The good news about driving in Luxembourg is how little it asks of Europeans. You can keep your licence. The less simple part is the car: it has to be insured, cleared by customs and registered, and the clock starts the day you tell your commune you have arrived.
Can you keep your EU licence for driving in Luxembourg?
Yes. With a licence from an EEA country you can drive in Luxembourg without exchanging it. Guichet.lu says exchange becomes mandatory for a Luxembourg resident only if you want to extend it to other categories, if a judicial or administrative restriction is entered on it, or if you get it back after a driving ban or withdrawal. Existing licences remain valid until they are renewed, and older models until 2033 at the latest.
You can register your licence with the Société nationale de circulation automobile (SNCA). It is free and optional, and it spares you a certificate of authenticity from your home country if you lose the licence or exchange it later.
If you do exchange, it is possible from the 185th day after you settle, at a cost of €30 (chancellery stamp). The file needs a 45 × 35 mm photo, a two-sided copy of the licence, a copy of your ID, the original licence, and an extract of the Luxembourg criminal record (bulletin no. 4) under three months old.
What about British and Swiss licences?
A UK or Swiss licence is not an EEA licence. Guichet.lu says a non-EEA licence must be transcribed within one year of establishing normal residence, and not before day 185. You can drive on the foreign licence during that year. If you transcribe in time, no exam is needed for categories A, A2, A1, AM, B, BE or F; if you miss the deadline, you must pass a theory and a practical exam. The fee is €30. The documents include a medical certificate under three months old from an authorised Luxembourg doctor and a criminal record extract from your home country covering five years. The page refuses transcription for countries that are not parties to the 1949 Geneva or 1968 Vienna conventions, without naming the UK or Switzerland, so check the list on the page.
More about the post-Brexit picture in moving to Luxembourg from the UK.
Which licence rules apply to you, and in which order should you do the car steps, depends on your country, your dates and your vehicle. Moovy can lay out the official steps for your case and the documents to prepare. The SNCA and customs decide; Moovy helps you not to miss a deadline.
How do you register a foreign car?
A car brought to Luxembourg must be registered within six months of your arrival declaration at the commune. The steps, according to Guichet.lu, the customs administration and the SNCA:
- Insure it with a liability policy from an insurer approved in Luxembourg.
- Get the vignette 705 at the customs office (Gasperich or Diekirch). It proves VAT has been paid, in Luxembourg or elsewhere in the EU.
- Check the technical inspection. A valid certificate from another EU country may be accepted, with Luxembourg validity periods. Otherwise, pass the inspection with an approved body. A certificate in a language other than German, French or Luxembourgish needs a sworn translation.
- Pay the €50 fiscal stamp and book an appointment at the SNCA (Sandweiler, Esch-sur-Alzette or Diekirch).
- Pay the annual vehicle tax. The SNCA gives you a 30-day provisional sticker, and you subscribe to Autosteier on MyGuichet.lu to receive the electronic invoice.
Bring your foreign registration certificate, an invoice if it does not prove ownership, the insurance certificate, the vignette 705, your ID and, for cars first registered after 1 February 2016, the European certificate of conformity (COC).
What does VAT mean for a car?
A used car already treated as second-hand in the EU does not pay Luxembourg VAT. A "new" car, meaning under six months old or with under 6,000 km, pays 17% VAT in Luxembourg. A car coming from the UK or Switzerland is an import from outside the EU, with customs clearance and possibly VAT; ask customs before you move it.
What should you watch out for?
- Leaving the six-month deadline too late. Customs, inspection and the SNCA appointment all take time.
- A foreign inspection certificate that is not translated.
- Forgetting Autosteier. Without a subscription you will not receive the invoice or the electronic sticker.
- Resident parking. Your commune may require a resident permit, collected with your registration certificate.
If you are choosing where to live, remember that free public transport can make a car optional; see living in Luxembourg. The costs of insurance and tax are part of the cost of living in Luxembourg.
How long does the process of driving in Luxembourg with a foreign car take?
Count several weeks, not days. Each stage depends on the previous one: you need the insurance certificate and the customs vignette before the registration appointment, and the technical inspection certificate must be valid at that time. The SNCA works by appointment in Sandweiler, Esch-sur-Alzette and Diekirch, so book as soon as you have your documents. Starting the process at month four or five of your six-month deadline is cutting it close. Keep a folder with the originals and copies, and a sworn translation of the inspection certificate if it is not in German, French or Luxembourgish.
What should you know about driving in Luxembourg day to day?
Several practical points matter, and none of them is complicated.
- Insurance. Liability insurance from an approved insurer is compulsory for a vehicle.
- Annual tax. You pay a vehicle tax calculated by customs; the Autosteier service on MyGuichet.lu delivers the electronic invoice.
- Resident parking. Some communes require a resident sticker, which is collected with your registration certificate.
- The alternative. Trains, trams and buses are free, so a car is optional for many commutes. Read living in Luxembourg before you buy a second car.
When in doubt about a deadline or a document, ask the SNCA or customs before the date, not after.
What if you buy a car after you move rather than bring one?
Buying locally or elsewhere in the EU changes the order slightly. The customs administration issues the vignette 705 to prove that VAT is settled, whether it was paid in Luxembourg or in another EU country, and the SNCA then registers the vehicle. A used car that is already second-hand in the EU does not pay Luxembourg VAT, while a car counted as new, meaning under six months old or under 6,000 km, pays 17%. Ask the seller for the foreign registration certificate, the invoice and the European certificate of conformity before you pay, since the SNCA asks for them.
What documents should you keep in the car?
Keep your driving licence, the registration certificate, the insurance certificate and your ID. If you have a provisional sticker from the SNCA while the annual tax is being invoiced, leave it displayed. Keep digital copies on your phone too, in case a paper document is damaged. Check each year that the technical inspection and the tax invoice are up to date, since an expired one can lead to trouble at the next appointment.
Rules, fees and appointment systems change. Check guichet.lu and snca.public.lu before you go.