Thinking of making it official in Luxembourg?
Let’s start with the classic: civil marriage. It’s the most popular form of partnership in Luxembourg and fully legal. That charming church ceremony? Lovely, but legally meaningless unless you’ve already had the civil bit. The mayor or alderman must sign off on your union before any bells start ringing. To marry, both of you must be at least 18 years old--though if one of you is a determined romantic minor, you’ll need a nod from the public prosecutor. One of you also has to officially live in Luxembourg. Tourists can fall in love here, but they can’t get married on a whim.
Don’t expect to elope next weekend. Luxembourg loves its admin. You’ll need at least two months to get everything in order--or three, if one of you isn’t a Luxembourg national. Birth certificates, identification, proof of celibacy--yes, really--and other delightfully bureaucratic proof of your commitment must be collected before the wedding can even be announced. Literally. Your intent to marry will be posted on your local municipality’s public announcements board for ten days. Romantic? Perhaps. Official? Very.
And you can’t get married just anywhere! The big day has to take place in the municipality where one of you lives. Want to marry in a postcard-perfect village? Better start forwarding your mail.
If you like the idea of legal love but not the full matrimonial fanfare, Pacs might be your thing. Short for pacte civil de solidarité, this civil partnership lets couples of any gender officially register their union without getting married. It’s a sort of legally recognised domestic cohabitation, with rights that resemble those of married couples--particularly when it comes to social security and, yes, tax relief. Introduced in 2004, Pacs is a modern answer to modern love: flexible, legal and admin-light (well, relatively). You will still need to go together to your local municipality and sign before the registrar, but you get to skip the whole wedding shebang.
In either case--marriage or Pacs--Luxembourg welcomes your love. Bring your documents, your partner and a “little” patience.
This article was written for the August/September 2025 issue of Paperjam magazine (Expat Guide), published on 10 July. The content is produced exclusively for the magazine. It is published on the site to contribute to the full Paperjam archive. Click this link to subscribe to the magazine.
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