Luxembourg au pair visa

The au pair category is open to third-country nationals living abroad who are between 18 and 30 years old and want to settle temporarily in Luxembourg to live and help with a host family as a young au pair. The defining condition is the ministerial au pair approval issued by the minister responsible for youth affairs; without it the visa D file is incomplete.

The host family completes its own preliminary formalities, described on guichet.lu and on the website of the National Youth Service (SNJ). Official immigration pages do not set a separate income threshold for the au pair, because the placement conditions are checked in the approval procedure.

The MAE checklist for au pairs is short: the national visa form, one ICAO photo, the complete passport valid six months beyond the stay and not older than ten years, a criminal record extract less than three months old or a sworn affidavit, the approval as a young au pair issued by the youth minister (a specimen is published) and, if you already live in the Schengen area, your residence permit from that state. Travel health insurance for the visa period is also required.

Since 1 October 2026 Luxembourg no longer asks first-time applicants to obtain a temporary authorisation to stay from Luxembourg before the visa. You file one visa D application for a residence permit "au pair" with the Luxembourg (or, where Luxembourg has no post, Belgian) embassy responsible for your country of residence, or with its external service provider. Files lodged on or before 30 September 2026 continue under the old procedure.

The embassy only forwards complete files; the decision is taken by the General Department of Immigration (DGIM) of the Ministry of Home Affairs. Receipt of the file does not mean it is complete. The national visa form is completed in English or French, with one ICAO photo under three months old and a passport issued within the last ten years and valid at least six months beyond the planned stay. Documents in other languages than English, French or German need a sworn translation.

Once the file reaches the DGIM, the response time is in principle 60 days; it is suspended while requested documents are awaited, and no reply within three months means you may consider the application refused. Plan the approval step first, since the visa application cannot be lodged without it.

The visa D is valid for six months and only opens the door; the residence permit is issued in Luxembourg. Within three days of arrival you declare your arrival at the commune where you live, showing your passport with the valid visa and, if you have it, your lease. The date of that declaration normally becomes the start date of the residence permit, and no permit is issued without a valid legal address.

As soon as possible you also complete the medical check for foreigners: an examination by a general practitioner, internist or paediatrician practising in Luxembourg plus a tuberculosis screening (at a laboratory on the doctor's prescription or at the Ligue médico-sociale; children between 2 months and 2 years have a tuberculin test at the Ligue). The Health Directorate sends the resulting certificate directly to the General Department of Immigration (DGIM).

The residence permit application must reach the DGIM, in the same category as your visa, no later than three months before the visa D expires. It can be filed on MyGuichet.lu (with or without LuxTrust or eID) or by post, with a full copy of the passport, the commune's arrival declaration and proof of suitable housing if it was not already in the visa file. When it is approved you pay the EUR 80 issuance fee, book an appointment for photo and fingerprints, and collect the biometric card about one week later.