Luxembourg Work Visa 2026: Steps, Salary and Timing

A citizen of a country outside the EU who wants to work in Luxembourg for more than 90 days follows a two-step procedure. Before travelling, you apply for a long-stay visa (visa D) that leads to a residence permit as a salaried worker or, for highly qualified jobs, an EU Blue Card. After arriving, you declare your arrival at the commune, pass a medical check and apply for the residence permit itself. This guide sets out both routes, the salary floors, the documents and the response times, as published on Guichet.lu, the Luxembourg government's portal, and read on 14 October 2026.

The two routes side by side

A third-country national, in Guichet.lu's wording, is a citizen of a country that is neither an EU member nor treated as one. Iceland, Norway, Liechtenstein and Switzerland are treated as EU Member States.

Step 1: before you travel

1. The employer declares the vacancy to the employment agency ADEM. If no suitable candidate is proposed from the local labour market within 3 weeks, the employer can ask the Director of ADEM for a certificate authorising it to recruit a person of its choice.
2. You apply for a long-stay visa (visa D) for the issue of the residence permit, at the Luxembourg diplomatic or consular representation in your country of origin or residence.
3. If Luxembourg is not represented there for long-stay visas, you apply in a neighbouring country. Guichet.lu notes that long-stay visas can only be issued by Luxembourg or Belgian embassies.
4. You hold a valid passport.

Documents for a salaried worker

• A copy of your full valid passport.
• An extract from the criminal record of your current country of residence, less than 3 months old, or an affidavit if an extract cannot be obtained.
• Your curriculum vitae.
• Your diplomas or proof of your professional qualifications.
• Your employment contract, with a gross salary at least equal to the monthly social minimum wage.
• The ADEM certificate authorising your employer to recruit a person of its choice.
• A valid residence permit from another EU Member State, if you already live in the Schengen area.
• Travel health insurance valid in all Schengen states for the whole period of the visa, covering medical and hospital costs, repatriation for medical reasons and death.

The Blue Card file is the same without the ADEM certificate, plus a document showing that you hold the professional qualifications required for the job, or meet the conditions for practising the profession named in the contract.

Step 2: after you arrive

1. Declare your arrival at the commune where you will live.
2. Undergo a medical check.
3. Apply for the residence permit before your long-stay visa expires.

Guichet.lu lists an online service called “Application for a residence permit for third-country nationals” next to the downloadable form. Biometric residence permits are enrolled and issued by appointment only.

The salary floors

The two Blue Card figures both appear on the same official page, last updated on 01.10.2026. The amount is fixed by Grand-Ducal regulation, so confirm it with the Directorate-General for Immigration before signing a contract close to the threshold.

How long it takes, and what silence means

• Salaried worker: the response time is in principle a maximum of 4 months.
• EU Blue Card: in principle a maximum of 3 months.
• No answer: on both routes Guichet.lu states that if you receive no reply within that period, you can consider the application rejected.

What it costs

• Short-stay visa (C): EUR 90, with EUR 45 for children between 6 and 12. This is the visit visa, not the work route.
• Long-stay visa (D) and residence permit: the pages we read give no fee amount for either. Ask the embassy that takes your application.
• Whether you need a visa at all depends on your nationality. Translations are required for documents not drawn up in German, French or English.

Once you hold the permit

• First permit: the first salaried worker permit is issued for a maximum of 2 years.
• First 6 months: you are not allowed to change employer, unless your employer has seriously breached the working conditions.
• After 6 months: you may change employer after notifying the Directorate-General for Immigration. The administration has 30 days from receipt to object, and you cannot change during that time. If it takes no position within the 30 days, you may go ahead.
• Unemployment: you must inform the Directorate-General for Immigration when a period of unemployment begins, and when you take up work again.
• Blue Card holders: a change of sector or profession needs the minister's authorisation, with the same 30-day rule. Moving to a job that does not meet the highly qualified conditions means starting again as a salaried worker.

If you are an EU citizen, or an Indian citizen

• EU citizens, and nationals of Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Switzerland, need no work permit. For a stay of more than 90 days they declare their arrival and complete a registration form at the commune within 3 months, with an employment contract or a commitment to hire.
• Indian citizens follow the third-country procedure above. Guichet.lu's pages for salaried workers and Blue Card applicants set no conditions by nationality. What nationality decides is the visa requirement.

For the settling-in steps, see our moving to Luxembourg guide.

Frequently asked questions

Official sources

• Guichet.lu — Residence permit for a salaried worker (French)
• Guichet.lu — Highly qualified worker, EU Blue Card (French)
• Guichet.lu — Luxembourg entry visa for third-country nationals
• Guichet.lu — Social parameters, including the social minimum wage (French)
• Guichet.lu — EU citizens: staying and working more than 90 days

All amounts, deadlines and rules verified against the official sources above on 14 October 2026. Translations from French are ours. Information, not legal advice.