You’ve arrived in Luxembourg. But what about your imported car? Have you registered it? Find out how to register your car using this handy explanatory guide! It’ll explain the different stages of car importation and the documents required to do so.
When to register your car
Juggling many balls at the same time? No worries! You have 6 months to register your vehicle in Luxembourg. So why not finish decorating your home before worrying about the papers for your car? This period commences from the day you declare your arrival in Luxembourg in your municipality of residence.
1. Apply for your registration number
You can download the document “Demande d’attribution d’un numéro d’immatriculation” (application for the assignment of a registration number) at. In Luxembourg, you can get a personalised number plate or choose a number that is available. Personalisation costs €200, whereas getting a registration number in an ongoing series is free of charge. Be careful! Even if you receive your registration number, this does not mean that the car is registered. It will only be officially registered once all the steps below are complete. After confirming the reservation, you can have your number plates printed by an approved manufacturer. Here’s the link to the website of the SNCA, the National Society of Automotive Traffic, which lists all the manufacturers.
2. Taking out civil liability insurance
In Luxembourg, it is compulsory to have civil liability insurance, at the very least. The insurance must be taken out from an approved company in Luxembourg. But you're in luck - LALUX is one of these companies! All you need to do is send us your Luxembourg registration number and vehicle chassis number. Then the insurance company issues your “green card” and a certificate of insurance stating that you are insured. Don't panic! The green card is no longer green, but its name still pays homage to the old cards that were previously green. Watch out though; this civil liability only covers physical injuries and material damage to third parties, unfortunately it does not cover you. So, why not take a look and see how you can be completely covered as a driver…. Not familiar with the insurance companies in Luxembourg? Don't worry. LALUX is just a click away and can offer you easyPROTECT Auto insurance. Choose the package you prefer. It’s up to you.
3. Vehicle customs clearance
For customs clearance, you need to go to Customs and present the following documents:
a.Vehicle registration certificate
b. European certificate of conformity (issued by the manufacturer upon first sale)
c. Invoice for the purchase of your car
Additional documents may have to be presented based on the origin and age of your car.
According to current legislation on sales tax:
A vehicle is considered to be a used car if it has more than 6,000 kilometres on the clock and if it was registered for the first time more than six months ago.
A vehicle is considered to be new if it has less than 6,000 kilometres on the clock or it was registered for the first time in the course of the last six months.
Is your vehicle new?
d. Declaration 446-L (intra-community acquisition of a new means of transport) downloadable on the Customs & Excise website
e. You must also pay VAT at 17% at the Customs and Excise Administration Office.
Your vehicle is not new.
d. You do not need any additional document
Your vehicle probably passed through another country before arriving in Luxembourg. There are two possible scenarios
Declaration of your vehicle directly in Luxembourg (with transit formalities)
d. These formalities require an explicit application to use the T1 external transit procedure at the first tax office (airport or sea port where your vehicle arrives).
This scheme enables “non-EU goods” transactions to be carried out between EU member states. This is where you will pay the import duties which are 10% and Luxembourg VAT of 17%.
Declaration of your vehicle in the first country of the EU in which it arrives (without transit formalities)
d. Customs documents for the first office of import
Import formalities must then be completed at the first office of import
If you bought your car in a non-member state of the EU and you're importing it by boat to the Netherlands, you must pay Dutch import duties and VAT. Upon arrival in Luxembourg, you must show your customs import document issued by the first customs clearance office of import. In this example, the document would have been issued by the Netherlands.
=> Once all these procedures have been carried out and the required payments have been made, you will receive your vignette 705 from customs to finalise the registration of your vehicle with the SNCA.
4. Payment of the tax stamp
This stamp is also called droit de chancellerie or tax stamp. You should expect to pay a fee of €50 for this stamp which is levied by the State. The amount may increase if you have a personalised number plate. You must transfer it into a specific account held by the Luxembourg Land Registration and Estates Department (Administration de l'enregistrement et des domaines). To find out more about the payment and bank account number, go to the website of the indirect tax authority.
5. Lodging your administrative file with the SNCA
The administrative file is sent by post or lodged at the SNCA office. You must fill in the “Application for a vehicle registration certificate” form (Demande en obtention d’un certificat d’immatriculation), which can be downloaded from the SNCA website and provide the original documents listed below:
a. Copy of your ID document
b. Invoice for the purchase of your car
This document is proof of vehicle ownership. It becomes compulsory if the registration document does not mention that you are the vehicle owner.
c. Civil liability insurance certificate (green card)
d. Vignette 705
e .Foreign registration certificate
f. Registration tax stamp
g. Roadworthiness inspection certificate
The vehicle must have passed its roadworthiness (or “technical”) inspection. If your vehicle has undergone an inspection in your country of origin, this may still be valid. The duration of its validity will be adapted to Luxembourg law.
Its aim is to ensure your safety and that of other drivers on the road. The principle states that all vehicles must be in a perfect state of inspection and meet for example CO2 emissions standards.
Compare the prices at the different approved technical inspection bodies in Luxembourg:
Dekra Automotive SARL
Luerenzweiler Kontrollstatioun SARL
Société Nationale de Contrôle Technique SA
How often must a car undergo inspection? As a general rule:
h. European certificate of conformity:
This document is necessary to certify that your vehicle is compliant and meets European regulations and directives. Normally the vehicle manufacturer automatically issues it whenever the vehicle leaves the factory. For example, it holds information like the number of seats, the manufacturer's logo, the unladen weight, the maximum authorised mass, etc. However, this is only relevant for vehicles imported from an EU Member State.
If your vehicle comes from a country outside the EU, you will be faced with two possible scenarios:
The data on the foreign registration certificate is complete: the SNCA will then check the technical data.
The data is incomplete: you must go to an approved inspection body to get an inspection report done your vehicle.
If everything is in order, the SNCA will issue a registration certificate (also known as the “grey card”) and a temporary road tax certificate valid for 30 days. The Customs & Excise Agency will let you know the amount of motor vehicle tax (to be paid annually). The latter will also depend on your CO2 emissions and year of registration. Make your payment within 60 days and your final road tax certificate will be sent to you by post.
Congrats! You've completed all the steps! You're finally legal to drive! Drive safely!
Parking vignette
Parking spaces in Luxembourg's various towns are often scarce. And you'll get tired of paying for a parking ticket every day from the machines on your street. Find out if you can obtain a parking vignette in your municipality of residence so you can park your car near your house or apartment. It is less expensive that paying for a parking ticket every day. To get one, you must present your vehicle’s registration certificate, obtained after completing the steps above.
Good news! Your licence remains valid and will be recognised in Luxembourg. However, you can register it with the SNCA by sending a copy of both sides of your driving licence and a copy of your ID document to get a Luxembourg licence. This is very useful if your licence gets lost or stolen as you’ll no longer need to apply for a certificate from the country that issued your licence in the first place. You must complete the “Demande de transcription / échange / enregistrement d'un permis de conduire” form (Application for transcription/exchange/registration of a driving licence) on the guichet.public.lu website.
If the language of your country of origin is not known in Luxembourg, you are advised and even sometimes obliged to have your licence transcribed within a year. This means that your licence will be exchanged for a Luxembourg licence. You must complete the “Demande de transcription / échange / enregistrement d'un permis de conduire” form (Application for transcription/exchange/registration of a driving licence) on the guichet.public.lu website.
Have you just got your driving licence? Well done! The road is all yours! Book a day at the Training Centre in Colmar-Berg to take a compulsory training course if your licence is less than 2 years old. Don't worry, it will be a rewarding day that will raise your awareness of the risks of the road. It’s also important to understand the 12-points based driving licence system.