Luxembourgish nationality by naturalisation: requirements and steps

Adults can apply for Luxembourgish nationality by naturalisation after five years of legal residence, with a Sproochentest certificate and the Vivre ensemble certificate. The Minister of Justice grants or refuses the application within eight months of receiving your file.

The conditions in article 14

Article 14 of the law of 8 March 2017 on Luxembourg nationality opens naturalisation to adults who meet three conditions, and adds a good repute check:

The sentence thresholds in article 14 are a criminal sentence, firm imprisonment of 12 months or more, or suspended imprisonment of 24 months or more. A foreign conviction counts only when the facts are also an offence under Luxembourg law, and a sentence counts only when it was fully served less than 15 years before the application and the person has not been rehabilitated.

Step by step

1. Earn the language certificate. Register for the Sproochentest on MyINL, the INLL platform. The fee is 75 euros. The test certifies A2 oral expression and B1 oral comprehension, and the pass certificate does not expire.
2. Earn the Vivre ensemble certificate. Attend the 24-hour course (6 hours on fundamental rights, 12 on state and communal institutions, 6 on history and European integration) or pass the exam. Registration is free and goes through the SFA online portal.
3. Gather your documents. Article 19 lists them: a full copy of your birth certificate, a copy of your valid passport (or another identity or travel document), a signed biographical notice, your authorisation for the minister to request criminal record bulletin No 2, foreign criminal record extracts for the countries of your nationality and for the countries where you lived from age 18 during the previous 15 years, your Sproochentest certificate and your Vivre ensemble certificate.
4. File with the civil registrar of your commune. The application is made before the civil registrar. Guichet.lu specifies that you apply in person and that signature by proxy is not permitted.
5. Complete your file within three months if needed. If documents are missing, the registrar invites you to supply them within three months (article 20).
6. Receive the decision. The minister requests your criminal record, and grants or refuses naturalisation by ministerial order within eight months of receipt of the file. The order takes effect immediately and the registrar notifies you (article 21).

From the moment the registrar records your application, you cannot be removed or expelled from Luxembourg until a final decision refuses naturalisation (article 22).

Order your steps around the waiting times

Both certificates go into the file, so plan the two waiting times side by side:

• The Sproochentest. INLL makes more than 800 places available every month and they are booked quickly, so register on MyINL the moment sessions open. Registration for the March 2027 sessions opens on Tuesday 10 November 2026 at 10:00.
• Vivre ensemble. Registration is free and online, and Guichet.lu notes that it is definitive, so pick course or exam dates that fit your calendar. Doing it while you wait for your Sproochentest date keeps both certificates moving.
• The file. The eight-month decision period runs from receipt of the file. A complete file is the fastest file, so collect your certificates, birth certificate and criminal record extracts before you go to the commune.

What it costs

Documents carry the fees set by the authority that issues them, for example municipal fees for civil status records or foreign authorities for criminal records. Article 17 of the law gives you the right to ask the State to reimburse the language examination fee under the conditions and ceiling set by regulation.

The language certificate sets your timeline

Of the three conditions you actively prepare for, the language is the long one. lifelong-learning.lu, the portal of the Ministry of Education, states that someone with no knowledge of Luxembourgish needs an average of 400 hours of lessons to reach the required levels. Start early, book the Sproochentest as soon as sessions open on MyINL and let daily practice carry you between classes.

MoienLab is built for that daily practice. Begin with the free level test: 12 questions across A1, A2 and B1, under 8 minutes, no account needed. Then follow the route that matches the exam: 57 lessons from A1.1 to B1, 570 exercises, A2 oral practice on eight topics, photo description with 13 exam-style photos, four B1 listening sets and a timed mock exam. Full Access costs 59 € for 12 months with one payment and no subscription. See Full Access.

Naturalisation or option?

Naturalisation is the general route for adults with five years of residence. The law also opens option routes for specific situations, such as marriage to a Luxembourg national, parenthood of a Luxembourg minor or 20 years of residence, each with its own language requirement. Our guide to the nationality language requirement puts the language side of these routes in one place.