Acquiring Luxembourgish nationality

General information

Anyone wishing to acquire Luxembourgish nationality by naturalisation or option must produce a "Living together in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg" certificate and have passed the "Sproochentest Lëtzebuergesch".

Naturalisation, Option: conditions to be met

1. Any non-Luxembourger adult who meets the following conditions may apply for naturalisation:

• have been legally resident in the Grand Duchy for at least the past five years. The last year of residence immediately preceding the application for naturalisation must be uninterrupted;
• have a knowledge of the Luxembourgish language, documented by the certificate awarded on passing the assessment examination in Luxembourgish;
• have attended the course on "Living together in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg" or have passed the examination "Living together in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg".

2. Any non-Luxembourger who meets the conditions laid down in the Law of 8 March 2017 may acquire Luxembourgish nationality by option.

• In the cases stipulated below, acquiring Luxembourgish nationality by option requires obtaining the "Living together" certificate and the assessment of level in Luxembourgish language:
• parent of a Luxembourgish minor;
• marriage to a Luxembourgish national;
• adults having fulfilled the obligations arising from the reception and integration contract (contrat d'accueil et d'intégration - CAI);
• adults who settled in Luxembourg before the age of 18;
• adults with stateless person, refugee or subsidiary protection status.
• For an adult who has been legally living in the Grand Duchy for at least 20 years, only a certificate of having attended 24 hours of language classes in Luxembourgish is required under the option procedure.

The acquisition of Luxembourgish nationality is always conditional on the applicant's good repute.

More information on guichet.lu

"Living together in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg" certificate

The Law of 8 March 2017 on Luxembourgish nationality provides that applicants must produce a "Living together in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg" certificate attesting either that they have attended the 24 hours of classes dispensed or have passed an examination.

The course and the examination cover the following subjects:

1. Fundamental rights of citizens (6 hours);
2. State and municipal institutions in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg (12 hours);
3. History of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg and European integration (6 hours).

The Department of Adult Education (Service de la formation des adultes - SFA) at the Ministry of Education, Children and Youth is responsible for organising the course and the examination on "Living together in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg". There is no charge for registering for the course or for the examination.

There are a number of options for people needing to obtain the "Living together in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg" certificate:

• 24-hour course
  People wanting to attend the 24-hour compulsory course WITHOUT taking the examination
• 18-hour course
  People who already hold a certificate attesting attendance at citizenship training classes as part of a reception and integration contract (CAI)
• Examination
  People wanting to take the examination without attending the course

Register via the dedicated portal

Note that registration via the portal is only possible from within the Grand Duchy.

The other arrangements for acquiring Luxembourgish nationality are set out in detail on the website of the Ministry of Justice.

Assessment of level in Luxembourgish language - the "Sproochentest Lëtzebuergesch"

The assessment of level in spoken Luxembourgish is organised by the Institut national des langues Luxembourg (INLL). The INLL is the national certification centre for regulated diplomas and certificates concerning the Luxembourgish language.

The "Sproochentest Lëtzebuergesch" consists of two tests; both must be passed:

1. Test in oral expression (A2 level)

   The level required corresponds to the A2 level of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) for oral expression and interaction.

   "The candidate must be able to introduce him/herself and talk about his/her family, other people, and his/her life, training or profession in simple terms; the candidate must be able to describe and compare people, things, and activities in simple terms."

2. Test in oral comprehension (B1 level)

   The level required corresponds to the B1 level of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) for oral comprehension. (CECRL) for oral comprehension.

   "Le candidat peut comprendre les points essentiels quand un langage clair et standard est utilisé et s’il s’agit de sujets familiers concernant le travail, l’école, les loisirs, etc. Il peut comprendre l’essentiel de nombreuses émissions de radio ou de télévision sur l’actualité ou sur des sujets qui l’intéressent à titre personnel ou professionnel si l’on parle d’une façon relativement lente et distincte."

The dates and places of the "Sproochentest Lëtzebuergesch" and the conditions and registration for the assessment tests can be consulted on the INLL website. Candidates are informed by mail of the dates and times of the session at least 15 days before the date of the first test.

Classes in Luxembourgish may be taken at the INLL, in classes organised by municipalities, or by other bodies and private schools. Someone with no knowledge of the Luxembourgish language will require an average of 400 hours of lessons in order to reach the required levels.

Consult training courses in Luxembourgish published on the portal.

On application and against production of supporting documents, the State may reimburse candidates, subject to the conditions and ceiling set out in a Grand-Ducal Regulation, for the cost of registration for the examination to assess their level of competence in Luxembourgish.

Certificate attesting attendance at 24 hours of classes in Luxembourgish (for applicants who have lived in the Grand Duchy for at least 20 years)

In the context of an application for Luxembourgish nationality by option for an adult who has been living legally in the Grand Duchy for at least 20 years, the procedure provides for participation in an introductory course of at least 24 hours in Luxembourgish in oral expression and oral comprehension. The applicant is then exempted from the "Sproochentest" and the course or examination on "Living together in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg".

All the Luxembourgish language courses offered by the Institut national des langues Luxembourg (INLL) are recognised (no specific 24-hour courses). Courses may also be organised by providers whose syllabus has been approved by the Minister with responsibility for education.

A certificate of attendance is issued by the organiser.

Two possibilities

1. The applicant holds a certificate attesting attendance at a class in Luxembourgish issued by the Department of Adult Education (SFA) (courses delivered by secondary schools or with the SFA quality label delivered by not-for profit associations and municipalities) for at least 24 hours of Luxembourgish (70% attendance rate 35 hours * 0.7 = 24.5 hours)

   The certificate will be returned bearing a stamp attesting attendance at a Luxembourgish language class that meets the conditions laid down in Article 28 of the Luxembourgish Nationality Law of 8 March 2017.
   The procedure for a person holding an INLL certificate is the same, except that the application should be sent to the INLL.



2. The applicant attends an introductory course in Luxembourgish (see below)

Luxembourgish classes

See the current offer of providers through the Department of Adult Education of the Ministry of National Education, Children and Youth:

Access to Luxembourgish classes

If you wish to identify your level of Luxembourgish, you may consult the CEFR - Common European Framework of Reference for Languages. A self-assessment grid is provided.

On application and against production of supporting documents, the State may reimburse candidates, subject to the conditions and ceiling set out in a Grand-Ducal Regulation, for the cost of registration for Luxembourgish language classes.