From 1 October 2026, Luxembourg abolishes the preliminary temporary stay authorisation as a separate step: foreigners will apply for a long-stay visa at an embassy, and obtain the residence permit only after entering the country. At the same time, parliament is reviewing a bill to abolish the investor residence permit, whose programme issued just nine cards in eight years.
How the procedure changes from October 2026
Before 1 October, Luxembourg used a three-step scheme: a foreigner first obtained a preliminary temporary stay authorisation from the General Directorate of Immigration, then went to an embassy for a long-stay visa, and only after entering the country applied for the residence permit card itself.
The new procedure simplifies the process. Now, documents for a long-stay visa must be submitted directly to the Luxembourg embassy, or, if there isn’t one in the country, to the Belgian embassy. A category D visa is valid for 6 months and allows entry into Luxembourg and short-term travel within the Schengen area.
After arrival in the country, within three days the applicant must declare arrival at the Commune (local authority of the place of residence), and then file an application for a residence permit.
Luxembourg is switching to the standard European practice, but only the procedure changes. The amounts, requirements, and the format of the grounds for a residence permit remain the same.
Documents submitted before 30 September 2026
If an applicant submits documents under the old scheme before 30 September 2026, the application will be reviewed under the previous rules. Already issued preliminary temporary stay authorisations remain valid.
Investor residence permit now: four options
The investor residence permit in Luxembourg is designed for genuine residence in the country. The card is issued for 3 years and can be renewed if the conditions continue to be met.
The project must be approved by the Ministry of Economy or the Ministry of Finance. There are four investment options:
— Invest at least 500,000 euros in an already operating Luxembourg company and maintain the investment and employment level for 5 years.
— Invest 500,000 euros in a new company within 3 years, creating at least five jobs there.
— Invest at least 3 million euros in an investment management structure with an office and genuine presence in Luxembourg.
— Make a deposit of at least 20 million euros with a Luxembourg financial institution for a period of at least 5 years.
Buying or renting property does not grant an investor residence permit. Unlike schemes such as the Portuguese golden visa, where physical presence requirements are minimal, the Luxembourg residence permit requires genuine residence. If an applicant intends to leave the country for more than 6 months, the law provides for the return of the card and the filing of a renunciation declaration.
Investor residence permit on the verge of abolition
On 16 September 2025, a Luxembourg parliamentary committee adopted a report on bill No. 8586 and recommended its adoption. The bill provides for the abolition of the investor residence permit, known locally as the Golden Visa.
The programme, in place since 2017, was not in demand. Luxembourg issued only nine residence permits under it, seven of which were not renewed. Authorities cite a weak economic effect, difficulty of oversight, and excessive administrative burden.
There has been no plenary vote in parliament yet, and no date has been announced. But the bill has already passed an important committee stage and moved closer to final review.
For those already in the process of applying, the situation is ambiguous. The transitional provisions of the bill state that investor cards issued before the law takes effect remain valid until the end of their term. However, there are no specific guarantees for renewing a card or for reviewing an already submitted application under the old rules. Therefore, a 500,000-euro investment should not be regarded as a guaranteed way to obtain a residence permit. The programme may change.
Path to residency and citizenship
Genuine residence in Luxembourg opens two paths: to EU long-term resident status and to citizenship.
Application for EU long-term resident status is possible after 5 years of continuous legal residence. Citizenship can also be applied for after 5 years of legal residence, but the last year before filing must be uninterrupted. These are not sequential steps: there is no need to wait for long-term resident status before applying for citizenship.
To obtain citizenship, applicants must pass a Luxembourgish language test (or complete a course and exam), live in Luxembourg, and meet the legal requirements. There is no need to renounce previous citizenship — Luxembourg allows multiple citizenship.
For citizens of Russia
From 1 October 2026, the Benelux countries (Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg) will no longer recognise non-biometric Russian passports for travel or visa applications. Already issued Schengen visas in such passports will remain valid until 31 December 2026 at the latest. A D visa application in Moscow can be filed at the Luxembourg embassy.
The investor residence permit programme does not explicitly describe restrictions for Russian citizens, but in 2023 Luxembourg’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced a suspension of issuing investor residence permits to Russians and Belarusians. There is no more recent official confirmation of this practice or its cancellation, so the availability of this route for a Russian passport should be checked individually.
In addition, the EU sanctions regime restricts deposits for some Russian citizens. If a person does not hold citizenship or a temporary/permanent residence permit in the EU, the European Economic Area, or Switzerland, a European bank generally cannot accept a deposit exceeding 100,000 euros from them. The standard 20-million-euro deposit option does not work directly for such an applicant.
Comments
Reader experience is useful, but it is not advice: check the rules on the official site.
No account needed: click Sign in, type any name, and you are done.