Luxembourgish nationality by marriage: requirements and steps

Marriage to a Luxembourg national opens a direct route to nationality: the option declaration of article 25. You document your Luxembourgish with a Sproochentest pass certificate, add the Vivre ensemble certificate, and the declaration takes effect four months after the Ministry of Justice receives your file.

The marriage route at a glance

Article 25 of the law of 8 March 2017 sets the route, and Guichet.lu lists it as case no. 3 of the ten option cases.

Residence and length of marriage

If you live in Luxembourg, article 25(1) asks for two documents only: the language certificate and the Vivre ensemble certificate. It sets no minimum length of residence and no minimum length of marriage.

If you do not have habitual residence in Luxembourg, article 25(2) opens the option after three years of marriage immediately before the declaration. The waiting period does not apply when you live abroad because your spouse holds a function conferred by a Luxembourg public authority or an international organisation. Your file then carries a certificate of that function.

The language certificate: the Sproochentest

Article 25 asks for the pass certificate of the Luxembourgish language examination, which INLL organises as the Sproochentest. It has two tests:

• Speaking, level A2. An interview with an examiner on a topic you choose from two, then the description of a picture you choose from three. INLL gives the speaking test 10 minutes in total.
• Listening, level B1. Three texts on a tablet: a radio message, a conversation on an everyday topic, and an exchange or presentation on a specific topic, each followed by a questionnaire.

You pass with at least half of the points in speaking. A speaking mark under half can be offset by the listening mark: you still pass when the average of the two is at least 50 percent (article 15(2)).

Registration costs 75 euros and runs through MyINL. INLL sets no limit on the number of attempts, and the certificate is valid for an unlimited period. The registration guide walks through MyINL, and the pass mark guide explains the scoring.

The Vivre ensemble certificate

The "Vivre ensemble au Grand-Duché de Luxembourg" course lasts 24 hours in three modules: fundamental rights (6 hours), state and communal institutions (12 hours), and the history of Luxembourg and European integration (6 hours). You either attend the course or pass the exam, and the Service de la formation des adultes (SFA) organises both. Registration is free (article 17(2)). The Vivre ensemble guide covers the formats and the registration.

When health makes learning impossible, you can ask the Minister of Justice for an exemption from the language exam or from the course and exam, with a certificate from a specialist doctor (articles 15(5) and 16(5)).

Documents for the file

Article 34(1) of the law and Guichet.lu list what you hand to the civil registrar before you sign the declaration.

Every applicant

• a full copy of your birth certificate
• a copy of your valid passport, or another identity or travel document
• a biographical notice, signed by you
• your authorisation to request criminal record bulletin No 2
• criminal record extracts from the countries of your nationality, current or past, and from the countries where you lived from age 18 during the 15 years before the procedure

Marriage route

• a full copy of the marriage certificate
• a certificate of Luxembourgish nationality for your spouse
• your Sproochentest pass certificate
• your Vivre ensemble certificate (course attendance or exam pass)
• if applicable, a certificate that your spouse holds a function abroad conferred by a Luxembourg public authority or an international organisation

A document not written in French, German, English or Luxembourgish comes with a translation by a sworn translator or a foreign public authority.

Step by step

1. Pass the Sproochentest. Your pass certificate is the language document of the file.
2. Complete Vivre ensemble. Attend the 24-hour course or pass the exam.
3. Gather the documents above, including your spouse's certificate of nationality.
4. Appear before the civil registrar. Go in person to the registrar of your commune of residence, or of the City of Luxembourg if you live abroad. You may bring a person of your choice. You sign the declaration yourself, and signature by proxy is not permitted.
5. Complete the file. If a document is missing, the registrar gives you three months to supply it. When the conditions are met and the documents are in, the registrar records the declaration.
6. The ministry receives the file. The registrar sends the declaration and the documents to the Ministry of Justice directly and without delay.
7. Wait four months. The declaration takes effect four months after the ministry receives the file, unless the minister cancels it within that period. The registrar notifies you, as a rule by post, and the declaration shows the date on which you acquired Luxembourgish nationality.

If the registrar refuses to record the declaration, you can appeal to the Minister of Justice within one month of the notification, and then to the administrative court.

Good repute

Every acquisition of Luxembourgish nationality rests on good repute. The registrar refuses the declaration, and the minister cancels it, for false statements, concealed important facts or fraud. The registrar also refuses it after a criminal sentence, a custodial sentence of 12 months or more, or a suspended sentence of 24 months or more. A foreign conviction counts only when the same facts are an offence in Luxembourg law, and a sentence counts only if it was fully served less than 15 years before the declaration and the person was not rehabilitated (article 33). A cancellation for fraud brings a 15-year ban on a new procedure (article 38).

Costs and reimbursement

The option procedure is free of charge. Preparing some documents can carry a fee set by the issuing authority: Luxembourg communes may charge a communal tax for copies of civil status records, and foreign authorities may charge for civil status records and criminal record extracts.

The State repays the Sproochentest registration fee in full once you have passed (article 4(2) of the regulation of 22 July 2019). You send the claim, with proof of payment and a copy of your pass certificate, after you submit your application to the civil registrar. Luxembourgish courses run by INLL or under a programme approved by the minister, taken before your declaration, are reimbursed up to 750 euros (article 15(1)). The fee reimbursement guide lists the documents.

Marriage or naturalisation?

A spouse with five years of regular residence in Luxembourg can use either route. The language and civic documents are identical, so the choice comes down to the clock and the procedure:

The naturalisation guide and the guide to all option routes set the routes side by side.

Get ready for the Sproochentest with MoienLab

The marriage route stands on one exam, and that exam rewards daily speaking and listening. MoienLab builds that routine:

• The free level test shows your level in 12 questions across A1, A2 and B1, in under 8 minutes, with no account.
• The six free lessons start where a new family member starts: greeting and thanking someone, introducing yourself, numbers and contact details, then family, work and routine, directions and appointments, and ordering in a café.
• Full Access carries the whole route, 57 lessons from A1.1 to B1, with A2 oral practice with examiner-style questions, photo description with 13 exam-style photos, four B1 listening sets and a timed, scored mock exam.

MoienLab Full Access runs for 12 months with one payment and no subscription. Start with the level test, then follow the study plan guide to turn your result into weekly sessions.