Luxembourg tourist visa (Schengen type C)

Nationals of countries on the EU visa list need a uniform Schengen visa to visit Luxembourg as tourists. If Luxembourg is your main destination, or the first country you enter when stays are of equal length, the Luxembourg embassy is the right place to apply. A valid residence permit from another Schengen state or an EU family-member residence card replaces the visa.

The visa covers sightseeing, holidays and private travel only. Luxembourg requires a separate work permit from the General Department of Immigration for any paid activity, even for a few days, so a tourist visa can never be used to start a job.

Luxembourg embassy checklists for tourism list the application form, an ICAO photo, the passport with copies of earlier visas, proof of legal residence in the country where you apply, a cancellable travel reservation, hotel bookings, three recent bank statements and, if you are employed, an employer letter stating the period of leave. Proof of means is three months of payslips or, without a job, three monthly bank statements. Use the checklist of the mission responsible for you, since local requirements can differ.

The insurance must be in your name, valid throughout the Schengen area for the full trip and cover at least EUR 30,000. If your insurer will not issue such a certificate, the embassy expects you to buy travel insurance that does. The embassy can ask for additional documents in every case, and missing papers delay the decision.

The Schengen visa fee is EUR 90 for adults and EUR 45 for children aged 6 to under 12; children under six pay nothing. The fee is kept if the visa is refused or the application withdrawn. Where the mission uses an external service provider, the provider charges its own service fee on top of the visa fee.

Some groups are exempt under Schengen rules as listed by Luxembourg missions, for example pupils and students travelling for education with accompanying teachers, researchers travelling for scientific research and close family members of EU, EEA or Swiss citizens.

Lodge the file no earlier than six months and no later than 15 calendar days before departure. Under the Schengen Visa Code a decision normally comes within 15 days; the embassy warns that a detailed review or a request for more documents can extend this to 45 days, so summer and holiday trips are best filed early.

Within three days of arriving in Luxembourg you must either declare your arrival at the commune where you stay or fill in the accommodation form at your hotel or guest room, which counts as the declaration. Count your days carefully: the limit of 90 days in any 180 days applies to the whole Schengen area, not to Luxembourg alone, and the European Commission offers an online calculator.

A refusal comes with the reasons and the available remedies. The embassy explains that you can bring an action before the administrative court under the law of 21 June 1999, through a lawyer, within three months of being notified. Complaints about the handling of a file go to the mission that dealt with it. A new application with stronger documents is always possible.