Visa and Immigration

Citizens from this list of countries, which includes China, require a visa to travel to Luxembourg. 

Chinese nationals and nationals of other countries subject to a visa requirement, legally residing in China and planning to travel to Luxembourg, can apply for a visa through one of Luxembourg's diplomatic representations in China. Please note that non-Chinese nationals can only apply for a visa to Luxembourg at one of Luxembourg's diplomatic representations in China if they are in possession of a valid Chinese residence permit. 

An application may be accepted from a person legally present – but not residing - in the jurisdiction of the consulate if the applicant can justify why the application could not be lodged at a consulate in his/her place of residence.

The application must be submitted at least 15 calendar days before the intended departure, but not earlier than 6 months before the start of the intended visit. Please be advised that applications shall be decided on within 15 calendar days, starting from the date applications are received by the Consulate General. In special cases, namely when further scrutiny of the application is needed, this period may be extended to a maximum of 45 calendar days.

Please note that visa fees are to be paid in RMB at the Consulate, either in cash or via mobile payment (Alipay). The Consulate does not accept payment by credit or debit card.

The amount of the visa application fee in RMB is determined and regularly reviewed in application with the Euro foreign exchange reference rate set by the European Central Bank.

The visa fee is not refundable if a negative decision is taken on the application or if the application is withdrawn.  

Applicants who have been refused a visa receive a standard form notifying and motivating the refusal. They have the right to appeal, following the procedure and respecting the time limit indicated in the standard form. Appeals are made against the Member State that has taken the decision, in accordance with its national legislation. 

The rules on appeal against decisions on refusal/annulment/revocation of a visa are set out in “Loi du 21 juin 1999 portant règlement de procédure devant les juridictions administratives (Mémorial A n°98 du 26 juillet 1999)”. 

The visa fee is not refundable if a negative decision is taken on the application.

A Schengen visa is a short-stay visa allowing its holder to circulate in the Schengen area for a maximum of 90 days within a 180-day period. The Schengen area covers 27 countries (“Schengen States”). These countries are Austria, Belgium, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland. Bulgaria, Cyprus, Ireland and Romania are members of the EU but currently do not apply the Schengen agreement.

The Schengen visa must be requested at the consulate of the country the applicant intends to visit, or, if he intends to visit more than one Schengen State, at the consulate of the country of his primary destination (i.e. main purpose of stay or longest stay). If the applicant intends to visit several Schengen states for a stay of equal duration, the visa application must be sent to the consulate of the country whose external borders the applicant will cross first when entering the Schengen area.

The application form for a declaration of guarantee (engagement de prise en charge), to be filled out by the reference person/guarantor in Luxembourg, can be found here. 

Before sending the declaration of guarantee to the third country national for whom (s)he is acting as guarantor, the guarantor must:

• have her/his signature officially authenticated on the form at their commune of residence;
• send the form to the Passport, Visa and Legalisation Office (Bureau des passeports, visas et légalisations) for a stay of less than 90 days together with:
  • the last 3 salary slips or a document stating the guarantor's monthly income;
  • a copy of the guarantor's passport or national identity card;
  • if he or she is a foreign national, proof of lawful residence in Luxembourg;
  • a copy of the valid passport of the non-EU national being cared for.

If the application is accepted, the guarantor receives an official stamped copy of the document. The foreign national then has 6 months to use this document to apply for a visa.

If you are a family member of an EU/Iceland/Liechtenstein/Norway or Swiss national, you shall benefit from a simplified and accelerated visa procedure, including exemption from the visa fee, as long as you meet the following criteria:

1. You are a family member (this includes a spouse, registered partner, child who is under 21 or a depending family member) of an EU/Iceland/Liechtenstein/Norway or Swiss national (or of his/her spouse/registered partner); AND
2. That EU/Iceland/Liechtenstein/Norway or Swiss national is residing in another Member State than that of which he/she is a national or travelling there to take up residence; AND
3. You are accompanying the EU/Iceland/Liechtenstein/Norway or Swiss national or planning to join him/her for residence.

The visa should be applied for at the Embassy/Consulate of the country of future residence of the EU/Iceland/Liechtenstein/Norway or Swiss national, not at the Embassy of his/her country of origin.

If you think you qualify for visa facilitation, please contact the Consulate General for additional information on application procedures. 

Individuals who have successfully obtained a temporary authorisation to stay can apply for a long stay visa (D-type visa) by submitting the following documents via the Consulate General's external service provider VFS Global:

• Checklist long stay visa (D-type visa)

Application guidelines and document requirements for future students who have not yet obtained a temporary authorisation to stay issued by the General Department of Immigration can be found on the following information sheet:

• Application for a temporary authorisation to stay for STUDENTS

Future students who have successfully obtained a temporary authorisation to stay can apply for a long stay (D-type) visa by submitting the following documents via the Consulate General's external service provider VFS Global:

• Checklist long stay visa (D-type visa)

Third-country nationals who are family members of an EU citizen or a Luxembourg national can consult the following information on Guichet.lu

The Consulate does not provide express or priority visa services. Please plan accordingly (cf. info box on 'When to apply').

Please note that applications for short-term and long-term visas are to be lodged exclusively  through the Consulate General’s external service provider VFS Global. Exceptions apply for EU/EEA/Swiss national/article 50 TEU family members, who are are free to choose whether to file a visa application through the external service provider VFS Global, or directly at the Consulate General.

The application form for a declaration of guarantee (engagement de prise en charge), to be filled out by the reference person/guarantor in Luxembourg, can be found here. 

Before sending the declaration of guarantee to the third country national for whom (s)he is acting as guarantor, the guarantor must:

• have her/his signature officially authenticated on the form at their commune of residence;
• send the form to the Passport, Visa and Legalisation Office (Bureau des passeports, visas et légalisations) for a stay of less than 90 days together with:
  • the last 3 salary slips or a document stating the guarantor's monthly income;
  • a copy of the guarantor's passport or national identity card;
  • if he or she is a foreign national, proof of lawful residence in Luxembourg;
  • a copy of the valid passport of the non-EU national being cared for.

If the application is accepted, the guarantor receives an official stamped copy of the document. The foreign national then has 6 months to use this document to apply for a visa.

The short stay Schengen visa allows for stays of a maximum duration not exceeding 90 days over any 180-day period. The visa can be issued for one or several entries, depending on the reasons of stay.

Specific information regarding the period of validity, the period of authorised stay (i.e. the effective number of days that the visa holder may stay in the territory of the Member States) and the number of entries can be found on the visa sticker. 

The Schengen calculator may help keep track of the number of days authorized in the Schengen area, based on the travel dates. A user guide for the calculator is also available.

The results shown by this tool are not legally binding.

Not necessarily. In addition to limitations regarding consular jurisdiction (cf. info box 'Where to apply' above), the Consulate general of Luxembourg in Shanghai will be competent for examining and deciding on an application for a short stay Schengen visa only if one of the following conditions applies:

1. Luxembourg constitutes the sole destination of the planned trip; OR
2. If the travel destination includes more than one Schengen country, Luxembourg constitutes the main destination (i.e. the destination where the applicant intends to spend the longest time or where the main purpose of the intended journey is carried out); OR
3. If no main destination can be determined, Luxembourg constitutes the Schengen country whose external border the applicant intends to cross first. 

The short stay visa does not automatically entitle you to enter the Schengen area. At the Schengen border (or during other controls) you may have to show the visa but also provide additional documentation, for example information on that you have sufficient means to cover the stay and the return trip. It is therefore recommended that you carry with you copies of the documents which you presented when applying for the visa (e.g. letters of invitation, travel confirmations, other documents stating the purpose of your stay).

Since 12th October 2015 all applicants are required to provide their biometric data (fingerprints and a digital photograph) when applying for a Schengen visa. This is a simple procedure that only takes a few minutes.

All first-time applicants will have to appear in person at a consulate or Luxembourg Visa Application Centre. Biometric data, along with the data provided in the Schengen visa application form, will be recorded in the Visa Information System (VIS) database and stored for five years. Frequent travelers will only have to complete the procedure once every five years (provided that the passport has not expired), as fingerprints will be copied from the previous application file in the VIS.

The VIS contains all visa applications submitted to and decisions taken by any Schengen State's consulate. This facilitates visa application procedures and checks at external border of the European Union, as well as enhances security. The recourse to biometric technology offers visa applicants a better protection against identity theft and prevents false identifications, which in certain cases could lead to a visa refusal or denial of entry to a person who is entitled to enter.  It also allows to legally regulate the use of applicants' visa application and travel history (e.g. when applying for a long stay visa).

Exemptions from the fingerprinting requirement are provided for a limited number of applicants, including children under the age of twelve and persons for whom the collection of fingerprints is physically impossible. Heads of State, members of the national governments as well as members of their official delegation and spouses are also exempted, if travelling for official purposes.

Information on the processing of personal data

The collection of personal data required by any visa application including the taking of the photograph and the taking of the fingerprints are mandatory for the examination of a visa application. Failure to provide such data will result in the application being inadmissible.

The responsible authorities

Ministère des Affaires étrangères et européennes
Bureau des Passeports, Visas et Légalisations
6 Rue de l’Ancien Athenée
L-1144 Luxembourg
service.visas@mae.etat.lu
Data protection officer: dataprotection.mae@mae.etat.lu

The legal basis

The legal basis for the collection and the processing of personal data is set out in Regulation (EC) 767/2008 (VIS Regulation), Regulation (EU) 2019/1155 amending Regulation (EC) 810/2009 establishing a Community Code on Visas (Visa Code) and Council Decision 2008/633/JHA.

The processing of personal data

The data will be shared with the relevant authorities of the Member States[1] and processed by those authorities for the purposes of a decision on a visa application.

The data and data concerning the decision taken on an application or a decision whether to annul, revoke, or extend a visa issued will be entered into, and stored in the Visa Information System (VIS) for a maximum period of five years, during which it will be accessible to the visa authorities and the authorities competent for carrying out checks on visas at external borders and within the Member States, immigration and asylum authorities in the Member States for the purposes of verifying whether the conditions for the legal entry into, stay and residence on the territory of the Member States are fulfilled, of identifying persons who do not or who no longer fulfil these conditions, of examining an asylum application and of determining responsibility for such examination.

Under certain conditions the data will be also available to designated authorities of the Member States and to Europol for the purposes of the prevention, detection and investigation of terrorist offences and of other serious criminal offences.

Third Country and international organisations

Personal data might also be transferred to third countries or international organisations for the purpose of proving the identity of third-country nationals, including for the purpose of return. Such transfer only take place under certain conditions[2]. You can contact the authority responsible for processing the data to obtain further information on these conditions and how they are met in your specific case.

Transparency and rights of the data subject

Under the General Data Protection Regulation[3] and the VIS Regulation[4], you are entitled to obtain access to your personal data, including a copy of it, as well as the identity of the Member State which transmitted it to the VIS. You also have the right that your personal data which is inaccurate or incomplete be corrected or completed, that the processing of your personal data be restricted under certain conditions, and that your personal data processed unlawfully be erased.

You may address your request for access, rectification, restriction or erasure directly to the authority responsible for processing the data. Further details on how you may exercise these rights, including the related remedies according to the national law of the State concerned, are available on its website and can be provided upon request.

You may also address your request to any other Member State. The list of competent authorities and their contact details is available at: https://ec.europa.eu/home-affairs/sites/homeaffairs/files/what-we-do/policies/borders-and-visas/visa-policy/how_to_apply/docs/links_to_ms_websites_en.pdf

Lodge a complaint

You are also entitled to lodge at any time a complaint with the national data protection authority of the Member State of the alleged infringement, or of any other member State, if you consider that your data have been unlawfully processed.

The data protection authority of Luxembourg is:

National Commission for Data Protection (CNPD), 15 Boulevard du Jazz, L-4370 Belvaux
Phone: (+352) 26 10 60 - 1
Web contact: https://cnpd.public.lu/en/support/contact.html
Website: https://cnpd.public.lu/en/commission-nationale.html

[1] Austria, Belgium, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, The Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Switzerland

[2] Article 31 of Regulation (EC) 767/2008 (VIS Regulation)

[3] Article 15 to 19 of Regulation (EU) 2016/679 (GDPR)

[4] Article 38 of Regulation (EC) 767/2008 (VIS Regulation)

In the exercise of its public interest mission, the Directorate of Immigration of the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs collects and uses your personal data to allow the processing of your file according to the provisions of the amended law of the 29 August 2008 on the free movement of persons and immigration.

The data collected by the Directorate of Immigration can also be used to update your data in the National Register of Natural Persons as well as for statistical purposes. The data can also be used to verify the regularity of your stay under the provisions of the amended law of August 29, 2008 mentioned above, by other administrations and ministries in the context of other procedures, such as the procedure of acquisition of the Luxembourg nationality at the Ministry of Justice.

The data processed, or part of them, necessary for the accomplishment of a public mission, might be communicated or made accessible to other authorities, who are authorized to access it according to a legal provisions (“Office luxembourgeois d’accueil et d’intégration”, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Justice).

The data are kept for the duration of the processing of the file at the Directorate of Immigration and for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes mentioned above.

You have a right to access, rectify and delete your data, as well as a right of objection and a right to demand the limitation of treatment, under certain conditions and unless the treatment is necessary for the administration to carry out a public interest mission.

If you wish to exercise these rights or for any request relating to data protection, you can contact the Directorate of the immigration of the Ministry of the Foreign and European Affairs (BP 752, L-2017 Luxembourg) by postal mail accompanied by a proof of identity. Complaints may be addressed to the Data Protection Officer (Commissaire à la protection des données auprès de l’Etat, 43, bd Roosevelt L-1450 Luxembourg).

Complaints may be lodged with the National Commission for the Protection of Data (CNPD) (1, Avenue du Rock'n'Roll, L-4361 Esch-sur-Alzette).