Luxembourg dual citizenship: routes and eligibility

Luxembourg allows dual citizenship. This can be an attractive option if you’re an expat living and working long term in Luxembourg, but it’s important to understand the eligibility criteria and process to obtain Luxembourg citizenship status. 

This guide is for expats already living in Luxembourg and covers route choice, tests, documents, timelines, and local next steps.

Key takeaways

• You may be eligible to get Luxembourg citizenship through naturalisation, option, and automatic nationality by filiation or operation of law.
• Generally to qualify you by naturalisation you must prove you have 5 years of legal residence, with the final year uninterrupted.
• Language and civics requirements apply including the Sproochentest language exam and the Vivre ensemble course or test.
• Becoming a citizen through option can take effect after 4 months, while naturalisation can take up to 8 months.

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What dual citizenship means in Luxembourg

In Luxembourg, dual citizenship means the state allows a person to hold Luxembourgish nationality alongside another nationality. It is not a separate application category.

You still need to qualify through naturalisation, option, or an automatic route such as filiation. 

If you’re considering seeking Luxembourg citizenship it’s useful to distinguish how citizenship works compared to permanent resident status:

• Citizenship gives nationality status and, once acquired, the right to apply for a Luxembourg passport.
• Permanent residence lets you stay long term, but it is not the same as nationality.
• Citizenship brings national voting rights that permanent residence does not.
• Keeping another nationality depends on your current country’s law as well as Luxembourg’s.

Which citizenship route fits your situation?

Start with your real link to Luxembourg, to help you navigate which citizenship route might fit your situation best. Here are some common situations, and the most likely citizenship route for each, as an example:

• Lived legally in Luxembourg for years, adult, no special family route: start with the Guichet.lu naturalisation page.
• Married to a Luxembourger, parent of a Luxembourgish child, lived here 20 years, or settled here before 18: compare the cases on the Guichet.lu option page.
• Luxembourgish parent, grandparent, or adoption link: check whether you already have a filiation based claim before looking at resident routes.

For example, an expat with five lawful years in Luxembourg and no Luxembourgish spouse will usually look first at naturalisation. Someone married to a Luxembourger may have an option route. Finally, someone whose parent was Luxembourgish may need a family based nationality check instead.

Citizenship by naturalisation

Naturalisation is the main route for many settled adult residents. Under the official rules, you need 5 years of legal residence, with the final year immediately before applying uninterrupted, plus the language and civics steps.

In practice, this route suits expats who have built their life in Luxembourg and want full nationality rather than only long term residence. Good repute also matters, so false declarations or serious criminal sentences can block an application.

• 5 years of legal residence
• final 12 months uninterrupted
• language, civics, and good repute requirements met

Citizenship by option

Option is not a general shortcut. It applies only in defined cases, such as marriage to a Luxembourger, being a parent of a Luxembourgish minor, 20 years of legal residence, settling in Luxembourg before 18, or having a Luxembourgish parent or grandparent.

Some communes have narrow appointment windows, so check local practice before assuming you can submit quickly.

• married to a Luxembourger
• parent of a Luxembourgish minor
• 20 years of legal residence, or arrival before 18
• Luxembourgish parent or grandparent

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Automatic nationality by birth, descent, or filiation

If you are looking at Luxembourg citizenship by descent, some cases do not need naturalisation or option at all. If you have a Luxembourgish parent, certain adoption links, or another filiation based claim, your case may be one of automatic nationality rather than nationality by application.

• These routes turn on family status, not residence length.
• The main evidence is usually civil status records proving the link.
• Deadlines for application relate to specific ancestry or recovery pathways, so check details carefully.

What tests, documents and checks do you need?

Most delays happen before submission, not after. The practical work is proving residence history, passing or documenting the right tests, and assembling a file your commune can record.

The Luxembourgish language test and the Vivre ensemble requirement

For most resident applicants, the Guichet.lu information portal states you require a Sproochentest pass certificate and proof of the Vivre ensemble au Grand-Duché de Luxembourg course or test. It covers civic rights, institutions, and Luxembourg’s history. The oral exam is organised by the INLL (Institut National des Langues Luxembourg) and includes A2 speaking and B1 listening. The official test fee is EUR 75.

The 20 year option case works differently. Instead of the standard test route, you take a 24 hour approved Luxembourgish course validated through the Department of Adult Education. Limited medical exemptions can exist, but you should verify them on the official pages. For day to day language context, see Expatica’s Luxembourgish language guide.

To ensure everything goes smoothly:

• book the correct route, test or 24 hour course
• keep the pass or attendance certificate
• finish the Vivre ensemble course or test before submission

Document checklist, translations, and common delays

Your file may combine records from Luxembourg and abroad, which is one reason that timing often slips. Officially, documents not drafted in English, French, German, or Luxembourgish normally need a sworn translation.

The documents you need to provide can include:

• full birth certificate
• valid passport or other travel ID
• signed biographical questionnaire
• criminal record certificates from your country or countries of nationality
• criminal record certificates from countries where you lived as an adult during the previous 15 years
• route specific proof, such as marriage, school, or child nationality documents
• sworn translations where needed

Expats often underestimate how long criminal record extracts and sworn translations take, especially if more than one country is involved. Turning up at the commune with gaps can trigger a missing document request and a slower case.

How to apply and how long it takes

Appeals exist if a civil registrar refuses to record the file or if a decision is challenged.

Citizenship or permanent residence: which is better for your case?

If you are not sure whether to apply now, the real test is what you need that residence does not already give you. Expatica’s permanent residence guide is the better next read if you are still comparing status options.

Practical costs and cross-border money steps

The nationality procedure itself is generally free for naturalisation and option, but related costs can still add up. Common extras include the EUR 75 language test, sworn translations, civil status copies, legalisation, travel, and foreign criminal record paperwork. 

If you’re paying from an account overseas, specialist services like Wise can help reduce the overall amount you pay. Wise uses the mid-market exchange rate and low, transparent fees which can mean it’s a cost effective way to convert your funds between currencies and make cross border payments.

Check out whether Wise can help you reduce the costs when paying for the following from overseas:

• Sproochentest fee
• translations and certified copies
• criminal record extracts from each relevant country
• travel or courier costs for cross border paperwork

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Useful resources

• Guichet.lu: naturalisation – official resource about how Luxembourgish nationality can be acquired through naturalisation
• Guichet.lu: option – information about getting citizenship for non-Luxembourgish nationals by option
• Guichet.lu: prerequisites – rules and requirements to acquire Luxembourgish nationality by naturalisation
• INLL: Sproochentest – details of Luxembourg language evaluation test organised as part of the procedures for acquiring Luxembourg nationality
• Ministry of Justice: nationality dossier – full explainer on three ways to obtain Luxembourgish nationality