LuxembourgVisits and short stays
Luxembourg visa for visiting family and friends
Schengen visa for visiting family or friends
In short
To visit relatives or friends in Luxembourg, nationals of countries on the EU visa list apply for a Schengen visa at the Luxembourg mission for their place of residence or its service provider. Your host can guarantee your costs with a formal obligation (engagement de prise en charge) approved by the Luxembourg Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs; otherwise you show your own bank statements.
checked 24 October 2026
Key facts
- Maximum stay
- Up to 90 days in any 180-day period in the Schengen area.
- Validity
- Single or multiple entries as stated on the sticker; Luxembourg can issue one, two or multiple-entry visas.
- Fee
- €90Standard Schengen visa fee under the EU Visa Code; EUR 45 for children aged 6 to under 12, free under 6. Not refunded after a refusal. An external service provider, where the mission uses one, adds its own service charge.
- Funds required
- €30,000 for the stayMinimum medical cover of the travel insurance. Luxembourg publishes no fixed daily amount; embassies ask for three months of payslips or bank statements; with a formal obligation the host's income replaces your own statements.
- Processing time
- Usually 15 calendar days; up to 45 days when further checks or documents are needed. Apply at least 15 days and at most six months before the trip.
- Work
- No. Any paid work in Luxembourg, even under 90 days, needs a work permit from the DGIM first.
- Family
- Spouses, children and parents of EU, EEA or Swiss citizens are exempt from the visa fee, as listed by the embassy.
- Where to apply
- At the Luxembourg embassy or consulate responsible for your place of legal residence, or its external service provider; a Schengen state representing Luxembourg where it has no post.
When to use this visa
This is the same uniform Schengen visa as for tourism, but the file shows a private visit to a person living in Luxembourg. It suits visits to children studying or working there, to parents, to a partner or to friends, for up to 90 days in any 180-day period. Close family members of an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen benefit from a fee waiver and can use the embassy's separate EU family member checklist.
Documents for a family visit
Luxembourg embassy checklists ask for the standard Schengen papers plus proof of the purpose: the approved formal obligation with the guarantor's legalised signature and the ministry stamp, or three recent bank statements if you pay for the trip yourself. Where relevant add proof of the relationship, such as a birth or marriage certificate or a registered partnership certificate.
You also show that you will return: an employment contract or employer letter, proof of studies, your children's school enrolment or a property deed in your country of residence. Retired applicants can use pension statements and property records as evidence of their ties.
Required documents
Identity
- Schengen visa application form, completed, dated and signed
- One recent colour photo on a white background, ICAO standard, not older than 3 months
Travel
- Passport issued in the last 10 years, valid 3 months after leaving the Schengen area, with 2 blank pages; copies of the data page, stamped pages and earlier Schengen visas
- Travel reservations in your name (a cancellable booking, not a paid ticket)
Money
- Approved formal obligation (engagement de prise en charge) with legalised signature and ministry validation stamp, or three recent bank statements
Insurance
- Travel medical insurance in your name, valid in all Schengen states for the whole trip, at least EUR 30,000, covering hospital, emergency care and repatriation including death
Other
- Proof of ties to your country of residence: employer letter or contract, school or university certificate, children's school records or title deed
Supporting documents (where they apply)
Family
- For minors travelling alone or with one parent: birth certificate, consent of both parents with ID copies and, if relevant, custody ruling
- Proof of relationship with your host: birth, marriage or registered partnership certificate
Formal obligation from your host
Luxembourg's financial guarantee is the formal obligation (engagement de prise en charge) under Article 4 of the immigration law of 29 August 2008. A host with a LuxTrust product or Luxembourg eID can file it online on MyGuichet.lu; otherwise the paper form is signed, the signature is legalised by the host's commune and the form is approved by the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs.
The host attaches a copy of their passport or ID card (and residence permit if they are not an EU citizen), their last three payslips or other proof of monthly income, and the data page of your passport. Once approved, the obligation can be used for six months. Approval is not an entry permit and does not decide the visa.
Application route
Book an appointment with the Luxembourg mission responsible for your place of residence or its service provider, lodge the file in person and give fingerprints there. Apply at least 15 days ahead, and allow time for the host's formal obligation to be legalised and approved in Luxembourg before your appointment, since the original stamped document is part of your file.
- Ask your host to file the formal obligation on MyGuichet.lu or on the paper form, with their last three payslips.
- Wait for the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs to approve it and have the original sent to you; it is valid for six months.
- Book an appointment with the Luxembourg mission for your place of residence or its external service provider.
- Lodge the application in person between 15 days and six months before departure; fingerprints are taken when you apply.
- Pay the EUR 90 visa fee plus any service provider charge, and keep the receipt.
- Wait for the decision, usually within 15 days and in some cases up to 45 days, and collect your passport.
- Within three days of arrival, register at a hotel (the accommodation form counts) or declare your arrival at the commune if you stay privately.
Forms
- Formal obligation for a short stay (MyGuichet.lu procedure and form) · Filed by the host in Luxembourg.
During the visit
Staying with your host is private lodging, so within three days you declare your arrival at the commune where you stay, showing your passport and visa. The visa does not allow any paid work; helping in a family business for pay would need a work permit from the DGIM.
Frequently asked questions
Is the formal obligation compulsory?
No. It is one way to prove means; you can instead show three recent bank statements if you pay for the visit yourself.
How long is an approved formal obligation valid?
Six months from the date of approval by the ministry.
Does my host need to be a Luxembourg citizen?
No. Residents can also sign; non-EU hosts attach a copy of their residence permit.
My son is an EU citizen living in Luxembourg. Do I pay the fee?
Dependent parents, spouses and children of EU, EEA or Swiss citizens are on the embassy's fee-free list; use the EU family member checklist.
Official sources
- Embassy of Luxembourg in Ankara – Visa to Luxembourg
- Lüksemburg Ankara Büyükelçiliği – Lüksemburg vizesi
- Embassy of Luxembourg in Ankara – Checklist: visiting family or friends
- Guichet.lu – Stays of up to 90 days for third-country nationals
- European Commission – Applying for a Schengen visa
Summarised from the official sources above. Rules, fees and processing times change: confirm with the embassy or the official portal before you apply.
Other visa types for Luxembourg
Visits and short stays
- Tourist visa Maximum stay: Up to 90 days in any 180-day period in the Schengen area.
Business and self-employment
- Business visa Maximum stay: Up to 90 days in any 180-day period in the Schengen area.
- Self-employed and freelancer visa Validity: Visa D: 6 months; the residence permit is then issued and renewed in Luxembourg.
Study and training
- Student visa Maximum stay: For the length of the study programme, through renewable residence permits.
- Researcher visa Maximum stay: For the research project, through renewable residence permits.
- Internship and trainee visa Maximum stay: For the length of the traineeship stated in the training agreement.
- Au pair visa Validity: Visa D: 6 months; the au pair residence permit is then issued in Luxembourg.
Work
- Work visa Validity: First residence permit up to 2 years; renewals up to 4 years. Visa D: 6 months.
- EU Blue Card Validity: Renewals for 4 years, or for the contract length plus 3 months if shorter. Visa D: 6 months.
- Intra-company transfer visa Maximum stay: Up to 3 years in total for managers and specialists, 1 year for trainee employees.
- Seasonal work visa Maximum stay: 5 months within a 12-month period.
Family
- Family reunification visa Validity: Visa D: 6 months; the family member residence permit is then issued and renewed in Luxembourg.
Residence
- Residence permit Validity: Visa D: 6 months; the private reasons permit is then issued and renewed in Luxembourg.
- Permanent residence
Protection
- Asylum and international protection Maximum stay: Applicants may stay while the claim and any suspensive appeal are pending; protection holders receive a 5-year residence permit.