Your First Week in Luxembourg: A Practical Checklist

Day 1 to 3: declare your arrival

Everything else in this checklist follows from this single step. Whatever your nationality, you must declare your arrival at the population office of the commune where you live, and the deadline is short, as little as a few days for some non-EU nationals. This is not a residence permit application, simply the civil registration of your address, but it produces the certificate you will be asked for repeatedly in the coming weeks. Our guide to registering with the commune covers the exact deadlines and documents to bring, and if you are not an EU citizen, our guide to residence formalities for EU and non-EU citizens explains the separate immigration steps that run alongside it.

Day 1 to 5: open a bank account

A Luxembourg bank account is needed for salary payments, rent transfers and most direct debits, and opening one usually requires proof of address, which is easiest to provide once you have the commune's certificate, though some banks will open an account with a rental contract in the meantime. Bring your passport or ID, your employment contract, and expect identity checks that can take longer than in some other countries, given anti-money-laundering requirements. See our full guide to opening a bank account in Luxembourg for what to expect and how long it typically takes, and our guide to everyday payments for setting up standing orders for rent once the account is live.

Week 1: register for CNS health cover

If you are employed, your employer generally handles your initial affiliation to the CNS (Caisse Nationale de Santé), Luxembourg's national health fund, but it is worth confirming this has happened in your first week rather than assuming it, particularly if you need to see a doctor soon after arriving. Our guide to healthcare and the CNS explains how the system works, how to find a doctor, and what happens in an emergency.

Week 1: sort out your tax card

Your tax card (fiche de retenue d'impôt) determines how much tax is withheld from your salary and is issued once you are registered and your employer has notified the tax authorities. Newcomers are sometimes placed on a default tax class or withholding rate until their full situation, including marital status and dependants, is confirmed, which can mean an adjustment later. Our guide to income tax for newcomers explains the tax classes and what changes are coming with the planned 2028 reform.

Week 1: get a working phone

A Luxembourg mobile number makes everything from banking apps to deliveries easier, and prepaid SIM cards from the main operators are simple to set up with an ID document, without needing a Luxembourg address yet. See our guide to mobile phones and SIM cards in Luxembourg for what to bring and how porting an existing number works.

Week 1: understand public transport is free

Since 2020, all public transport in Luxembourg, trains, trams and buses, has been free in second class for everyone, residents and visitors alike, which removes one task from the list entirely: there is no transport pass to buy for ordinary journeys. First-class seating and a small number of cross-border services still require a ticket. Our guide to free public transport explains what is and is not covered, which is useful to know before your first commute.

Week 1: set up utilities and internet

If your rental does not come with electricity and internet already arranged, this is worth actioning in week one, since connection appointments can take longer than expected. Our guide to setting up electricity, internet and home services covers the main suppliers and typical lead times.

Week 1: arrange household insurance

Most Luxembourg leases require tenant's household insurance (assurance habitation) covering at minimum civil liability towards the landlord and neighbours, and many landlords will ask for proof before or shortly after you move in. Our guide to home insurance for tenants explains what is typically required and what it costs to arrange.

Week 1: find a doctor, even if you feel fine

Registering with a general practitioner near your new home before you need one saves time later, particularly since some practices have waiting lists for new patients. This does not need to be a formal registration, as Luxembourg does not require you to register with a single GP, but knowing who to call is worth sorting out early rather than searching from scratch when you are unwell. It is also worth noting the address and phone number of the nearest pharmacy and, if you have children, checking which paediatricians in your area are currently accepting new patients, since availability varies by commune and can take longer to sort out than adult general practice.

What can wait a little longer

Not everything needs to happen in the first week. Learning Luxembourgish, joining local clubs, and even finalising your final tax class can happen over the following weeks and months. Voting registration as a foreign resident, and childcare or school enrolment if you are moving with children, both have their own timelines and are covered in our guides to relocating with children and voting as a foreign resident. If a partner is also relocating and looking for work, that search can likewise start in week one but typically runs for weeks or months, and registering early with ADEM is worth doing sooner rather than later even if nothing else about it is urgent that first week.

Our take

The single biggest mistake we see newcomers make is delaying the commune registration because it feels like paperwork that can wait. It cannot: it is the document that unlocks the bank account, the tax card and, for non-EU nationals, the residence permit process. Do that first, then work through the rest of this list over the following days. If you are still choosing where to live while you sort out these formalities, browse our current listings or contact us and we can help you find something that fits your first weeks as well as the years after.

This article gives general practical information and is not legal or tax advice. Procedures, amounts and deadlines change; check the current rules on guichet.lu or with the administration concerned.