Luxembourg · Spouse visas
Luxembourg Spouse of a resident
First stay: 1 yr
Residence permit "family member" for the spouse of a third-country national (family reunification)
Checked against official sources on Change log
Key facts
Spouse of a resident is a spouse visas route for Luxembourg. Checked 2026-10-12 against the official source.
- Government fees
- €80 ≈ $89
- Processing
- Up to 270 days
- First stay
- 1 yr
Cost, time and long term
To apply: government fee €80 ≈ $89; decision: up to 270 days. No lawyer or agent fee is included.
Government fees€80 ≈ $89
- EUR 80 (≈ $89)Residence permit issuance fee, paid after the application is accepted.
Permanent residenceAfter 5 years of residence
Long-term resident status after 5 years of legal, uninterrupted residence, with stable resources and housing. Half of study time counts; seasonal, posted and transferred worker time does not.
Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, Immigration Directorate, Luxembourg
CitizenshipAfter 5 years of residence
Naturalisation needs 5 years of legal residence, the last year uninterrupted, a Luxembourgish language certificate and the "Vivre ensemble" course.
ProcessingUp to 270 days
The response deadline is in principle 9 months at most and can be extended in exceptional cases.
Where to applyFrom abroad
Request a long-stay visa D at the Luxembourg embassy or consulate before entry, then apply for the residence permit after arrival.
Presence rulesAbsence limits
For long-term status, absences must stay under 6 consecutive months and 10 months in total over the 5 years.
Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, Immigration Directorate, Luxembourg
Why this route may not fit
Check this before you apply.
- Applications are made from outside Luxembourg, not after arriving
- Not open to EU, EEA or Swiss passports
What you'll need
Who can apply3
- The applicant is a third-country national abroad who is the spouse or registered partner of a third-country national living in Luxembourg.
- The spouse or registered partner is older than 18 when the application is made.
- The sponsor has a well-founded prospect of a long-term right of residence.
What you must show1
- The sponsor shows stable income, for example with salary slips, and appropriate housing.
Documents3
- Full valid passport and the marriage certificate or other proof of civil status.
- Lease or notarial deed stating the housing area, and a criminal record extract under 3 months old.
- Form completed by the sponsor agreeing to the applicant joining, and travel health insurance.
Steps3
- Apply for the long-stay visa D at a Luxembourg or Belgian embassy or consulate before entering.
- After entry, declare arrival at the commune, take a medical check and apply for the residence permit.
- The decision on the visa application takes up to 9 months, and no answer counts as refusal.
After you arrive1
- The residence permit issuance fee of EUR 80 (≈ $89) is paid after the application is accepted.
When you become tax resident
How Luxembourg decides tax residence and treats foreign-source income, from its tax records.
- Foreign-source income
Resident taxpayers in Luxembourg are subject to income tax on their worldwide revenues (domestic and foreign-source) and must report worldwide income, exempt and non-exempt, in their return; non-residents are taxed only on Luxembourg-source income unless they opt for resident treatment.
All tax rules for Luxembourg Tax records checked
What you need to arrange
- Health insurance
Form completed by the sponsor agreeing to the applicant joining, and travel health insurance
- Accommodation
The sponsor shows stable income, for example with salary slips, and appropriate housing
- Police certificate and civil documents
Full valid passport and the marriage certificate or other proof of civil status
Taken from this route's requirements above. The authority's own list is the one that counts.
Full official text
For the spouse or registered partner of a non-EU national living in Luxembourg, in a two-step procedure: a long-stay visa D, then a "family member" residence permit. It gives access to the labour market. 1 2 3
What you must show and pay
- A fee of EUR 80 (≈ $89) · Residence permit issuance fee, paid after the application is accepted. 2
Requirements
- The applicant is a third-country national abroad who is the spouse or registered partner of a third-country national living in Luxembourg. 1
- The spouse or registered partner is older than 18 when the application is made. 1
- The sponsor has a well-founded prospect of a long-term right of residence. 1
- The sponsor shows stable income, for example with salary slips, and appropriate housing. 1
- Full valid passport and the marriage certificate or other proof of civil status. 1
- Lease or notarial deed stating the housing area, and a criminal record extract under 3 months old. 1
- Form completed by the sponsor agreeing to the applicant joining, and travel health insurance. 1
- Apply for the long-stay visa D at a Luxembourg or Belgian embassy or consulate before entering. 1
- After entry, declare arrival at the commune, take a medical check and apply for the residence permit. 1 2
- The decision on the visa application takes up to 9 months, and no answer counts as refusal. 1
- The residence permit issuance fee of EUR 80 (≈ $89) is paid after the application is accepted. 2
Stay
- A long-stay visa D, valid for up to one year, is needed to enter. The 'family member' residence permit is valid for one year and is renewable on request while the conditions remain met; its validity cannot go beyond the expiry date of the sponsor's own residence permit.
- First stay: up to 12 months, decided case by case.
- Renewable, subject to the conditions in force at renewal.
Nationality
Non-EU/EEA/Swiss nationals. Not open to: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Switzerland, Cyprus, Czechia, Germany, Denmark, Estonia, Spain, Finland, France, Greece, Croatia, Hungary, Ireland, Iceland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Latvia, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Sweden, Slovenia, Slovakia.
Work
Holders have access to education, training and the labour market.
Family
Unmarried children under 18; with 12 months of sponsor residence the minister can extend reunification to parents and adult children.
Fine print
The sponsor must show stable income, but the level the ministry applies and any minimum period of residence for the sponsor are not in this record; the Guichet page could not be opened on 12 October 2026.
Official sources
- Residence permit "family member" (family reunification with a third-country national) · Guichet.lu (Government of Luxembourg) · checked 2026-10-11
- Issuance of your first residence permit (step 2, after entry) · Ministère des Affaires intérieures / Guichet.lu · checked 2026-10-11
- Amended Law of 29 August 2008 on free movement of persons and immigration (consolidated version of 12 June 2026) · Legilux (Government of Luxembourg) · checked 2026-10-11 · published 2008-08-29
- Le statut de resident de longue duree (Articles 80 a 88 of the amended law of 29 August 2008) · Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, Immigration Directorate, Luxembourg · checked 2026-10-11
- Acquerir la nationalite luxembourgeoise par naturalisation · Guichet.lu (Luxembourg government portal) · checked 2026-10-11
Spouse of a resident and its alternatives
| Route | Money needed | Stay | Work |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spouse of a resident | – | 1 yr, renewable | – |
| Spouse of a citizen | – | 5 yr, renewable | – |
| Spouse of a citizen Portugal | – | – | – |
| Spouse of a resident Spain | Needs income of €900+ a month ≈ $1,010 | – | Yes |
| Spouse of a resident Georgia | – | 1 yr, renewable | – |
Questions people ask
How much money do I need for the Spouse of a resident?
A fee of EUR 80 (≈ $89). Residence permit issuance fee, paid after the application is accepted.
How long can I stay on the Spouse of a resident?
A long-stay visa D, valid for up to one year, is needed to enter.
How long does the Spouse of a resident take to process?
The response deadline is in principle 9 months at most and can be extended in exceptional cases.
Can I work on the Spouse of a resident?
Holders have access to education, training and the labour market.
Can I bring my family on the Spouse of a resident?
Unmarried children under 18; with 12 months of sponsor residence the minister can extend reunification to parents and adult children.
Who can apply for the Spouse of a resident?
Non-EU/EEA/Swiss nationals. Not open to: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Switzerland, Cyprus, Czechia, Germany, Denmark, Estonia, Spain, Finland, France, Greece, Croatia, Hungary, Ireland, Iceland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Latvia, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Sweden, Slovenia, Slovakia.
Does the Spouse of a resident lead to permanent residence in Luxembourg?
Time on the Spouse of a resident counts toward permanent residence in Luxembourg, which the rules allow after 5 years of residence. Time on the Spouse of a resident counts toward citizenship, which the rules allow after 5 years of residence.
How are Spouse of a resident holders taxed in Luxembourg?
No special regime in our records is tied to the Spouse of a resident. The standard rules apply: Resident taxpayers in Luxembourg are subject to income tax on their worldwide revenues (domestic and foreign-source) and must report worldwide income, exempt and non-exempt, in their return; non-residents are taxed only on Luxembourg-source income unless they opt for resident treatment.
More in Luxembourg
Spouse and partner visas elsewhere
≈ USD figures are approximate: daily reference rates from ExchangeRate-API, dated 12 Oct 2026, refreshed when the site is updated.
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How this was checked
Checked on 2026-10-12 against 5 official sources. Status: verified against the official sources.
Every figure on this page comes from the official source it links to. The record was researched against these sources, then reviewed separately, with special attention to effective dates and amendments. Where a source does not state something, the page leaves it out.
- Residence permit "family member" (family reunification with a third-country national) · Guichet.lu (Government of Luxembourg) · checked 2026-10-11
- Issuance of your first residence permit (step 2, after entry) · Ministère des Affaires intérieures / Guichet.lu · checked 2026-10-11
- Amended Law of 29 August 2008 on free movement of persons and immigration (consolidated version of 12 June 2026) · Legilux (Government of Luxembourg) · checked 2026-10-11
- Le statut de resident de longue duree (Articles 80 a 88 of the amended law of 29 August 2008) · Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, Immigration Directorate, Luxembourg · checked 2026-10-11
- Acquerir la nationalite luxembourgeoise par naturalisation · Guichet.lu (Luxembourg government portal) · checked 2026-10-11
Tracked since 2026-10-10. Rule changes and corrections are listed on the changes page, and the methodology page explains how facts are checked. Found something out of date? Email contact@stayglobe.app with a link to the official source.