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Migration and Home Affairs
  • 1 April 2025

Student in Luxembourg

Are you a non-EU citizen wishing to study in Luxembourg? You can find information below on the conditions to fulfil and procedures to follow, as well as the rights you can enjoy during your stay.

Conditions

To come to Luxembourg as a student, you must:

  • be enrolled in a full-time study programme in a higher education institution (including for doctoral studies); or
  • be participating in a student exchange programme.

You must obtain a residence permit to stay for study purposes and, if necessary, a visa.

Procedures

Where to apply

Residence permit

You must apply for an authorisation of stay for students at the Directorate of Immigration of the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs to a Luxembourg diplomatic or consular representation or to a diplomatic or consular mission representing Luxembourg before you enter the territory of Luxembourg.

Visa

Once granted, the student must, if necessary, obtain a visa at the embassy or consulate in the country of origin within 90 days.

Documents required

You must:

  • prove you have been admitted to a higher education institution;
  • show sufficient financial resources to support yourself and to return home;
  • provide proof of health insurance;

provide proof of parental consent if you are a minor.

Duration of validity of permitsThe residence permit, which will be issued once you arrive in Luxembourg, is valid for one year or for the duration of your studies if they last for less than one year. It will be renewable for the duration of your studies.
Further requirements

Upon arrival, you have three days to report to the Commune at your place of residence and three months to file an application for a residence permit at the Directorate of Immigration of the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs.

You must undergo a medical test and show proof of accommodation.

You must pay a fee of 80 EUR.

Appeals

Negative decisions related to authorisation to stay can be challenged before the First instance Administrative Court within three months of notification of the ministerial decision.

If the First instance Administrative Court rejects the appeal the decision a further appeal can be filed before the Administrative Court within 40 days of judgement notification.

Further informationMore on studying in Luxembourg

Rights

Change of employmentYou may request a change of status if all the necessary conditions are met by submitting an in-country application to the Directorate of Immigration of the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs.
Employment during studies

If you are studying for a master’s degree or a PhD, or if you have finished the first two semesters of a Bachelor’s Degree, you are allowed to work for a maximum of 15 hours per week during term-time.

This limit does not apply to doctoral students who are carrying out research in a higher education institute or to assistants with contracts at the University of Luxembourg.

If you are studying for a Bachelor's Degree or a BTS, you cannot work during the first two semesters. After this period, the 15-hour limit per week applies.

During student holiday periods, you can work for a maximum of 40 hours per week.

Employment after studies

After completing their studies, third-country nationals may stay in Luxembourg to look for a job or start a business.

 

They must then apply for a residence permit for the purposes of finding a job or setting up a business, before the expiry of their student residence permit or the end of their mobility scheme in Luxembourg.

Students looking for work or starting a business must apply for a residence permit for the purposes of finding a job or setting up a business;

Such a residence permit may be requested by:

  • students who already have a valid residence permit for students in Luxembourg;
  • students who have a student residence permit valid in a first Member State and who are in Luxembourg on an educational mobility scheme.

Applications for residence permits to look for a job or set up a business must be submitted at least 30 days prior to the expiry of student residence permits or the end of mobility schemes.

Third-country nationals must state their identity (surname(s) and first name(s)) and enclose the following documents with their applications:

  • a copy of their full valid passport;
  • a recent extract from the criminal record in Luxembourg;
  • proof of comprehensive health insurance valid in Luxembourg (travel insurance);
  • proof of successful completion of a higher education diploma leading to a Masters degree, or proof that a PhD research thesis has been successfully defended in Luxembourg;
  • proof that they have sufficient resources to cover living expenses during their stay, and their return trip. Their monthly resources must amount to at least 80 % of the level of the social inclusion income in force in Luxembourg. The following may be used as proof:
  • a certificate of scholarship or student loan stating the amount and its duration; or
  • a bank certificate; or
  • an undertaking to provide financial support (formal obligation) by a guarantor living in Luxembourg;
  • proof of payment/wire transfer of the EUR 80 issuance fee;
  • where necessary, a power of attorney.

Validity period

For residence permits for personal reasons containing the wording "recherche d'emploi" ('finding a job') or "création d'entreprise" ('setting up a business')

Residence permits for personal reasons for the purpose of 'finding a job or setting up a business' are valid for a period of 9 months.

Before their residence permits for the purposes of finding a job or setting up a business expire, applicants must apply for authorisation to stay on:

Employed or self-employed work must relate to the student's academic education. In such cases, no labour market test is applied.

With a view to your return to your home country, you will have the opportunity to get a first professional experience in Luxembourg which is in the economic interests of both Luxembourg and your home country.

Applications for residence permits for employees or self-employed workers must also be made prior to the expiry of student residence permits.

Mobility

Conditions

A student may need to study at higher education establishments located in different countries.

Students already holding a residence permit for students in a different EU Member State are permitted to stay in Luxembourg to pursue their studies under certain conditions.

The student may stay in Luxembourg for no more than 360 days, provided he or she completes a simple procedure before entering the country.

Students with a residence permit for students issued in a first EU Member State may come to Luxembourg to complete part of their studies only if the stay is part of:

  • a European Union programme or a multilateral programme with mobility measures, or
  • an agreement between 2 or more higher education establishments.

If they do not hold such a permit, they must submit a standard application for an authorisation to stay in Luxembourg for the purposes of study.

Similarly, if the student intends to stay in Luxembourg for longer than 360 days, they must submit an application for an authorisation to stay in Luxembourg for the purposes of study.

Prerequisites

Applicants must satisfy the following conditions:

  • they must hold a valid residence permit for students, issued by a first EU Member State, and covering the entire duration of the planned period of mobility,
  • they must be part of an EU programme or multilateral programme with mobility measures, or covered by an agreement between 2 or more higher education establishments,
  • they must stay in Luxembourg to complete part of their studies in a higher education establishment for 360 days at most.

Notification of mobility

The student or higher education establishment in Luxembourg must notify the competent authorities in the first Member State, as well as the Minister for Immigration, of the third-country national's intention to complete part of his/her studies in a higher education establishment in Luxembourg.

The notification must be submitted as soon as plans are made for the mobility project, and, in all cases, before the mobility actually commences.

Documents required

The notification must be accompanied by the following documents:

  • a copy of the student's entire valid passport,
  • a copy of the valid residence permit issued by the first Member State, covering the whole period of the planned mobility,
  • proof that the student will be completing part of his/her studies in Luxembourg under an EU programme or a multinational programme with mobility measures, or an agreement between 2 or more higher education establishments,
  • a document stating the planned duration and dates of the mobility, when they are not mentioned in the document proving that the student will be completing part of his/her studies in Luxembourg,
  • proof that the student has been enrolled in a higher education establishment in Luxembourg,
  • proof that the student has sufficient resources to cover living expenses during his/her stay, and his/her return trip. The monthly resources must amount to at least 80 % of the current social inclusion income. The following may be used as proof:
    • a student grant certificate or a student loan certificate mentioning the amount and duration,
    • a bank certificate,
    • an undertaking to provide financial support by a guarantor living in Luxembourg.
  • proof that the third-country national has health insurance.

The documents enclosed must be originals or certified copies (except for the passport, where a plain copy will suffice). Should the authenticity of a document be in doubt, the Minister of Immigration can request that the document be authenticated by the appropriate local authority and legalised by the Embassy (or that it bear a Hague Convention apostille).

If the documents are not in German, French or English, an official translation by a 'sworn translator' must be attached.

Application processing time

Once the complete application file has been submitted, the Directorate of Immigration has 30 days to inform the applicant if it has raised an objection to the mobility.

If an objection is raised within that interval, the student is not authorised to complete part of his/her studies at the higher education establishment in Luxembourg.

Once the deadline for raising objections has passed, the mobility can commence and the student is authorised to enter Luxembourg.

On application, by email or in person at the offices of the Directorate of Immigration, the student is issued with a document certifying that he/she is authorised to stay in Luxembourg for the duration of his/her mobility. This certificate facilitates the declaration of arrival which must be filed with the communal administration of the place where the student will be living.

After entering the country

Declaration of arrival

Within 3 days of arriving in Luxembourg, the student must file a declaration of arrival with his/her new commune of residence, along with the following documents:

  • a valid travel document (passport and, where applicable, a visa or a residence permit or authorisation issued by another EU Member State),
  • the original copy of his/her residence permit issued by the first Member State,
  • proof that he/she completed the notification procedure (copy of the notification), or the document certifying his/her right to stay in Luxembourg,
  • valid proof of address (e.g. rental agreement, electricity bill, etc.), where applicable.

The applicant will be given a copy of his/her declaration of arrival as a receipt.

Obligations

The higher education establishment, or the student, must inform the Directorate of Immigration of any changes that affect the conditions under which the mobility was authorised.