Having a baby in Luxembourg: maternity care, where to give birth, and the allowances

Few life events involve as much paperwork as a birth. Luxembourg's system is generous but conditional: most of the support is tied to a fixed schedule of medical examinations and a handful of strict deadlines. Here is what expectant parents need to know.

Where you can give birth

Since the Wiltz maternity closed in 2011, Luxembourg has four maternity hospitals. Two are in the capital: the CHL Maternité Grande-Duchesse Charlotte in Luxembourg City and the Clinique Bohler, part of the Hôpitaux Robert Schuman, in Luxembourg-Kirchberg. The other two serve the regions: the CHEM in Esch-sur-Alzette in the south, and the CHdN in Ettelbruck in the north.

You have free choice of your gynaecologist and of your midwife. You can be followed by a midwife throughout pregnancy, birth and afterwards, including for a home birth, and midwife care is reimbursed at 100% by the CNS, generally without a prescription.

Prenatal exams and the carnet de maternité

At your first appointment, the doctor confirms the pregnancy, issues a carnet de maternité (the maternity record book) and the application form for the birth allowance. The carnet is completed as the pregnancy progresses and is the document that proves you have done the compulsory examinations tied to the allowance.

To unlock the prenatal tranche of the birth allowance, the mother must complete 5 obstetric and general medical examinations during pregnancy plus 1 dental examination. These exams are not optional extras: skipping them costs you money later.

The birth allowance (allocation de naissance)

The allocation de naissance, paid by the Caisse pour l'avenir des enfants (CAE), comes in three tranches of 580.03 euros each, totalling 1,740.09 euros:

• Prenatal allowance - paid after the 5 medical exams and 1 dental exam above.
• Birth allowance - the mother must be domiciled in Luxembourg at the birth and undergo one postnatal gynaecological examination, carried out 2 to 10 weeks after the birth.
• Postnatal allowance - paid after the child turns 2, on condition the child has been raised continuously in Luxembourg from birth to its second birthday and has had 6 medical examinations within the prescribed deadlines.

Note that prescribed examinations must be performed by a doctor, not a midwife, for the allowance to be paid. The birth allowance is separate from the monthly child benefit (allocation pour l'avenir des enfants), which you apply for after the birth.

Maternity leave and CNS coverage

Maternity leave lasts 20 weeks: 8 weeks before the expected date and 12 weeks after the actual birth. During leave the CNS pays a maternity allowance equal to 100% of salary, capped at five times the minimum wage. To qualify you must have been insured for at least 6 of the previous 12 months.

For the birth itself, the CNS requires no patient contribution for the first 12 days of hospitalisation for childbirth, and prenatal and postnatal care for mother and baby is covered. Stays in a private or first-class room and certain comfort options may carry extra charges, so check with your hospital in advance.

Registering the birth and postnatal support

Every birth must be declared to the civil registry of the commune where it took place within 10 days (the day of birth does not count). If the deadline falls on a weekend or public holiday, it extends to the next working day. Miss it, and a court decision is needed to establish the birth certificate. Either parent can declare; failing that, a medical professional who attended the delivery may do so using the avis de naissance.

After you leave the maternity ward, support continues at home: a midwife can carry out postnatal visits to check on mother and baby, monitor feeding and recovery, and these visits are reimbursed by the CNS. Once the birth is registered, remember to apply separately for the monthly child benefit and, where relevant, for parental leave, which is distinct from maternity leave.

_Last reviewed: June 2026. Figures and deadlines are based on official Luxembourg sources (CAE, guichet.public.lu, CNS); always confirm current amounts and conditions before acting._