Applying for a work visa in Luxembourg has been made easy through a job offer and divided into two parts. You first apply for a TRP from your country of origin at the embassy or consulate of Luxembourg, then reach the country and apply for the residence permit type D for employment purposes.
Like other EU countries, Luxembourg is also facing a shortage of skilled and highly qualified workers in the labor market. This leads the country’s immigration department to design work visa programs, mainly called salary persons. Third-country nationals, under the employment residence permit stream, can live and work in Luxembourg.
Who can apply for the Work Visa in Luxembourg?
The following people can apply for a work permit in Luxembourg:
- All third-country nationals from non-EU countries are eligible to apply for the work visa of Luxembourg;
- Applicants who already legally reside in Luxembourg and want to apply for an employment residence permit:
- Applicants residing in Luxembourg legally and work but want to perform duties of a profession that they are already not allowed to do.
Non-EU nationals who are relatives of an EU citizen residing in Luxembourg are not required to obtain a special permit to engage in paid employment.
Requirements of the Work Visa of Luxembourg
Below are the main requirements, that must be met to apply for a work visa in Luxembourg:
Job Requirements
You must hold a qualified job to apply for the work visa. The job gained must fulfill one important condition. If your prospective employer has not received a suitable candidate from the “National Employment Agency” within three weeks after declaring a vacant position, they can request a certificate from the ADEM director, enabling them to hire you.
Valid Work Contract
Your prospective employer must provide the original certificate to the third-country national, who will include it in their application for authorization to stay. The employer is required to sign a dated employment contract with the prospective employee. The contract may specify that the start date is contingent upon the employee obtaining authorization to stay for salaried workers or a work permit.
Authorization of Work
When hiring a third-country worker, the employer must:
- Verify the worker’s authorization to stay or residence permit before starting the employment relationship;
- Obtain a copy of the worker’s authorization to stay or residence permit and retain it for the entire duration of the contract;
- Notify the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs about the commencement of the employment relationship within three working days from the employee’s first day of work.
Luxembourg Work Visa Details
The work permit of Luxembourg is issued to third-country nationals who wish to go there for a stay of more than 3 months for salaried activities and hence must apply for a D type of long-term visa. The employment visa procedure is divided into two steps:
Step 1- Apply for Employment Permit Authorization
Non-EU nationals holding a job offer from Luxembourg must apply first for a temporary residence permit authorization. This is submitted to the “General Department of Immigration” or at the embassy or consulate. Fulfilling the requirements and paying for the visa gets them a valid TRP which can be used to travel to Luxembourg.
Step 2- Applying for a Long Term D type Visa
After getting the authorization, you must apply for a long-term D-type visa if you are from a country whose nationals are obliged ti get it.
Step 3- Reaching Luxembourg and getting Employment Residence Permit
After reaching Luxembourg, the TRp holder must:
- submit a declaration of arrival in the new commune of residence in Luxembourg;
- undergo a medical check;
- after the above steps apply for an employment residence permit.
How to apply for a work visa?
Step 1- Applying for Employment Authorization
After fulfilling all the requirements of the work visa application, the applicants submit the visa form with supporting to the “General Department of Immigration”. Your employer can also submit the employment visa application. In this case, you should provide them power of attorney to do so.
a) Supporting documents for authorization of employment permit
The documents must be original or certified attested copies of all documents other than passport and educational documents. If the documents are not in French, German, or English language, a certified translation must also be provided. Following are the supporting documents which must be attached to the visa application:
| Your documents | Documents from employer |
| Copies of educational documents such diplomas or professional qualifications | A copy of the employment contract, compliant with Luxembourg law, dated and signed by both the applicant and their future employer in Luxembourg (please ask your employer to send it to you) |
| A CV or Resume | Copies of educational documents such as diplomas or professional qualifications |
| Police character certificate from the country of residence | |
| A power of attorney is necessary if someone else is applying on your behalf such as you employer | |
| A valid passport that has validity till the end of the visa applied for |
b) Processing timing
Processing times depend if you have submitted all the documents with your visa application. Incomplete package results in the return of the application. In some cases, the authorities can also ask for more documents. The Ministry of Home Affairs typically responds within a maximum of 4 months. If the applicant does not receive a response within this timeframe, they should assume that their application has been denied.
c) Visa form for employment permit
You must log in on the online portal of Luxembourg Immigration Services. You can access the visa form to be filled out here.
d) Fee for employment permit
Applicants must pay the visa fee for the processing of the application. This is currently charged €50.
e) Employment permit approval
If the response is positive, you will receive a ‘temporary authorization to stay’ by post. This temporary authorization is valid for 90 days. During this period, you must:
- Apply for an entry visa to the Schengen area if they are subject to visa requirements (this is mandatory for 90% of the applicants);
- If not subject to visa requirements, enter Luxembourg and make a declaration to the administration of the commune where they will reside.
Step 2- Applying for a long-term visa D
After receiving your employment permit from Luxembourg, you must apply for a type D visa before traveling, from their country of origin. The application, along with their authorization to stay, must be submitted to:
- The Luxembourg embassy or consulate in your country of origin; or
- If there is no Luxembourg representation, to the embassy or consulate of the Schengen area country representing Luxembourg for long-stay visas (only the Belgian embassy or consulate).
a) Required documents for Long-term visa D
You must submit the following documents to apply for the D-type visa from the embassy the consulate:
- recent passport-size photograph (1) in color on a white background;
- duly filled application form dated and signed by each applicant;
- passport – which must be valid for at least 3 months beyond the date of return;
- original and copy of the Authorisation to Stay documents (employment permit approval);
- flight reservations/bookings (reservation OR booking; presentation of a paid ticket is not required);
- in some countries, it is also mandatory to submit travel health insurance;
- a copy of the work contract;
- a copy of educational documents;
- Visa fee (€50) receipt.
b) Appointment
Get the appointment first to apply for the long-term D-type visa from the embassy or the consulate. In some countries, the services of VFS Global or other third-party offices are hired. In this case, you need to contact them to get the appointment. These companies also charge an extra fee for their services. On the given appointment day, submit the visa application with the above-mentioned documents.
c) Visa approval
The visa type D, valid for up to 3 months, will be affixed to the passport in the form of a seal. If your passport is set to expire within 6 months, you should renew it before traveling to Luxembourg. You will be informed about how to collect it from the embassy, consulate, or third party such as VFS Global.
d) Travelling to Luxembourg
Once you have received your long-term visa D, you can then travel to Luxembourg to start your new job.
Step 3- Arriving in Luxembourg
Once you get the employment authorization and long-term D-type visa from the embassy of Luxembourg, you should travel to Luxembourg. After reaching there, you must follow the following steps:
a) Declaration of arrival
After reaching Luxembourg, within 3 days, you must register for your declaration of arrival at the administration of the commune. You must present your passport, visa, and address. You will be provided a declaration of arrival as proof. This document and authorization to stay serve together as the work permit until you receive your residence permit.
b) Medical checkup
In the second step, you must have had your medical checkup done. All foreigners willing to work in Luxembourg must undergo this requirement. After receiving the examination results, the Health Inspection (Inspection sanitaire) of the Health Directorate (Direction de la Santé) will issue a medical certificate. This certificate will be sent to the General Department of Immigration of the Ministry of Home Affairs to facilitate the processing of the residence permit application.
c) Residence permit application
After completing the first two steps, you must apply for a residence permit at the General Department of Immigration of the Ministry of Home Affairs within 3 months you reaching Luxembourg. A residence permit application can be submitted online at MyGuichet.lu or by post by providing copies of the following documents:
- your valid passport;
- temporary authorization to stay;
- declaration of arrival issued by the communal administration;
- proof of suitable housing (such as a rental agreement or property deed);
- proof of payment of a fee of EUR 80.
After the successful processing of the case, you will be provided a residence permit card. This will be valid for one year. You can only use it to work in one profession and sector. It is renewable for 3 further years.