If you’re planning to stay in Luxembourg for more than a year, you must apply for a foreigners’ identity card. When you register with your commune, you’ll be given an application form for an identity card along with a list of the documents required. These generally include: a passport containing your long-stay visa (provisional residence permit), a work permit or proof of adequate support, three passport-size photos, medical certificate, certificate of change of address from your previous place of residence, police report and a tax stamp.
Tax stamps must be obtianed from an office of the Administration des Enregistrements et Domaines, a department of the Ministry of Finance generally referred to simply as l’Enregistrement. There isn’t an office in every town, but your town hall will advise you where the nearest office is. EU nationals are entitled to a free tax stamp. Citizens of the Americas, Singapore and Hong Kong are charged around €10. Nationals of all other countries pay around €30.
It can take up to a year for your identity card to be issued, and the local police may call on you to ask some routine questions or verify information, such as your salary. Everyone over the age of 15 must carry an identity card or passport at all times to prove their legal status or residence in the country. If you move house within Luxembourg, you must apply to have your identity card updated, and it’s your responsibility to make sure you renew your card well in advance of its expiry date.
This article is an extract from Living and Working in Holland, Belgium & Luxembourg.