Opening your book…
Reaches a parent. A grandparent only if you had already applied by 31 December 2025.
Each answer assumes none of your ancestors became a citizen of another country before their child was born. Below is what changes each answer.
Citizen by descent
A child of a Luxembourg citizen is a citizen by descent; the work is documenting it.
Recovery option closed
The option through an ancestor alive in 1900 closed on 31 December 2025 after two extensions. Unless a parent is a Luxembourg national, there is no standing option through a grandparent.
What would settle itWhether anyone in the family made the recovery declaration before the end of 2025; if a parent did, you are the child of a Luxembourg national.
The recovery option closed on 31 December 2025, but declarations lodged by then are being processed during 2026.
Recovery option closed
The option through an ancestor alive in 1900 closed on 31 December 2025 after two extensions. Unless a parent is a Luxembourg national, there is no standing option through a grandparent.
What would settle itWhether anyone in the family made the recovery declaration before the end of 2025; if a parent did, you are the child of a Luxembourg national.
The recovery option closed on 31 December 2025, but declarations lodged by then are being processed during 2026.
Recovery of nationality by descendants of an ancestor who was a Luxembourg national on 1 January 1900 was available for declarations made by 31 December 2025. Luxembourg Ministry of Justice, communiqué of 14 January 2026 on nationality in 2025
The time for the recovery declaration based on descent from an ancestor who was Luxembourgish on 1 January 1900 expired on 31 December 2025; applications lodged by that date are processed during 2026. Luxembourg Ministry of Justice, communiqué of 14 January 2026 on nationality in 2025
Recovery requires proof that the ancestor held Luxembourg nationality on 1 January 1900 and each generation down to you. Luxembourg Nationality Law of 8 March 2017, Art. 7 (descent) and Art. 89 (recovery for descendants of an ancestor alive on 1 January 1900; final deadline 31 December 2025), Art. 89
A recovery declaration through an ancestor who was Luxembourgish on 1 January 1900, lodged by 31 December 2025 (2017 Nationality Law, Art. 89)
What counts as having applied by 31 December 2025: A recovery declaration through an ancestor who was Luxembourgish on 1 January 1900, lodged by 31 December 2025 (2017 Nationality Law, Art. 89).
Luxembourg’s rule gives the same answer whether the line runs through a mother or a father.
You keep your citizenship.
On every open route, the rule lets a citizen of the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Brazil, Argentina or South Africa keep that citizenship.
Open to you through a parent
Open to you through a grandparent or a great-grandparent
Closed: no one qualifies this way today
The option through an ancestor alive in 1900 closed on 31 December 2025 after two extensions. Unless a parent is a Luxembourg national, there is no standing option through a grandparent.
Through a parent
Through a grandparent or great-grandparent
Most countries also want proof that your ancestor didn’t become a citizen somewhere else before their child was born: the naturalization record with its date, or a letter saying there isn’t one.
Fees are each office’s published fee, converted to U.S. dollars.
The commune’s civil registry (état civil) where the Luxembourg parent was born; the national register of natural persons (RNPP) for people registered in Luxembourg.
The parent’s commune of birth.
Ministry of Justice, Nationality Office (Service de la nationalité luxembourgeoise), 13 rue Erasme, L-1468 Luxembourg; nationalite@mj.public.lu
A certificate in the Luxembourg parent’s own name proves the parent’s nationality at the birth; a certificate in the member’s name is the claim itself.
Supporting documents are accepted in German, French, Luxembourgish or English. Documents in any other language must be translated by a sworn translator on the Ministry of Justice’s list. U.S. documents need the issuing state’s apostille. Luxembourg sworn translators charge about €0.06–0.10 a word plus €10–20 a page for the sworn certification, with a minimum charge for a short record such as a birth certificate.
We know of no pending bill or recent court ruling for Luxembourg.
We re-read the official pages behind this guide every day. When one changes, a person checks the rule before we update anything here.
2 residence programs lead to Luxembourg without an ancestor, each with its own law and road to citizenship.
Luxembourg’s option for an independent professional who can show real savings and a business that visibly helps the Luxembourg economy — small, selective, and slow.
A non-EU national with a qualifying offer for highly qualified work in Luxembourg may apply for a residence and work permit. The salary and qualification tests are country-specific.
2 laws and official pages behind the answers, then the offices and pages behind the records and filing.
Not legal advice. Every answer comes from the country’s own laws and is tested against real cases. Where the law isn’t clear, we say “possible” rather than guess.
Tell us about one parent or grandparent. We’ll answer in about a minute, and show you the law behind it.
Check your family