Luxembourg work permit procedure for non-EU workers

Most third-country nationals who want to live and work in Luxembourg for more than three months need a job offer first, then a temporary authorisation to stay before travelling, and finally a residence permit after arrival. For the standard salaried-worker route, the employer must declare the vacancy to ADEM and obtain a certificate allowing it to recruit a third-country national. A visa D is an additional entry requirement only for nationalities subject to a visa requirement; it is not the work permit itself.

People often call the final card a Luxembourg “single permit”. The official document is a residence permit for a salaried worker: it is a biometric chip card and also contains the right to work. This guide covers the route for a person moving to Luxembourg, not a short stay, posting or self-employment case.

Who needs a Luxembourg work permit?

The route is for a third-country national: someone who is not a citizen of an EU Member State, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway or Switzerland, and who will live in Luxembourg for a salaried job. The official salaried-worker procedure also applies to someone already lawfully in Luxembourg who has not worked there and now wants to take employment.

• You do not use this standard route if you are an EU/EEA/Swiss citizen, or already hold a valid Luxembourg permit giving you the necessary unrestricted work right.
• Family members: a third-country national holding a Luxembourg “family member” residence permit has free access to the labour market and does not apply for a work permit in advance.
• Living across the border: a third-country national legally resident in another EU/EEA/Swiss state who will keep living there needs the separate cross-border work permit, normally before starting work.

Check the wording in the observations field of any existing permit before changing role, profession or sector. The first standard salaried-worker card is restricted to one profession and one sector; a change can need ministerial approval.

How does the standard Luxembourg work-permit route work?

1. The employer starts with ADEM. The employer declares the vacancy to ADEM and requests the certificate to employ a third-country national. Under ADEM’s current certificate procedure, the vacancy is active for two months unless withdrawn or extended. For an occupation on ADEM’s high-shortage list, the certificate is issued within five days of the request. For other occupations, ADEM has seven business days to check the availability of registered jobseekers before it can issue a certificate. The employer gives the original certificate to the applicant.

2. Sign a conditional contract and apply from abroad. The employment contract must comply with Luxembourg law, be dated and signed by both parties, and can make the start date conditional on receiving authorisation. The worker applies in writing for temporary authorisation to stay to the General Department of immigration, from their country of origin or legal residence. Do not travel to Luxembourg to file this application: applications filed from Luxembourg are inadmissible except in limited cases, including certain people who already hold a Luxembourg residence permit.

• Full copy of a valid passport;
• Criminal-record extract or sworn declaration from the country of residence;
• CV and copies of diplomas or professional qualifications;
• The signed employment contract and original ADEM certificate; and
• Power of attorney, if somebody files for the applicant.

Documents not in German, French or English require an official sworn translation. A complete standard application normally has a maximum four-month decision period; no decision by then is treated as a refusal. If granted, the temporary authorisation is valid for 90 days.

3. Travel, register, then request the card. If your nationality requires a visa, apply for a type-D visa after receiving the temporary authorisation and before travelling. On arrival, make a declaration of arrival at your commune within three days, complete the foreigner medical check as soon as possible, and apply for the residence-permit card within three months of entry. Attach the passport, temporary authorisation, arrival declaration, proof of suitable housing and proof of payment of the EUR80 card fee.

The copy of the declaration of arrival together with the authorisation to stay both serve as a work permit and authorisation to stay until the residence permit is issued.

The first card is valid for up to one year. The employer must see and retain a copy of the authorisation or permit for the duration of the contract and notify Immigration in writing within three working days of the job starting.

When is the Luxembourg EU Blue Card the better route?

The EU Blue Card is the route for a highly qualified third-country worker. In 2026, the contract must be for at least six months, the work must require the relevant higher professional qualifications, and the gross annual salary must be at least EUR65,652.

The employer still declares the vacancy to ADEM, but the Blue Card has no labour-market test and no ADEM recruitment certificate. The immigration application otherwise follows the same before-travel and after-arrival sequence. Immigration’s normal maximum decision period for the Blue Card temporary authorisation is three months. The first card is valid for four years, or for the contract length plus three months if the contract is shorter.

What commonly goes wrong with a Luxembourg work-permit application?

The most avoidable mistake is treating an offer or a short-stay visa as permission to begin work. For the standard route, wait for the temporary authorisation, make the communal arrival declaration, and keep the two documents together until the card arrives. Send a complete file: Immigration can return an incomplete standard application, while Blue Card applicants can be given a deadline to supply missing material.

Already holding a permit from another EU country does not automatically transfer a standard right to work in Luxembourg. It can remove the visa requirement, but the Luxembourg temporary authorisation is still needed for the ordinary resident-worker route. An exception exists for an EU Blue Card holder who has held that card in another Member State for at least 12 months: they may move to Luxembourg and must apply for a new Luxembourg Blue Card no later than one month after entry. The application costs EUR80; the official receipt can preserve legal residence and allow immediate work if the first state’s Blue Card expires while the case is pending.