How to Exchange a Foreign Driving Licence in Luxembourg

When you settle in Luxembourg with a driving licence issued elsewhere, the rules you must follow depend on one thing above all: whether your licence comes from an EU/EEA country or from a third country outside that zone. Both routes are handled by the Société Nationale de Circulation Automobile (SNCA), usually via MyGuichet.lu. Here is what each group needs to do.

If you hold an EU or EEA licence

Driving licences issued by another EU or EEA Member State are recognised in Luxembourg under the principle of mutual recognition. You can keep driving on your existing licence and, in most cases, you do not have to do anything at all.

You do, however, have two optional steps:

• Registration (enregistrement) is free of charge. It records your licence with the SNCA so that, if it is lost, stolen or damaged, a replacement can be issued quickly without you having to contact the country that issued it.
• Exchange (échange) swaps your foreign licence for a Luxembourg one for a fee of EUR 30. This is the same flat fee charged for conversions.

An exchange can be requested at the earliest 185 days after you move to Luxembourg, the threshold used to confirm that Luxembourg is your normal place of residence. Exchange is normally optional, but it becomes mandatory in specific situations, for example when your right to drive is restricted or extended by a court or administrative decision, or when a licence has to be restored after a driving ban.

If you hold a non-EU/EEA (third country) licence

If your licence was issued by a country outside the EEA, recognition is temporary. You must convert it to a Luxembourg licence within one year of establishing your normal residence in the country. After that deadline, a foreign third-country licence is no longer valid for driving in Luxembourg.

The conversion fee is also EUR 30, paid as a tax (fiscal) stamp.

When is a driving test required?

Whether you must sit a theory and practical test depends on your licence category and on the country that issued your licence:

• If you convert within the one-year window and hold categories A, A2, A1, AM, B, BE or F (motorcycles, cars, light trailers and tractors), you are normally exempt from any test.
• To drive lorries (category C) or buses (category D), you must pass both the theory test and a practical test, whatever your country of origin.
• If your foreign licence has already expired, you must take the theory and practical tests.

Reciprocity also matters. Conversion is only possible where the issuing country signed the 1949 Geneva Convention or the 1968 Vienna Convention on road traffic. Licences from countries outside those conventions are refused, and the holder must take the full Luxembourg driving examination instead. Because reciprocity lists are updated, confirm your specific country with the SNCA before applying.

Documents you will typically need

Exact requirements differ between registration, exchange and conversion, but applications generally ask for:

1. A completed SNCA application form;
2. A photocopy (both sides) of your foreign driving licence;
3. A photocopy of a valid identity document (ID card or passport);
4. A recent 45 x 35 mm identity photo (for exchange and conversion);
5. A medical certificate less than three months old, where required for the category;
6. A Luxembourg criminal-record extract (bulletin n°4) less than three months old; and, for third-country conversions, a criminal-record extract from your country of origin covering the last five years;
7. The EUR 30 tax stamp for an exchange or conversion.

How to apply

1. Confirm which procedure applies to you (registration, exchange or conversion).
2. Gather the documents listed above and obtain any required medical certificate and criminal-record extracts.
3. Submit your file to the SNCA Driving Licence Office, by post or via MyGuichet.lu, with the EUR 30 fee where it applies.
4. Surrender your foreign licence when you collect the Luxembourg one (the original is usually returned to the issuing authority).

Do not let the deadlines slip: third-country holders who miss the one-year window lose the test exemption and may have to pass the full examination. When in doubt, the SNCA can confirm your category, your reciprocity status and the precise documents for your file.

Last reviewed: June 2026. Fees, deadlines and reciprocity lists change — check the official sources linked above.