Moving to Luxembourg: the pre-departure checklist
Skimming?
We've prepared the shortcut for you.
This is for you if
- You have a job offer or contract in Luxembourg and still live in France, Belgium, Germany, or elsewhere.
- You are leaving in 1 to 6 months and don't know where to start.
- You are looking for housing remotely, without being able to visit every week.
- You are moving with a car, a dog, or a cat.
Not for you if you are already settled: on-site procedures (municipality, bank, CNS, LuxTrust) are in our guide settling in Luxembourg. And if you plan to live in France, Belgium, or Germany and commute, you will be a cross-border worker: this guide only partially applies to you.
Key figures to remember
| Item | Value | Year or date |
|---|---|---|
| Rental guarantee (deposit) | 2 months' rent excluding charges maximum | Leases signed since August 1, 2024 |
| Agency fees for rentals | Half for you, half for the landlord; in practice 1 month's rent + 17% VAT in total | Since August 1, 2024 |
| Standard rate of Value Added Tax (VAT) | 17% | 2026 |
| Arrival declaration at the municipality, EU citizen | Within 8 days after your arrival | 2026 |
| Registration declaration, EU citizen | At most 3 months after your arrival | 2026 |
| Arrival declaration, non-EU national with visa D | Within 3 days after your entry | Since October 1, 2026 |
| Registering your car in Luxembourg | Within 6 months after your arrival declaration | 2026 |
| Driving license from outside the European Economic Area | To be converted within the year following your move | 2026 |
| Dog: declaration at the municipality | Within one month of your arrival; tax of at least €10 per year | 2026 |
| Pet coming from the EU: waiting time after first rabies vaccination | At least 21 days before travel | 2026 |
| Special leave for moving | 2 paid days, once per 3-year period with the same employer | 2026 |
Your checklist in 8 steps
Practical guide · trigger.lu
Moving to Luxembourg: the pre-departure checklist
- When
- three months before
Details
- To get confirmed in writing: start date, gross salary, trial period
- Non-EU: visa D at the embassy before entering
- Link: See immigration on Guichet.lu (ouvre dans un nouvel onglet) Arrive a few days before your first day of work so you can register at the municipality without taking time off. Outside the EU, no visa D processing time is published: it is often what determines your actual departure date.
- When
- three months before
- Accepted languages
- French, German, or English, otherwise sworn translator
- You need
- ID documents for the whole family
- marriage, civil partnership, or birth certificates
- signed employment contract
- diplomas and transcripts
- driving license, vehicle registration document, and certificate of conformity
- European pet passport or vaccination record
Details
Order translations and copies of certificates now, as these take the longest. Regulated profession (health, teaching, architecture, etc.): start your diploma recognition right away.
- When
- two to one month before
- Agency fees
- you only pay half
- You need
- ID document
- employment contract
- latest payslips
Details
Do video tours, never transfer money before signing the lease (nor cash guarantees), and arrange temporary housing where the municipality accepts your arrival declaration. The walk-through inspection (état des lieux) is signed on the day you move in at the latest.
- When
- one month before
- Lease in France
- 3 months (1 in high-demand areas), 1 month for furnished rentals
Details
Also stop energy, internet, mobile, insurance (notify your auto insurer), subscriptions, and request mail forwarding. Keep your bank account open during the transition and notify the tax authority in your country of your departure.
- When
- one month before
- In Luxembourg
- your employer registers you with the CCSS within 8 days
- You need
- European Health Insurance Card
Details
Ask your current health insurance provider in writing how long you remain covered. If there is a gap of a few weeks, travel or temporary health insurance will cover it; your unemployed spouse and children can then be co-insured through the CNS.
- Quotes
- at least three (date, volume, access)
- Car
- 6 months after your arrival declaration to register it
- You need
- complete vehicle registration document
- European certificate of conformity
Details
Between EU countries, no customs. Outside the EU (including the UK), your belongings enter duty-free if you have resided outside the EU for 12 months and have used them for 6 months, along with a detailed signed inventory: check with customs before shipping.
- From the EU
- microchip, European pet passport, valid rabies vaccination
- Delay
- 21 days after the vaccination (done at 12 weeks at the earliest)
- Outside the EU
- health certificate and often a blood test, plan on 3 months
Details
Once arrived, declare your dog at the municipality within a month, with proof of third-party liability insurance.
- Originals
- in your hand luggage, never in the moving truck
- Municipality
- declaration within 8 days of arrival
- You need
- lease or proof of Luxembourg address
Details
Do the exit walk-through inspection and note down the address for returning your deposit. Make sure you have enough funds to live on during the first month: your first salary usually arrives at the end of the worked month.
A worked example: Inès's budget
Inès, 29, lives in a furnished studio apartment in Lyon. She starts an open-ended employment contract (CDI) in Luxembourg City on 1 February 2027. Remotely, she finds a one-bedroom apartment with a rent of €1,350 excluding charges, plus €150 in utility charges.
What she pays to move in:
- rental deposit: 2 × €1,350 = €2,700 (the legal cap, calculated excluding charges);
- agency fees: €1,350 + 17% VAT = €1,579.50, of which her half is: €789.75;
- first month's rent, including charges: €1,500.
Subtotal: 2,700 + 789.75 + 1,500 = €4,989.75.
What she adds (her own estimates):
- van rental and fuel for Lyon-Luxembourg: €800;
- living expenses until her first salary, paid at the end of February: €1,200.
Total needed in her bank account before leaving: 4,989.75 + 800 + 1,200 = €6,989.75, or around €7,000.
Two details affect her cash flow. Because her Lyon studio is furnished, her notice period is only one month: she sends it at the end of December and avoids paying two rents at the same time. On the other hand, her Lyon security deposit will only be returned after the move-out inspection: she cannot rely on it to pay the Luxembourg rental deposit.
Before signing her contract, Inès also estimated her net salary: that is what determines whether the rent is affordable. A common rule of thumb: rent should not exceed one third of net income.
Common mistakes
- Moving without a registered address: without an address, you cannot complete your arrival declaration, which means no residence certificate for the bank or your employer.
- Paying a deposit before signing: this is the classic remote rental scam, and you won't get your money back.
- Putting original documents in the removal van: if your move is delayed, you won't be able to register within the required 8 days.
- Forgetting paperwork processing times: sworn translations, copies of official certificates, or long-stay visas (visa D) from outside the EU can take weeks or even months.
- Underestimating the first month: deposit, agency fees, and first rent are due before your first paycheck, which is paid at the end of the month.
Once you arrive
Your checklist ends the day you unpack your boxes. What comes next has its own order: arrival declaration at the commune, bank account, LuxTrust, registration declaration, tax card, registering your car. Everything is detailed step by step in our guide moving to Luxembourg: step-by-step guide.
Already employed in Luxembourg on your moving day? Ask your employer for your 2 days of extraordinary leave. The residence certificate provided by the commune serves as proof.
Frequently asked questions
To secure housing, count on roughly 3.7 months' rent: 2 months' deposit, half a month of agency fees plus VAT, and the first month's rent. Add the cost of moving your belongings and living expenses until your first paycheck. For a rent of €1,350, that comes to about €7,000.
Not necessarily permanent housing, but an address where you actually reside. You need it for your arrival declaration, which must be done within 8 days if you are an EU citizen. A furnished apartment or a flatshare for a few weeks may be enough; check with the local commune.
Yes, for 6 months after your arrival declaration at the commune. After that, your car must be registered in Luxembourg. The procedure will have its own guide on trigger.
If they are written in French, German, or English, generally no. In another language, a translation by a sworn translator is required. For a regulated profession, you will also need official recognition.
You are covered in Luxembourg from the start of your employment: your employer declares you to the CCSS within 8 days following your first day. Before that, your current healthcare fund covers you; ask them until when.
Three months before leaving is a good starting point for an EU citizen: paperwork and translations first, housing second. Outside the EU, start as soon as the contract is signed: you apply for a D visa in person at the embassy before leaving, and no processing time is published.