Luxembourg Residency By Investment Program | A Complete Guide

Program Overview:

Since 2017, the Luxembourg government has offered a residency by investment program to foreign investors. This program allows non-EU citizens to obtain a five-year residency permit in Luxembourg through investment, with the possibility of gaining permanent residency and even citizenship.

Currently, there are four investment options available to foreign investors who wish to apply for the Luxembourg investor permit:

1. Invest over €500,000 in an existing company registered in Luxembourg. This investment must be maintained, preserved, and the company must retain its employees for a minimum of five years.

2. Invest over €500,000 to establish a new company in Luxembourg. Within three years, this new company must employ at least five full-time local workers with the assistance of the National Employment Agency.

3. Invest over €3 million in Luxembourgish local funds such as family wealth funds, venture capital funds, or private equity funds, and hold the investment for a minimum of five years.

4. Deposit over €20 million in a local Luxembourgish bank and maintain the deposit for a minimum of five years.

In addition to the investment requirements, applicants for this program must also meet basic criteria such as having no criminal record and passing a medical examination.

Current Status of the Investor Permit Program:

The buzz around Luxembourg’s residency by investment program has been pretty limited so far. According to official data, from 2017 through the end of 2024, the program has only drawn a mere 15 investment applications.

Looking back, the local government greenlit four investor residency applications in 2018 and another two in 2019.

More recently, 2023 and 2024 saw just six investors from Russia, Israel, India, and China submit applications. Unfortunately for most of them, four of those six applications were actually rejected.

What’s really striking is that across all 15 applications received to date, not a single investor has ever chosen the €3 million fund purchase or the €20 million bank deposit options. This suggests that these particular avenues might not be as appealing to potential investors.

Application Process:

Here’s how to apply for Luxembourg’s investor visa:

Step 1: Submit Your Application

Once you’ve gathered all the necessary documents and completed your investment, you’ll need to submit your visa application to the Luxembourg Immigration Directorate.

The Luxembourg Ministry of Economy or Ministry of Finance will then review your personal information, financial background, and investment details to decide whether to approve your investor visa application.

The required documents for this program include:

• Applicant Identification Documents: This covers passports for all main and dependent applicants, passport-sized photos, and relationship proof documents like birth and marriage certificates.

• Completed Application Form.

• Proof of Investment: You’ll need to provide evidence of your completed investment or planned investment, along with proof of the legal source of your investment funds.

• Certificate of No Criminal Record.

• Proof of Health Insurance: You must purchase health insurance covering Luxembourg for each main and dependent applicant for every year of your stay.

• Proof of Visa Fee Payment.

Please note that any documents originating outside Luxembourg must be notarized. If your documents are not in German, English, or French, they’ll need to be translated by an officially designated agency.

Step 2: Visa Issuance

Once your application is approved, you can visit the nearest consulate to obtain a Category D visa.

You must travel to Luxembourg within 90 days of getting your visa. Upon arrival, you’ll need to complete a medical examination, finalize your investment, and apply for your five-year residency visa.

It’s important to remember that all investments for the Luxembourg Investor Permit Program can only be made after your application has been approved.