Moving Day in Luxembourg City: Vans, Parking, Lifts and the Order That Makes It Easy

In this article

1. Three weeks before
2. One week before
3. The day itself
4. Arriving from abroad
5. The first week after
6. Moving within Luxembourg City
7. Budgeting for the move
8. Our take

Three weeks before

Confirm the dates

Align the end of your old lease, or your arrival, with the start of the new one. A few days of overlap make the move calmer. Our guide to ending a lease explains notice periods and exit inventories.

Book removers or a van

Removal companies in Luxembourg get busy at the end of each month and in summer. Book early, ask for a written quote that states what is included (packing, dismantling, lift, insurance), and tell them about access conditions at both addresses: floor, lift size, distance from the street.

Reserve space for the van

In many streets of Luxembourg City, stopping a removal van without authorisation is not possible or leads to a fine. The City's traffic department (Service Circulation) can authorise a temporary "no parking" reservation for a move. Applications should be submitted at least five working days before the date you need, either through the online form or by post or email to the Service Circulation, and once granted, the "no parking" signs must be put up on site at least 24 hours before the reservation starts, which the removal company or a signage contractor can arrange. Fees are modest and depend on the duration and the part of the city, so check the current scale before you apply. Removal companies working in Luxembourg City regularly handle this step for you; ask when you book.

Talk to the building

Ask the landlord, the agent or the building manager:

• whether the co-ownership rules restrict moves to certain days or hours;
• whether the lift can be protected or reserved;
• whether furniture can go through the stairwell, and whether a lift from the street through a window is ever needed.

One week before

• Measure large furniture and compare it with doors, stairwells and the lift.
• Order internet for the new address if you have not already. Installation can take time. See our guide to utilities and internet.
• Arrange electricity with a supplier for the new home from the day you take the keys.
• Plan the rubbish. Book a bulky waste collection or a trip to the Recycling Centre for things you will not take. See our guide to waste and recycling.
• Confirm the entry inventory appointment at the new home and the exit inventory at the old one.

The day itself

A good order for moving day:

1. Entry inventory at the new home first, before any furniture arrives, if possible. An empty home is much easier to inspect. Photograph every room and every meter. Our guide to the état des lieux explains what to record.
2. Protect common areas: lift walls, stair corners, entrance floors. Damage to common parts during a move is a classic source of complaints from co-owners.
3. Load and unload quickly, respecting the reserved parking time.
4. Beds, kitchen and bathroom first when unpacking, so the first night works.
5. Exit inventory at the old home, clean and empty, with meter readings.

Arriving from abroad

• Customs: moving your household goods within the EU involves no customs formalities. Moves from outside the EU involve procedures for importing household effects; ask your removal company and check with the customs administration.
• Temporary accommodation: if your furniture arrives weeks after you, a furnished room or studio for the first period saves you from sleeping on the floor. Our guide to furnished versus unfurnished rentals explains why many newcomers start that way.
• Your car: see our guide to driving in Luxembourg for licences and registration.

The first week after

• Register your new address with the commune within the legal deadline. It is the step many other procedures depend on. See our guide to registering with your commune.
• Update your address with your employer, bank, insurer and the tax administration.
• Take out or transfer home insurance. See our guide to home insurance for tenants.
• Recycle the boxes at the public paper containers or the Recycling Centre, a few at a time.
• Report any problem in the new home in writing, with photos, within the first days.

Moving within Luxembourg City

Short moves are tempting to do yourself with a rented van and friends. It works well for a studio or a room. For a family apartment on a third floor without a lift, professional removers usually pay for themselves in time, safety and avoided damage.

If you are moving between two addresses within the city, it is still worth reserving parking at both ends, since the same rules on stopping a van apply whether you are arriving from abroad or simply crossing from one quarter to another, for instance from a rented room in Bonnevoie to a flat in Belair.

Budgeting for the move

Costs to plan for beyond the removal quote itself:

• The parking reservation fee for the van, charged by the City for the time and space used.
• A deposit or fee some buildings ask for to protect the lift and common parts during a move, refunded if nothing is damaged.
• Bulky waste disposal, either through the City's collection service or a trip to the Recycling Centre, which may involve a small charge for certain items.
• A second van or an extra day if the first estimate of volume turns out to be optimistic, which happens often with cellars and attics.
• Cleaning at the old address, if your lease requires the flat to be returned professionally cleaned.

Ask your removal company for a quote that separates these items from the core transport cost, so nothing arrives as a surprise afterwards.

Our take

A move in Luxembourg City is mostly a question of logistics: a reserved parking space, a building that knows you are coming, an inventory done in an empty home, and the commune registration in the first days. Plan those four things and the rest is just boxes.

When you rent through Aura Properties, we schedule the entry inventory before your furniture arrives and tell you how the building handles moves. See what is available now.

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.