Luxembourg work visa for salaried workers

Before you can apply, your future employer declares the vacancy to the National Employment Agency (ADEM). If ADEM has not proposed a suitable candidate from the national labour market within three weeks of that declaration, the employer may ask the Director of ADEM for a certificate allowing it to hire the person of its choice. This certificate is a mandatory document of your visa D file.

The employment contract must be dated and signed by you and the Luxembourg employer and state a gross salary of at least the social minimum wage in force, EUR 2,771.33 a month for an unskilled worker aged 18 or over since 1 June 2026 (EUR 3,325.59 for a skilled worker). It must name the parties, start date, workplace, job, working hours and pay.

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 "salaried worker" 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.

For this category you add your CV, diplomas or proof of professional qualifications (including, where relevant, language skills), the signed contract and the ADEM certificate. Proof of professional experience and of the employer's business permit are optional but helpful. Guichet.lu publishes no fixed processing time for salaried workers.

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.

Apply for renewal at the DGIM at least two months before the card expires, online or by post, with your whole passport, a valid signed contract, a recent social security affiliation certificate listing all affiliations and a recent Luxembourg criminal record extract (bulletin no. 3). The renewed permit lasts up to four years and lets you change employer without prior notice. If the card expires while the renewal is pending you may keep working until the decision.

Your spouse or registered partner (over 18) and unmarried children under 18 can apply for the family member visa D, at the same time as you or later. If they apply together with you, proof of housing is not needed at the visa stage. Family members have access to the labour market.

The first permit lasts at most two years. During the first six months you cannot change employer unless your employer has seriously breached working conditions. After that you may change, but you must notify the DGIM in advance; it has 30 days from receipt to object, and you may not switch during that period. Silence after 30 days means you may go ahead. Changing without notice is a breach of your residence conditions.

You must also tell the DGIM when a period of unemployment begins and when you return to work. A pending bill (no. 8586 on the single permit) would change some of these rules once it enters into force.