 can be requested online on MyGuichet.lu. Order the extract from your home country early: it's often the slowest document to get. Registering an EU licence doesn't require any.
- Registration
- these three documents are enough
- You need
- completed application form
- copy of both sides of your licence
- copy of your ID
Details
For an exchange, add a 45 × 35 mm photo, the stamp and bulletin No. 4. For a transcription, add a medical certificate less than 3 months old on the official form, signed by a GP or an internist authorised in Luxembourg, the criminal record extract from your country and bulletin No. 4.
- For whom
- exchange or transcription only
- Where
- SNCA or AED
Details
The Guichet.lu help desk also accepts card payment.
- By post
- SNCA, Service des permis, B.P. 23, L-5201 Sandweiler
- In person
- Guichet.lu, 11, rue Notre-Dame, by appointment
- Takes effect
- after at least 185 days of residence
Details
You can submit it as soon as you arrive. A non-EU licence must be transcribed within the year after you take up normal residence.
- For whom
- exchange or transcription
- Deadline
- no official deadline published
- Contact
- (+352) 26 62 64 00 or [email protected]
Details
The SNCA sends your original licence back to the country that issued it. Keep a copy of both sides: you'll need it for your insurer.
This is for you if
- You've just settled in Luxembourg with a French, Belgian, Portuguese, Italian or other EU licence.
- You're arriving from a non-EU country (Brazil, India, United States, United Kingdom...) and want to keep driving after your first year.
- You want to add a category (motorbike, trailer) to a foreign licence.
This isn't for you if you're a cross-border worker: you don't live in Luxembourg, so the licence from your country of residence is enough.
Key figures
| Item | Value | Year or date |
|---|---|---|
| Registration of an EU/EEA licence | Free, optional | 2026 |
| Exchange of an EU/EEA licence | €30 (chancery stamp) | 2026 |
| Transcription of a non-EU/EEA licence | €30 (chancery stamp) | 2026 |
| Deadline to transcribe a non-EU/EEA licence | 1 year after you take up normal residence | 2026 |
| Minimum period before exchange or transcription | 185 days after you settle (the application can be sent earlier) | 2026 |
| Stay required in the country that issued the non-EU licence | At least 6 months (residence or studies) | 2026 |
| Validity of documents (medical certificate, criminal record) | Less than 3 months | 2026 |
| Categories transcribed without an exam | AM, A1, A2, A, B, BE and F | 2026 |
Source: Guichet.lu, page updated on 22 November 2024, consulted on 9 October 2026.
EU or EEA licence: register or exchange
The EEA is the EU plus Iceland, Norway and Liechtenstein. With a licence issued in one of these countries, you can drive in Luxembourg without doing anything, as long as it's valid.
Registration (free) simply records your licence with the SNCA, the Société nationale de circulation automobile. You keep your original licence. The benefit: if it's lost or stolen, the SNCA can issue you a duplicate quickly. Without registration, you first need a certificate from your home country.
Exchange (€30) replaces your licence with a Luxembourg licence. It becomes mandatory in three cases:
- you want to add a category (a motorbike, for example);
- a judge or an authority imposes a driving restriction recorded on the licence;
- you get your licence back after a driving ban or a withdrawal.
Non-EU licence: transcription within the year
You can drive with your foreign licence during your first year of residence. Before the end of that year, have it transcribed. Two conditions:
- your licence was issued while you were living or studying for at least 6 months in that country;
- you've reached the minimum age required in Luxembourg for the category.
Within the deadline, you're exempt from the exam for cars (B, BE), motorbikes (AM, A1, A2, A) and tractors (F). For lorries and buses, the theory and practical exams are always required.
Countries with or without an agreement: what counts is the international convention on road traffic (Geneva 1949 or Vienna 1968). Most countries have signed it. Otherwise, transcription is refused and you take your driving test in Luxembourg. The list of signatory countries is on Guichet.lu (see sources).
Two examples
Ana, 29, a Brazilian developer, settles in Luxembourg City on 1 March 2026. Brazil has signed the Vienna Convention and Ana got her B licence in São Paulo, where she lived. She can drive with her Brazilian licence until 28 February 2027. She submits her file in May 2026. The transcription can only take effect after 185 days, i.e. from 2 September 2026. Her budget: €30 for the stamp, plus the photo, the doctor and the Brazilian criminal record extract.
If she forgets and submits her file in April 2027, her Brazilian licence is no longer valid in Luxembourg. She has to pass the theory and practical exams before getting back behind the wheel, and pay the exam fees on top.
Lucas, 32, French, arrives in Esch-sur-Alzette with his B licence. He doesn't have to do anything. He registers it anyway, for free. If he ever takes his motorbike licence, he'll have to exchange his licence (€30).
Common mistakes
- Counting the one-year deadline from your arrival on holiday: it runs from when you take up normal residence. Note the date of your arrival declaration at the commune.
- Waiting until the last month: the criminal record extract from your home country can take weeks.
- Driving after the year without a transcription: your foreign licence is no longer valid in Luxembourg. If you're stopped, you're driving without a valid licence: it's a criminal offence, punishable by 8 days to 3 years in prison and a fine of €500 to €10,000, or one of the two penalties. In the event of an accident, your insurer can come after you.
- Thinking an EU licence has to be exchanged: it remains valid.
- Letting a non-EU licence expire: a resident can no longer renew it abroad. You'll have to retake the exam.
What about insurance?
Your car insurance policy usually mentions your licence: its number and above all the date you obtained it. After an exchange or a transcription, tell your insurer and send them a copy of the new licence.
How long you've held your licence affects your premium: a driver who has only had their licence for a short time is often priced as a novice driver. Since your original licence goes back to the country that issued it, keep the copy of both sides of the old one. Also ask your previous insurer for a claims history certificate, the record of your accident-free years. They prove your experience.
Finally, Luxembourg regulations allow the insurer to exclude from cover damage caused by a driver without a valid licence. That's the case with a non-EU licence not transcribed after one year. The victim is still compensated, but the insurer can then claim up to €3,000 per claim from you, if your policy provides for it.
If something goes wrong, our guide car accident in Luxembourg explains what to do. To check your policy after changing your licence, an insurance advisor can go over your situation with you.
Frequently asked questions
Yes. A licence issued in the EU or the EEA remains valid as long as it hasn't expired. You can register it for free with the SNCA, but it isn't mandatory.
€30 (chancery stamp) for an exchange or a transcription. Registering an EU licence is free.
Your non-EU licence is no longer valid in Luxembourg. You must pass the theory and practical exams, like a new candidate.
Yes: since Brexit, the United Kingdom is outside the EU. Your licence follows the rule of transcription within the year.
No, you need to be a resident. You can submit your application as soon as you arrive, but it only takes effect after 185 days. For the rest of your move, follow our guide settling in Luxembourg.