How to register with your commune when you move to Luxembourg (déclaration d'arrivée)

Settling in Luxembourg starts with a single, mandatory step: declaring your arrival at the bureau de la population (population office) of the commune where you will live. This déclaration d'arrivée enters you in the national register, assigns your national identification number (matricule), and is the gateway to nearly every other administrative step — social security, a tax card, opening a bank account, exchanging a driving licence and more. Here is how it works, what you need, and when to act.

What is the déclaration d'arrivée?

Anyone who establishes their main residence in Luxembourg must report it to their commune. Luxembourg has no single national counter for this — each of the 100 communes runs its own population office, so you register where you actually live. In Luxembourg City this is handled by the Bierger-Center (Ville de Luxembourg). The declaration is free.

What is the deadline?

The deadline depends on your nationality, and it is short — so plan to register in your first week:

• EU, EEA and Swiss citizens: within 8 days of arriving in the country.
• Third-country (non-EU) nationals: within 3 working days of arriving.

You may see different figures online. The Ville de Luxembourg states eight days for the general case and three working days for third-country nationals; the national portal Guichet.lu frames the EU timeline around the move itself. Because procedures can vary slightly by commune, confirm the exact deadline with your own population office before you arrive.

Documents to bring

Requirements vary by situation, but new residents are generally asked for:

1. A valid national identity card or passport (with a visa or entry authorisation where applicable).
2. Proof of address at your new home. The Ville de Luxembourg accepts a lease (rental) contract, a property deed, or a recent utility bill (electricity, water or a landline telephone bill issued within the past three months). If you cannot supply these, a signed proof-of-accommodation certificate from the owner or main tenant is accepted.
3. Family-status documents if you are registering with a spouse, partner or children and have never been registered before — a livret de famille (family record book) or, failing that, a marriage or registered-partnership certificate and the children's birth certificates.

Foreign civil-status documents may need an official translation by a sworn translator if they are not in French, German or English, and some may require legalisation or an apostille. Third-country nationals should also bring their temporary authorisation to stay, entry visa or residence permit.

EU citizens versus non-EU citizens

For EU, EEA and Swiss citizens, the arrival declaration is the first step. If you plan to stay longer than three months, you must then request a registration certificate (attestation d'enregistrement) from your commune within three months of arriving, proving you meet the residence conditions (employment, study, or sufficient resources and health cover).

For third-country nationals, the commune declaration is combined with the residence-permit process run by the Immigration Directorate of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs: typically a temporary authorisation to stay obtained before arrival, the commune declaration, a medical check, and finally collection of the residence permit (titre de séjour).

What registration unlocks

Registering with your commune is what makes you a recognised resident. It automatically assigns your national identification number (matricule) — a unique 13-digit number whose first eight digits encode your date of birth. As the Centre commun de la sécurité sociale (CCSS) explains, this number doubles as your social-security and tax identification number. With it (and the related steps) you can join the social security system, obtain a tax card, open a bank account, and exchange a foreign driving licence.

Changing address or leaving

If you move within the same commune, declare the new address at your population office (in Luxembourg City, within eight days of moving in) with the same proof-of-address documents. If you move to a different Luxembourg commune, you only register at the new commune — it handles the transfer, so no separate departure declaration is needed.

If you are leaving Luxembourg for good, declare your departure at your current commune no later than the day before you go, and hand back your residence documents (registration certificate for EU citizens, or residence permit for third-country nationals).

Last reviewed: June 2026. Procedures and document requirements can vary by commune — check the official sources linked above.