Luxembourg Immigration Law of 29 August 2008 in English: Work, Business and Family
The chapters of the amended Law of 29 August 2008 on free movement of persons and immigration that matter to founders, investors and the people they employ: salaried workers and the EU Blue Card, intra-corporate transferees, self-employed persons, investors and family members, as consolidated on 12 June 2026. Full English translation with the official French under every paragraph.
Card
- Official title
- Loi modifiée du 29 août 2008 sur la libre circulation des personnes et l’immigration
- In English
- Law of 29 August 2008 on free movement of persons and immigration, as amended (the “Immigration Law”)
- What this page covers
- Chapter 1 (Art. 1–4) and, of Chapter 3, the long-stay rules for workers, EU Blue Card holders, intra-corporate transferees, self-employed persons, investors and family members (Art. 38–47-6, 50bis–53quater, 67-4, 68–77). Not translated: EU citizens, students, researchers, protection, removal and sanctions.
- Version translated
- Consolidated text applicable from 12 June 2026
- EU basis
- Directive (EU) 2021/1883 (EU Blue Card), Directive 2014/66/EU (intra-corporate transferees), Directive 2003/86/EC (family reunification)
- Decisions taken by
- The Minister responsible for Immigration (Directorate of Immigration)
- Authentic language
- French
- Official source
- legilux.public.lu
The text in 3 parts
Definitions, the general conditions for stays over three months, the authorisation of stay for salaried workers, posted workers, and the EU Blue Card with its mobility rules. 19 articles.
Arts. 46–47-6, 50bis–53quater, 67-4Intra-corporate transferees, self-employed persons and investorsIntra-corporate transfers (ICT permits and mobility), processing time, the authorisation of stay for self-employed persons, the investor permit, and the job search and business creation permit. 16 articles.
Arts. 68 to 77Family members of third-country nationalsWho counts as a family member, the sponsor’s conditions, the application, the residence permits of family members and the grounds for refusal or withdrawal. 10 articles.
In short
- A third-country national staying longer than three months needs an authorisation of stay, applied for before arrival, and then a residence permit issued in Luxembourg (Art. 38, Art. 39).
- A self-employed person is admitted if the activity serves the country’s economic interest, the person is qualified and has adequate resources, and the business needs the person’s presence in Luxembourg; an advisory committee checks the file (Art. 51).
- Investors qualify from 500,000 euros in an existing or new Luxembourg business with job commitments, 3 million euros in a Luxembourg investment structure with substance, or 20 million euros deposited with a Luxembourg financial institution; real estate investments are excluded (Art. 53bis).
- The EU Blue Card requires a contract of at least six months for highly qualified employment, higher professional qualifications and a minimum salary set by regulation (Art. 45).
- Managers, specialists and trainee employees of a non-EU group can be transferred to its Luxembourg entity on an ICT permit, with mobility to other Member States (Art. 47).
- The Minister decides on a salaried worker’s application within four months (Art. 42) and on Blue Card and ICT applications within ninety days (Art. 50bis); silence counts as a refusal that can be appealed.
- A permit holder with a residence permit valid for at least a year and reasonable prospects of long-term residence can bring his or her family, with stable resources, appropriate housing and sickness insurance (Art. 69).
Who it affects
- Non-EU founders who want to live in Luxembourg and run their company from there.
- Investors considering the investor residence permit.
- Groups transferring managers and specialists to a Luxembourg entity, or hiring highly qualified staff on an EU Blue Card.
- Families joining a permit holder.
Key dates
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 29 August 2008 | Law adopted |
| 10 September 2008 | Published in Mémorial A n° 138; in force 14 September 2008 |
| 8 March 2017 | Law of 8 March 2017: investor permit (Art. 53bis–53quater) and intra-corporate transferee rules introduced |
| 12 June 2026 | Date of the consolidated version translated |
BCA commentary
Running your own company from Luxembourg
A non-EU founder who wants to manage a Luxembourg company personally has two routes. As a self-employed person under Art. 51, the test is economic: the business must meet an economic need, be viable, and ideally create jobs or investment, and an advisory committee looks at the business plan. A manager who is also a beneficial owner is treated as self-employed (Art. 51). As an employee of the company, the salaried route of Art. 42 applies: the post must be declared to the National Employment Agency (ADEM) and recruitment priority for certain workers respected, unless the Blue Card or another special regime applies.
The investor permit
Art. 53bis sets four investment routes. Passive real estate is excluded, the investor must be the beneficial owner of the funds, and the investment must be maintained. Before applying, the investor submits the project for an opinion of the Minister responsible for the Economy or for Finance (Art. 53ter).
Groups moving people
For managers and specialists moving within a group, the ICT permit of Art. 47 is usually the simpler route, and it allows mobility to other Member States under Art. 47-4. Highly qualified hires go through the EU Blue Card (Art. 45), whose holders can change employer and move between Member States more easily (Art. 45-2, Art. 45-4).
Not translated here
The rules for EU citizens and their families, students, researchers, long-term residents, international protection, removal and sanctions are in the parts of the Law we have not translated. Business permit questions are governed by the Law of 2 September 2011, which we have translated in full.
Amendment history
Amending acts marked in the Legilux consolidation, with the articles they touch. Legilux marks the latest change to each article, so this is the recent history only.
| Act | Articles |
|---|---|
| Law of 1 July 2011 | Arts. 1, 2, 3, 39 |
| Law of 8 December 2011 | Arts. 46, 70, 71, 72, 74, 76 |
| Law of 18 January 2012 | Art. 42 |
| Law of 21 December 2012 | Arts. 42, 52 |
| Law of 19 June 2013 | Arts. 40, 42, 43 |
| Law of 8 March 2017 | Arts. 3, 38, 39, 42, 44bis, 47, 47-1, 47-2, 47-3, 47-4, 47-5, 47-6, 50bis, 51, 53bis, 53ter, 53quater, 69, 73, 74 |
| Law of 1 August 2018 | Arts. 3, 38, 40, 67-4, 73, 74 |
| Law of 20 July 2018 | Art. 40 |
| Law of 4 December 2019 | Arts. 38, 40 |
| Law of 16 June 2021 | Arts. 4, 40, 47, 69, 73 |
| Law of 7 August 2023 | Arts. 3, 38-1, 51, 52, 67-4, 74 |
| Law of 21 April 2023 | Art. 3 |
| Law of 4 June 2024 | Arts. 39, 45-4, 45-5, 46, 72, 73, 76 |
| Law of 27 August 2024 | Art. 50bis |
Related acts
The permit the company itself needs before trading. Translated in full.
Luxembourg · Company lawLaw of 10 August 1915 on commercial companiesThe company you will run. Translated in full.
EU · DirectiveDirective (EU) 2021/1883EU Blue Card Directive. EUR-Lex.
EU · DirectiveDirective 2014/66/EUIntra-corporate transferees. EUR-Lex.
How to cite
Cite the article and paragraph and link to the paragraph anchor. For example:
Unofficial English translation by BCA EU, for information. Only the French text published in the Mémorial and the Journal officiel du Grand-Duché de Luxembourg has legal force. Article headings are editorial; chapter and section headings are the law’s own. Text checked against the consolidated version applicable from 12 June 2026 on legilux.public.lu on 30 October 2026. This page is not legal or tax advice.
Planning to move to Luxembourg with your company?
We set up the company, obtain its business permit and prepare the self-employed or investor residence application with a business plan the committee can follow.