Visa and immigration

Chinese Nationals wishing to travel to Luxembourg are required to apply for a visa through one of its diplomatic representations in China. Non-Chinese passport holders from third countries, who are required to apply for a visa to Luxembourg, may also apply at either one of the Luxembourg diplomatic representations, provided that they are in the possession of a valid Chinese residence permit. If they do not have a valid Chinese residence permit, they must apply in their country of residence or their country of origin.

The procedure for a visa application may vary depending on the purpose and duration of the visit.

The application must be submitted by the applicant personally or a delegated person at least 15 calendar days before the intended departure, but not earlier than 6 months before the start of the intended visit. Please be advised that the application shall be decided on within 15 calendar days of the date of their lodging. In special cases, namely when further scrutiny of the application is needed, this period may be extended to a maximum of 45 calendar days.

Visa application fees - 80€ for a Short Stay Visa (Visa Type C) and 50€ for a Long Stay Visa (Visa Type D) - to be paid in RMB. Please note that the amount of the visa application fee in RMB is determined and regularly reviewed in application with the Euro Foreign Exchange reference rate set by the European Central Bank.

Visa application fees for children age 6-12 are 40€, to be paid in RMB.

Visa fees are exempted for the below listed individuals:

• children under 6 years;
• school pupils, undergraduates, postgraduates and accompanying teaching staff who undertake trips for the purpose of study or educational training;
•  researchers from third countries travelling within the European Union for the purpose of carrying out to scientific research;
• family members of EU/EEA/CH citizens.

The visa fee is not refundable if a negative decision is taken on the application or if the application is withdrawn.  

For further information, respective information sheets are available [ here ] .Please note that depending on the type of visa requested, further documents might be required.

In case of a visa refusal, the refusal decision may be submitted to the administrative tribunal according with the law:   Loi du 21 juin 1999 portant règlement de procédure devant les juridictions administratives (Mémorial A n:98 du 26 juillet 1999) . A lawyer has to introduce the appeal within 3 months after the notification of the negative decision.

Since 12th October 2015 all applicants are required to provide their biometric data (fingerprints and a digital photograph) when applying for a Schengen visa. This is a simple procedure that only takes a few minutes.

All first-time applicants will have to appear in person at a consulate. Biometric data, along with the data provided in the Schengen visa application form, will be recorded in the VIS database and stored for five years. Frequent travelers will only have to complete the procedure once every five years (provided that the passport has not expired), as fingerprints will be copied from the previous application file in the VIS.

The VIS contains all visa applications submitted to and decisions taken by any Schengen State's consulate. This facilitates visa application procedures and checks at external border of the European Union, as well as enhances security. The recourse to biometric technology offers visa applicants a better protection against identity theft and prevents false identifications, which in certain cases could lead to a visa refusal or denial of entry to a person who is entitled to enter.  It also allows to legally regulate the use of applicants' visa application and travel history (e.g. when applying for a long stay visa).

Exemptions from the fingerprinting requirement are provided for a limited number of applicants, including children under the age of twelve and persons for whom the collection of fingerprints is physically impossible. Heads of State, members of the national governments as well as members of their official delegation and spouses are also exempted, if travelling for official purposes.

For additional information on the processing of personal data in the Visa Information System (VIS) provided upon short stay visa application and your rights regarding the processing of personal data for immigration procedures at the Immigration Directorate of the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, we kindly ask you to consult the following link: https://maee.gouvernement.lu/en/services-aux-citoyens/visa-immigration.html