Luxembourg EU Blue Card 2026

You need a contract of six months or more for a highly qualified job with an annual remuneration at least equal to the amount fixed by Grand-Ducal regulation, currently EUR 65,652 gross. The contract must be signed with an employer legally established in Luxembourg and list the parties, start date, workplace, job, hours and pay.

You must also prove that you hold the professional qualifications required for the activity or sector in the contract, or that you meet the conditions for the regulated or non-regulated profession concerned. Unlike the salaried worker checklist, the Blue Card checklist does not list an ADEM hiring certificate, although the employer's own recruitment formalities still apply.

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 "EU Blue Card" 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.

Add your CV, diplomas and professional qualifications, and the contract. Work certificates showing experience and proof that the employer holds a valid business permit are optional extras.

The response time is in principle three months at most. If you hear nothing in that time, you may consider the application refused, which opens the way to an administrative appeal. Approved applicants receive a six-month visa D.

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.

Renew at least two months before expiry with your passport, a valid contract still paying at least EUR 65,652 a year, proof of salary payments such as the last three payslips or a tax return, a social security affiliation certificate and a Luxembourg criminal record extract. Each renewal is valid for four years, or for the contract length plus three months if the contract is shorter, and you may stay while the renewal is pending.

Family members apply for the family member visa D. Spouses or registered partners must be over 18, and children must be unmarried and under 18. They can work and study in Luxembourg.

You must inform the DGIM when a period of unemployment starts and if you resume work. A change of sector or profession is only possible with the authorisation of the minister in charge of immigration: you notify the DGIM in advance, the minister has 30 days to object and the change is suspended meanwhile. Moving to a job that does not meet the high-qualification conditions means starting a new salaried worker application.