Luxembourg citizenship under Articles 7, 23 and 89: what each one means for descendants in 2026

For most descendants in 2026, the article that matters is Article 23 of Luxembourg’s nationality law. It lets an adult opt for Luxembourg citizenship if a parent or grandparent holds or ever held it, for free, with no language test and no residence requirement. Article 7 is narrower than its reputation: it says that anyone born in Luxembourg before a rolling cut-off date (19 April 1948 for 2026) is Luxembourgish, which helps you prove a grandparent’s nationality. Article 89, the 1900-ancestor recovery route, is closed.

The three articles at a glance

• Article 7 (still in force): birth in the Grand Duchy before a cut-off date establishes Luxembourg nationality. The date moves forward one year every 1 January.
• Article 23 (open, no deadline): the “option” for adults whose parent or grandparent possesses or has possessed Luxembourg nationality, where it was not passed down to them (or, for a grandparent, to their parent).
• Article 89 (closed): recovery for descendants of someone who was Luxembourgish on 1 January 1900. The first step closed on 31 December 2018 and the last declarations had to be signed by 31 December 2025.

All three are in the Law of 8 March 2017 on Luxembourg nationality, in force since 1 April 2017. For the bigger picture, including unbroken lines from more distant ancestors, see the Luxembourg citizenship by descent guide.

What does Article 7 actually say?

Many people search for “Luxembourg citizenship Article 7” expecting the rule that passes citizenship from parent to child. That rule is Article 1: a child born to a parent who is Luxembourgish at the time of the birth is Luxembourgish, wherever the child is born.

Article 7 is different. In full, it says:

1. Birth in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg before 19 April 1939 establishes Luxembourg nationality.
2. Every year on 1 January, that date is moved forward by one year.

The printed text still shows 1939, but the date has been moving every year. Guichet.lu, the government’s citizen portal, lists the cut-off as 19 April 1946 from 1 January 2024 and 19 April 1947 from 1 January 2025. Following the same rule, from 1 January 2026 the cut-off is 19 April 1948. Confirm it with the Ministry of Justice if your relative was born close to that date.

How Article 7 helps descendants

If your parent or grandparent was born in Luxembourg before the cut-off, Article 7 settles that they were Luxembourgish, without anyone having to trace their parents’ nationality. That is exactly what you need for the Article 23 option, which only asks whether your parent or grandparent “possesses or has possessed” Luxembourg nationality.

Article 7 does not, by itself, make you Luxembourgish, and it does not erase a later loss. Under Article 77, gaining and losing Luxembourg nationality are judged by the law in force at the time. Until 31 December 2008, Luxembourgers who naturalized in another country generally lost Luxembourg nationality, so whether it passed down to the next generation is a separate question. For the Article 23 option, a later loss doesn’t matter: a grandparent who was Luxembourgish and later became an American still “has possessed” it.

Article 23: the option for children and grandchildren

Article 23 opens the option to an adult:

1. whose parent or adoptive parent possesses or has possessed Luxembourg nationality, where that nationality was not attributed to the applicant; or
2. whose grandparent possesses or has possessed Luxembourg nationality, where that nationality was not attributed to the applicant’s parent.

Some practical points that follow from the wording:

• Either side of the family counts. The law says parent and grandparent, with no limit to fathers or to the paternal line.
• No deadline. Unlike Article 89, Article 23 is a permanent part of the law.
• It stops at grandparents. A great-grandparent alone doesn’t qualify you. But if your parent can opt through that great-grandparent (their grandparent) and does, your parent then possesses Luxembourg nationality and you can opt through them.
• A relative who used Article 89 counts. A parent or grandparent who recovered Luxembourg nationality through the 1900-ancestor route possesses it, so they open the Article 23 option for you.
• If you are already Luxembourgish, you don’t opt. If your parent was Luxembourgish when you were born, Article 1 already made you Luxembourgish, and you need a certificate of nationality instead.

Is there a language test for Article 23?

No. The Luxembourgish language test and the “Vivre ensemble au Grand-Duché de Luxembourg” course are required for other option cases, such as marriage to a Luxembourger or long residence, but not for the parent or grandparent case. There is also no residence requirement. The only other condition is good repute: the declaration is refused for fraud or for certain serious criminal sentences in the last 15 years. Read more in our guide to language requirements by country.

Documents for the Article 23 option

Guichet.lu’s Case 1 guidance lists these documents, handed to the civil registrar before you sign:

• A full copy of your birth certificate (and your children’s, for any under 18)
• A copy of your valid passport (and your minor children’s)
• The biographical questionnaire (notice biographique), signed
• Criminal record certificates from every country you hold or held citizenship of, and every country you lived in from age 18 during the last 15 years
• A full copy of the birth certificate of the Luxembourg parent or grandparent
• A certificate of Luxembourg nationality for that parent or grandparent, issued by the Ministry of Justice

Guichet.lu’s list doesn’t spell out the records linking you to that relative, but bring them anyway (for a grandparent, your parent’s birth certificate), since the registrar can ask for more. Documents not in French, German, English or Luxembourgish need a translation by a sworn translator or a foreign public authority. English-language American, Canadian and Australian records don’t need translating. Guichet.lu does not mention apostilles for this procedure; ask the civil registry whether they want them for your foreign records before you travel. See our documents checklist and translation guide for the general approach.

The certificate of nationality for your parent or grandparent

The certificate of Luxembourg nationality is issued free of charge by the Ministry of Justice’s nationality office. People living abroad can request one by post or by email, or at the office’s desk in Luxembourg. The request states the person’s names, date and place of birth, and their parents’ names and birth details, plus the purpose of the certificate, and the office may ask for birth, marriage or death certificates. Guichet.lu does not give a processing time, and its certificate page is written for living Luxembourgers. If your relative has died, ask the office (nationalite@mj.public.lu, +352 247 84 532) exactly what it needs from you.

Where to file, and do you have to go to Luxembourg?

Yes. Under Article 65 of the law, option declarations are made before the civil registrar (officier de l’état civil) of the commune where you live. If you don’t live in Luxembourg, it must be the civil registrar of the City of Luxembourg. You must appear in person; you may bring someone with you, but signing by proxy is not allowed. Neither the law nor guichet.lu offers a consulate or embassy alternative.

If your file is incomplete, the registrar gives you three months to supply what’s missing; after that, the application is not considered. If the registrar refuses to record the declaration, you can appeal to the Minister of Justice within one month.

Fees and processing time

• Fees: the option procedure is free, and so is the certificate of nationality. You pay only for documents: municipal charges for Luxembourg civil records, foreign record and criminal-check fees, any sworn translations, and your trip.
• Processing: the registrar sends the file to the Ministry of Justice. If the Minister doesn’t object, you become Luxembourgish four months after the Ministry receives it. The date is written on your declaration, which the registrar normally sends you by post.
• Not backdated: the option only takes effect from that date forward.
• Your minor children: under Article 2, a child under 18 becomes Luxembourgish when their parent obtains it through an option. Adult children can then opt for themselves under Article 23, since their parent now possesses Luxembourg nationality.

Article 89: what happened to the 1900-ancestor route?

Article 89 allowed a descendant in the direct paternal or maternal line of someone who was Luxembourgish on 1 January 1900 to recover Luxembourg nationality, where that ancestor or one of their descendants had lost it under earlier laws. It had two steps:

1. Ask the Minister of Justice to certify you as a descendant of a 1900 Luxembourger, by 31 December 2018.
2. Sign the recovery declaration in person before a civil registrar, by 31 December 2025.

The second deadline was extended more than once. The 2021 coordinated text of the law shows 31 December 2022; guichet.lu now gives 31 December 2025. Either way, both deadlines have passed, and the law says they must be respected or the procedure is inadmissible. So in 2026:

• You can’t start an Article 89 case.
• If you received the certificate of descent but didn’t sign the recovery declaration by 31 December 2025, you can’t complete it now.
• If you signed in time, your declaration is reviewed like any other: it takes effect four months after the Ministry receives it, unless the Minister cancels it.
• If a parent or grandparent of yours completed the recovery, you can opt under Article 23.

Dual citizenship

Luxembourg has allowed multiple nationality since 1 January 2009, and the 2017 law does not require you to renounce another citizenship to opt. Under Article 83, Luxembourg authorities treat a dual national as Luxembourgish only while dealing with them. Whether you keep your current citizenship depends on that country’s own law, so check it before you sign. More in our dual citizenship guide.

Which route fits you?

• Your parent was Luxembourgish when you were born: you are Luxembourgish already (Article 1). Request a certificate of nationality.
• A parent or grandparent holds or ever held Luxembourg nationality, but it didn’t reach you: opt under Article 23. Article 7 may be how you prove their nationality.
• Only a great-grandparent or earlier: check whether a living parent can opt first, or whether the line was never broken. The Luxembourg guide explains the older rules, and proving an ancestor never naturalized covers the records that decide it.
• You were relying on the 1900 route: it is closed unless a relative already completed it.

Comparing options in other countries too? See citizenship through grandparents.

Frequently asked questions

Official sources

• Law of 8 March 2017 on Luxembourg nationality, coordinated text (Mémorial A 626 of 2021) (articles 1, 2, 7, 23, 34, 36, 65, 77, 83 and 89)
• Guichet.lu: Acquiring Luxembourgish nationality by option and its Case 1 guidance (PDF) (conditions, documents, costs, four-month review)
• Guichet.lu: Obtenir la nationalité luxembourgeoise par le seul effet de la loi (Article 1 and the Article 7 cut-off dates)
• Guichet.lu: Reclaiming Luxembourgish nationality (Article 89 deadlines)
• Guichet.lu: Certificate of Luxembourgish nationality (how to apply, free of charge)

Checked against these sources on 24 October 2026. Rules and deadlines change; confirm with the Ministry of Justice’s nationality office before you book travel to Luxembourg.