Health insurance in Luxembourg: CNS and access to healthcare

How to get psychological help in Luxembourg

Museums and cultural centers in Luxembourg

With or without visa: grounds for legal stay in Luxembourg

Like many of my fellow countrymen, I have been thinking about being legalized in another country for the past year. For five years I worked remotely and resided in Bali, but I never actually tried to get any documents confirming my status. Since February I turned my gaze to Portugal, Spain, or somewhere in the world.

I came across an article about Luxembourg on the VC portal by chance, then I watched the interview on YouTube. Then, also by chance, I found the Luxtoday chat, and subscribed 

I became curious, I started to think about relocation as a financially independent individual. That is, the idea was originally to relocate my own project.

However, quickly it became clear that it could be quite costly. Then the idea came up to look at the options for cooperation with local companies.

Back then I still doubted my interview skills. The problem was the specifics of the interview with software engineers.

Very often there are a lot of tasks on algorithms and data structure. You have to prepare for this in advance, and I didn't.

First I wrote to HR and asked how the interview goes in general, how many stages there are, and other intriguing questions. They immediately offered to call and discuss all the details.

Before the call, I decided to do a little research to find out more about the company itself. I found employees on LinkedIn, and one of them turned out to be a Russian-speaking person. His name was Andrei, so it wasn't hard to guess :))

He had worked for this company since April and was able to recommend it as a trustworthy contractor. For me that was enough.

Our first meeting with HR took about 15-20 minutes. During this time he told me about the company: about the plans, usual tasks, and people that I was going to work with.

And right away I was scheduled for my first technical interview with a team leader.

It turned out that there were two executives at the interview. The first was in the iOS development department, where I actually applied for the job. The second, as I understood it, was the head of the entire Mobile development department.

We talked for about an hour in English. There were basic questions, like how the memory works, what tools I use in my daily work, and what technologies I know. There were also questions about the resume.

This is easy for everyone. The job seeker does not need to make a long list, and the employer can quickly check if the person has lied on his application form. 

For example, you write that you have worked with a particular technology. The teamleader will ask you how you have adapted that technology to certain tasks. This is how technical interviews usually go.

I didn't like my own answers very much, to be honest. I was noticeably nervous, and the language barrier was still present. I suppose that some things I described were not deep enough, in some cases, I even made mistakes, probably. And some of them I wouldn't have made if I had spoken in my native language.

The second stage was a homework assignment. Before that, we did not solve tasks, as they do at Google, for example. However, they couldn't help but test our programming skills. So that was the second round, and that was a kind of examination.

I'm not sure if they somehow tracked the time spent, but I decided to prepare better. I already had a task description, so I googled several questions, practiced with typical problems, and then allotted a whole day and sat down to write the task app.

There was nothing super-complicated about the test, really. You had to write an add-on that saves and reads information from the local database. Something like a to-do manager.

The tasks may be added, saved, or changed, and subtasks may be attached to them. There were three categories of these to-do:

medium difficulty, which could have one attachment; 

a complex task, in which you can have three attachments, and these attachments can be pictures, for example.

So the complexity was not the highest, but there were plenty of subtleties. For example, it was necessary to adjust the interface so that nothing would float and be adequately displayed.

It took me a little longer than I was supposed to: maybe 6-8 hours. But I don't think it was really even a question of time. There are different ways to solve this tasks.

Personally, I consider myself in the middle+ category, but I know, for example, the way novice developers would solve it, and I imagine how super-experienced ones would do it. So the development executives were probably looking at how you build the architecture, how you separate the responsibilities of the layers.

A couple of weeks later I received a response that the employer was happy with my code. Then, they looked at the work of other candidates and selected several people for a virtual session.

We have agreed to work together for the whole day: we organize a call at 9 a.m., we discuss tasks, I take them, a couple of hours later we have another call, check progress, and so on.

There was one uncomfortable moment — I had to connect remotely to their computer and work with my computer, but on the machine in Luxembourg. Other than that, everything went as planned.

So we worked all day, mostly, of course, with the team leader of iOS development.

The job itself is pretty self-explanatory since I have been working in this environment for a long time. At the interview, however, there was a question that always puzzles me as a developer. I was asked to describe myself in three words. I do not even remember what I answered, I think I was a nature lover, curious and very persistent.

I'm not an HR, so I can't really figure out how questions like this make you realize how good I am :))

Another question that came up was why I decided to join the office after five years of working remotely. But the reasoning here is pretty clear. 

I answered that I wanted to get legalized and stay in one particular place because moving all the time is very difficult. And remote work is also exhausting. I would like to immerse myself in tasks and not be distracted by household chores.

Another confusion occurred when I mentioned that I was running my own project too. At this point, they became very cautious. What kind of project, and for whom, and what do you do, how much time does it take?

We went away to have a little chat with the lawyers. It turned out that they had a restriction.

This is a very strange demand for us as developers. In fact, the design of modern applications intersects in one way or another. For instance, almost all applications have user registration or a chatbot. If you get cut off from these technologies, you're almost out of a job. We are discussing this very actively right now, and we have kind of found a solution.

It was later when I found out that they had an employee who spent more time and effort on his own project than he did on the company's work. So these guys are just being overprotective :)

Of course, the process was a nervous one, but my mother and wife supported me a lot, which helped tremendously. Now I just have to wait for the offer and relocate to Luxembourg.

Share your stories with us. If you would like to tell us about moving to Luxembourg and about life here, please write to our editors

or email editorial@luxtoday.lu. One person's experience can help many.

Alexander

How to nail a job interview in Luxembourg remotely

Actually, when we moved to Luxembourg, it was a true fate! I didn't plan to come here initially but rather considered nearby Germany. One of my friends at that time did research on Luxembourg as a relocation destination, and proposed we take a closer look at the country: it provides a great and friendly education for kids, it's a more foreign environment, than local and, the most important for us, it is a great chance to build a strongly connected business, get support from the government and be recognized here. So, we made a decision.

If decades ago, with the first big wave of Chinese migration, people came from China to rather make money, now they come to spend it: it's not a secret that there are plenty of tourists, students, and workers with Chinese origins in Europe and all over the world. 

Old migration, which is still here, used to be mostly restaurant owners and chefs. But when the Bank of China Group and other huge companies settled across the world, they began to hire Chinese people first.

A lot of them are now working in the financial sector, in technology. China welcomes this change, as it welcomes foreigners. As long as you have a job and can support yourself and your family.

You get paid higher in Europe as well: the living standard in China is very low for most people, and food prices are quite cheap compared to here. But people still leave and they have a couple of reasons.

Like the rest of the world, our country has inequalities. There are crazy rich people, like the owners of Alibaba and other companies, and there are ordinary people. 

Wealth in China is a heritage, some got it from their families, and hold it for generations. We can only say that my family is middle class, compared to truly rich Chinese.

My father has never been into business at all. He was a policeman before retirement, and he never truly understood my wish to create. Well, I got it from my granddad.

Almost a century ago, he had a small company in China, that was selling seeds — vegetables, fruits, and flowers. Though it was a local company, he still managed to raise the family in China during uneasy times, and they had 4 kids to feed! I was very impressed with his story: the business let them have something, and keep afloat.

I can call myself a serial entrepreneur! Right now, as we moved to Luxembourg, I went into the innovative business sphere. We create a startup in the local tourism domain, a very European idea.

Why did we choose Luxembourg to settle a new business

Multicultural space

Less competition

How to preserve the culture in immigration

Luxembourg doesn't have the biggest Chinese expat community, obviously, there is no China Town, like in other places. Our culturally build competition with each other also gets in the way of building national connections. Of course, we stick together with our closest connections, but, for example, I have been in Europe since 2000, so I have built my network with European people because business-wise, that was the choice for me. I like to meet all sorts of people from all over the world.

I moved here with my two kids — son and daughter, — so we spend our national holidays together, a personal community of mine. My parents actually immigrated to Greece. It happened naturally, with the coronavirus pandemic, they come to visit us, and never left. Of course, my grandmother, aunts, and uncles are still in China.

But we try to keep in touch with them and our national traditions as well. We do it with two simple methods.

Speaking native languages at home

Celebrating traditional holidays

We have a lot of fun holidays: let's say we have Chunhyang Festival, where we climb a mountain and have a tasty treat at the top of it, it is some kind of special wrap with some rice, leaves, and meat inside.

This is very tasty! A lot of celebrations are connected with food in our culture.

For example, British people will always greet you with «What nice weather, innit?», and Chinese people will always ask «Have you eaten?».

We have the richest food culture: recipes for traditional dishes vary from region to region, and there are a variety of tastes and spices.

In London, there is a whole street in Chinatown, where you can find roasted dogs, soy sauce chicken, and crispy pork belly. In Luxembourg, you have a lot of restaurant places too, as well as a market with traditional ingredients in the city downtown and in 

How we made a decision to stay in Luxembourg for a while

Luxembourg is an ideal place for me and my family. A lot of people say that the country is small, but I don't see it as a downside.

As a businesswoman, I see small things as easy to control and build, especially when it comes to connections. You drive half an hour from the capital and you are in Germany, takes an hour (the famous traffic) to get to France. Come on, what other country can provide you with this?

Flights are also very cheap nowadays, and the local airport makes it very fast and convenient for business travel. One hour flight and I am in London, the capital of Great Britain, making connections and deals.

A lot of my friends from Greece ask me: «Vicki, how could you choose gloomy Luxembourg and not sunny paradise to live in?». Well, the answer is simple. As a business person, do you enjoy the sunshine or do you enjoy the opportunities and working ecosystem? Honey, you can have the sunshine whenever — take the plane and go.

Share your stories with us. If you would like to tell us about moving to Luxembourg and about life here, please write to our editors 

 or email editorial@luxtoday.lu. One person's experience can help many.

Vicki Wu

«To make money and spend it» — how Chinese expats live in Luxembourg

The current stage project I'm working on is created with the help of performers from Luxembourg and the stars of the National Opera of Ukraine. It is a unique collaboration between Luxembourg Ballet, CUBE 521 Theatre Space, and Opderschmelz Dudelange. The project is being supported by the Ministry of Culture and the Luxembourg Choreographic Center TROIS C-L.

And I don't mean just ballet, the dance in general. Similar to literature, music, visual arts, architecture, and dancing — is a language, that helps us share things we can not say, or even are afraid to say, using emotions. This is the beauty and the power of the dance. So I believe this direction has a lot of potential, especially in uneasy and stressful times like this.

I can honestly tell you that no one in the local sphere of dance do anything faintly resembling what our troupe does. Usually, you see a few people on stage. We approach it differently: live musicians, forming an orchestra, and ten dancers. The synthesis of music, dance, and costume art is what our audience experiences.

The line of visual storytelling for the performance is created by the team: we come up with the character image ourselves and, once it's finished, we give it to the tailor.

After all, in order to tell the truth to one's face, you have to be a truly brave person. And Carmen in fact is: she owns her body and handles it as recklessly boldly as she wants. But there's also such a haze of romanticism, of course, and mysticism about her character.

The reason for its undying relevance is that the classics often expose us to universal archetypes. They are transcendental and, as far as ballet is concerned, they invite us to understand something that has always been important to human beings without words. Luxembourg is incredibly diverse, we have different audiences, locals or natives, and a lot of foreigners. And we all talk to them in a language that doesn't need a translation.

Right now I'm working with precisely these kinds of archetypes. 

. His opposition on the female side is Carmen. I was intrigued by two aspects:

the manifestation of beauty as an all-conquering force, and

the manifestation of feelings as an element that raises the human to the heavens and brings them down to the abyss. Perhaps the most interesting fact is that we may suffer, but when that emotion fades, we look for it again.

The modern individual is trying hard to avoid disappointment. And at the same time, there are so many dating sites today, all kinds of matchmaking, and projects on how to find a soulmate so that you won't be disappointed will fall in love, and will be happy. In other words, we are desperate for that feeling.

The story of strong feelings — both destructive and inspiring — has been with me for a long time. Five years ago, «

» was my everything. I have almost lived with Tolstoy for three years: read all of his diaries, analyzed the periods of his work, watched him write alongside, and studied the music of Tchaikovsky and how the composer was inspired by Tolstoy's work. And that's how the performance, which is still considered the best in my home country and is still being successfully staged to this day, was born.

», the ideology of a collectioner and certain boredom that emerged in new age humans, when religion became secondary and the desire to "copy" emerged. Yet, in contrast, love seemed like something very real, very rare, a miracle. In our era, when the miracle is multiplied at a click, this feeling vanishes. Don Juan gave up the real feeling, the real miracle, and only tried to repeat the moment all the time. That, I think, was his problem.

» is different. I'm more fascinated by the inner world of mankind, by how defenseless we are in front of feelings. These sentiments both encourage you and toss you into the deep end. But once you experience them, you try to feel them again.

In Carmen Mérimée was writing about himself in many ways, how much he thirsted for love. And how much he needed it.

To conclude the subject of strong feelings and classical characters, I would also like to stage «

» in the future. At the heart of the story are love and pointless hatred, the reasons for which no one even recalls anymore.

I would say a symbiosis of different ballet schools. There is certainly a difference between the way ballet is taught in Belarus and Russia and in Western Europe. Especially in terms of excellence — a very fanatic approach persists in Eastern countries. Dostoyevsky wrote that «a russian man is wide, I would narrow him down». Once it's the end of the world, it's going all the way down. Can't be done lightly.

But Europeans are more balanced, they are not "too much", I think. And you can see that in the profession, too. Of course, they work a lot too, but everything is on schedule, no obsessions. Europeans are very disciplined in their professional life. Sometimes they can be a little bit stiff, though. 

And as a choreographer, you have to keep an eye and a strong hand on eastern school dancers. Their fanatism, and emotions can create fascinating forms, but it is still complicated at the beginning. 

I think the troupe compliments each other perfectly, like yin and yang. You will see it on stage.

We're staging this play on a rather tight deadline. Usually, performance preparation takes six weeks, but we're putting it up in a month instead. That's why we're working in three shifts, but I am sure we'll make it. 

Hopefully, in the years to come, we'll move on to bigger and more wholesome spectacles. Right now we're using our bodies to draw the story, and it's memorable. Imagine if we add landscapes and scenery to what we already have, something really amazing will happen.

Volha Kastsel

Language that doesn't need translation: an interview with choreographer Volha Kastsel

I am a founder of a startup, that creates artificial intelligence for human research data analyses. We basically want to modernize the old-school internal HR with new tools, to help with data for making great decisions.

Even before the February events, our team planned to go to the European market, as we had some connections in France, and so we started from here. For a few months, I was pitching, presenting, meeting, and talking, knocking on doors in the Alsace. But I can't call it successful, especially when my french was lacking some practice. Once I pitched for 20 minutes for one of the major players, and at the end, he told me he doesn't understand English! But I was 100% sure he did.

My advisor and I looked at each other with a nervous smile and decided that, maybe, deep tech and artificial intelligence are simply not a hot topic for them. So we were left with few options and even less time. Opened the map and the solution came pretty fast... Luxembourg!

Figure out the documents and legalization

The main difference from most legalization methods is that in this case, you apply for both a residence permit and a business permit at the same time. Since you are so smart and you want to do your own business here, kindly provide reasons for the permit. That makes sense, right?

The process is rather fast, but it took me around 5 months. I forgot some documents in my home country and 

had to go back to collect and prepare them

For a residence permit application you will need:

Notarized copy of international passport.

Recent criminal record, not older than 6 months, issued by the state (states) in which the person has resided for the last 10 years.

Proof that you have enough money to create a business.

A notarized affidavit of non-bankruptcy, not older than 6 months.

Proof of transfer of 24 euros to CCP Luxembourg IBAN LU 47-1111 008792 620000 - CCPLLULL with the following message: "Name Surname authorisation de commerce".

Documents that show that the applicant has the required qualifications and meets the conditions for access to the profession.

For a business permit application you will need:

The proof of payment of Droit de Chancellerie in the amount of 24 euros, can be obtained from the Office of Registration Fees, Real Estate and VAT (Administration de l'enregistrement, des domaines et de la TVA). This fee can also be paid by bank transfer to the following IBAN account: LU76 0019 5955 4404 7000 (BCEELULL) of the same authority with the following message "autorisation d'établissement" (a copy of this transaction is needed).

In the case of establishing a company in Luxembourg, you will need to draw up and approve its articles of association.

A copy of a residence permit or your ID card (both sides).

The lease agreement for the company's head office in Luxembourg.

You probably have some questions. How can you submit all the documents, when you need a residence permit for the business permit and a business permit for the residence permit? Well, these processes and documents will surely take some time, and you will probably enclose some of the needed documents later, in a second batch for the Ministries.

What is interesting about the non-bankruptcy certificate — basically it is a sworn promise, notarized by a specialist in your country, that you have never been through the bankruptcy procedure, neither had any of your businesses. Luxembourg law is very straightforward with such matters: you can not create companies if you have bankrupted them before. Lately, especially after the covid, there have been a lot of talks about changing the law and granting "a second chance" to entrepreneurs. But for now, we have what we have.

The next tricky moment to keep in mind is the bank statement, which proves you have enough funds to build your business in Luxembourg and not live under their fabulous bridge at the same time. You will need to show around 20 000 euros in your account. To be honest, I was a real millionaire for 10 minutes. I transferred all the money I had to a single bank account. As well as a friend of my family helped me and added some money for me to have exactly the figure needed — 1 300 000 roubles. I got the paper in the bank office and looked at the pretty number for the last time before transferring everything back to its place(((

This bank account statement in English was sufficient. Even though it was in the local bank and not in euros. Shortly after I provided all the documents, the MFA had its monthly commission meeting and I was granted permission to stay and build my startup in the Grand Duchy — an authorization to stay.

With a copy of this official letter, I went to apply for a D visa. It was fun, as I had to write myself and my contact information into the Employer field for my own application. Fight Club vibes.

The first time we had an idea to move our startup to Luxembourg, I didn't have contacts and didn't know anyone there. But I knew that the location of the country will open new doors for us in the European market. And most important they all definitely speak English! I still had one contact with an advisor from Luxinnovations, whom I met at the conference in Paris.

At the end of the meeting we faced one "little" issue: we were not part of a local startup and innovations ecosystem and were not connected to an accelerator or incubation program. An ecosystem is a number of measures to support young businesses, grow them and help to assimilate in the market. You covered this in more detail 

My self-assured idea was to go to the closest startup conference ICT Spring in a few days. At this event, I met all the actors of the ecosystem and all the heads of the incubators. I told them my idea, exchanged contacts, clinked a glass of complimentary champagne, and within a week I was unexpectedly pitching a project in the House of Startups office for LCI. There were four out of five hundred startups were selected to pitch that day, and mine was the fifth to bypass the pitch session.

It's not that easy to do all the legalization without the support of the ecosystem, personal networking, and the generous help of the people in the Grand Duchy. And when you have had a great networking talk with 6 out of 10 people in the commission for startup residents' permit approval, and they know what are you building, it's quite a different story.

I love the Luxembourgish approach to innovations. The ecosystem is very friendly, they do not fight for projects, success, or names. On the contrary.

If you come to an incubator that doesn't specialize in your field, for example, you have a social project, and you contacted the techies, they will refer you to the right place, and sometimes will even tell startup colleagues briefly about what you do in order to save time. This is incredibly encouraging.

Personally, I would say, that you need to be a little crazy, a little reckless maybe in Luxembourg, as well as in relocating the whole business and your life here. If one constantly seeks new connections, opportunities, and ways to be more efficient and save time (within reason) for everyone, one can achieve much. And fast. Luxembourg is about business.

Daria Saltykova

How to root in Luxembourg when you are a startup founder

My husband and I both got our driving licenses in Luxembourg: me first, and one year after – he did it too. At the time I was studying for a driving license, there were only two schools available nearby, more specifically, schools that have been teaching in English. There was Pepe driving school and the one at the Gare.

I found these schools in expat community groups on Facebook, with real feedback from other people. The school next to Gare did not satisfy users at all: the reviews told about how bad the instructors are, how they don't explain the theory well, and how they are late all the time. And on the contrary, Pepe school had good reviews only, especially on the theory. So I quickly enrolled there.

The only problem happened to be with the lessons in English: they were only scheduled once a week. Maybe now they have more classes, because of course, if we knew more languages, the theoretical part would be faster. And this way the theory process stretched out for 8 weeks because you must listen to all the topics and collect attendance stamps.

At last, I practiced and got used to this theoretical test so well, that I passed the real examination in 10 minutes. Including the time I spend thinking about some particular questions. In my opinion, the theory test is not that hard, especially if you train well. 

After successfully passing the examination, you will get the stamp on your paper, so you can show it in your driving school.

It is possible to change the driving school at this stage if you want. It means that you can study theory in one place, and practice driving in another.

Eventually, my instructor suggested that I switch to an automatic car because I was too distracted by the gearbox and couldn't keep my attention on practicing driving. This time I waited only around 3 weeks, maybe because I already started driving with an instructor at that point.

When I finished my practice, I was supposed to take an exam. Though I was indecisive, even nervous, and wanted to take more hours, my instructor was sure of me and registered me for the driving exam.

On the examination day, I had to drive to SNCA with my instructor next to me. At that facility, we submitted all the documents, meet our examiner, and went to the planned examination route.

And here I got lucky as well. My instructor was fluent in Russian, my native language. So during the exam, he translated all the things the examiner told me to do from Luxembourgish to Russian. Pretty convenient!

As well as you have to keep in mind all the rules — no one is there to remind you about the signs and signals.

Your instructor is not there just to keep you company. His pedal set has a sound signal system, so when he or she uses it — the examiner will be notified. This implies an automatic fail. Because if your instructor had to intervene in your driving, you are not ready to do it on your own.

By the way, during your exam, you will get points for the right moves, and lose them for mistakes. This is exactly how I failed my first driving test! After we drove the route, the inspector told me about all the errors I made: once I drove too close to the wall, another time – hit the brakes too late. All these details lowered my total score and I failed.

On my second attempt to take the driving exam, I was trying to go slower, so I make no mistakes. And it was a success! Though the examiner told me there is no need to drive like a turtle: of course, it's not a crime, but it's usually rather uncomfortable for other drivers. 

As I mentioned earlier, my husband had to get a driving license during the pandemic. He took theory classes in the center of Luxembourg, and then switched schools for his practical part — we moved to the north of the country back then, and he found a school in Ettelbruck. Fortunately, he could enroll in just two weeks, as there was lower demand.

On that course, we drove slippery roads, practiced emergency brakes, and tested our driving abilities and limitations. With a theoretical backup.

And in the end, our instructor decided to try and trick us. It was a slippery part of the route with a sharp curve. And he told us that the first driver to race this section will get an automatic pass for the exam.

Everything went according to his plan. And there was a moral of the story at the end: the adrenalin and competitiveness can really fail your driving experience. Not to mention the danger of such action.

This extreme course is available when you have at least 4000 km mileage, as it requires some general driving experience.

As I took the driving course before the pandemic hit, the precise prices might be a little off nowadays. Inflation definitely caused price growth.

I paid around 2500 euros, including my second attempt and additional driving practice hours. My husband paid around 2000 euros. He succeeded on the first try!

The automobile school will bill you on their side:

The first payment receipt will account for the theory classes and the theory examination. You can study after you paid the bill.

Then you pay for your instructor hours and practical exam.

Additional billing will be provided if you take more practice hours or special classes.

In case you fail the exam – another bill: this time for the required additional 8 hours of driving with the instructor and the exam afterward.

Anyways, I recommend taking instructed course too. Your own car will not have a second set of brakes. And good driving skills are important for your safety.

To get enrolled in the driving school, you will need: 

A medical examination. There is a special kind of examination for the driving license;

A criminal record from all the countries you resided in;

An identification paper, like an ID card or passport.

Any changes in the process or additional documents are usually announced by the school you attend.

A car in Luxembourg is much more than a transport, your integration depends on it. A lot of people I know can not imagine a life without a car after getting one. Especially when you live in the countryside, far from the city center. After a few years of using a personal car in Luxembourg, you get used to the country's modest size, and start grumbling about an hour-long drive!

Government supports the public transportation system, nevertheless, it can not replace the benefits of a personal car for now. It seems like long routes and various stops make your path from A to B much more complicated.

Keep in mind the unpredicted crises. In 2020 the pandemic started, and it feels like a whole hero mission to be without a car in this scenario. I used my personal transport to buy groceries for the week, and can't imagine taking the bags home by bus.

Also during this tough period, the car helped us to escape to the hiking places. It's usually well-remote corners of the natural resources, where no one is around and you can admire the beauty of nature.

So, in order to get your driving license in Luxembourg, you need to:

Enroll in the driving school and pay for the course;

Pay for the driving lessons and the exam;

Get your temporary two-year driving license;

Take the one-day extreme driving course and pass the exam;

Ludmila

How to obtain a driving license in Luxembourg

My name is Irina Bettendorf, I am a real estate agent. I moved to Luxembourg with my friends' assistance more than 20 years ago.

Back then I didn't have a European surname or a European passport. After many years of immigration and social integration, through work, studies, and continuous volunteering for various associations, all this came to me. Following the divorce, we found our soul mates, first my husband and then, 15 years later, me.

My journey to the Grand Duchy was not trivial either, as we came from Cuba.

trained and served as a basketball referee for three seasons;

looked for an apartment as a single mother;

experienced firsthand all the pitfalls of renting a place to live;

have been helping a wide variety of people find a roof over their heads in the Grand Duchy for many years, whether buying or renting.

Whether you are just considering renting, buying, or selling a house in Luxembourg or are already busy looking, check out my experience. The first thing we all do when arriving in the country is looking for an apartment to rent.

When we got married, my first husband and I moved to Liberty Island, his homeland. It wasn't easy there and basically, there was nothing but freedom. Once the situation reached a limit, some friends in Luxembourg helped us out. They arranged both visas and passports. We would not be here without them, of course – everything is extremely expensive.

No need to hide the fact that we were very lucky. We were just pulled out of one life and given everything, documents, and primary housing, to start another. All we had to do was to find a job on our own, cause there is no way to be jobless here.

However, this issue was not an easy one for us. Anyone who moves on a work contract knows that you have to be either a unique specialist or the highest-level expert to be needed in Luxembourg. That was not the case – we were both geologists. I ended up studying law at the Sorbonne and took a course for real estate agents, but that's a story for another day.

Why is it still hard to rent an apartment: 20 years ago vs. now

Housing availability in Luxembourg, or more precisely its unavailability, is not a recent problem.

 A little more than 20 years ago, when I moved here, there was a war in Yugoslavia. So many refugees escaped Serbia, Croatia, and nearby countries. Refugees and people with diplomas are very different categories of people and were not treated equally by landlords.

 The situation has only gotten worse since then. Many new housing units have been built. And new is always more expensive, so people have to take loans and pay them off. That means you can't simply ask your tenant to pay lower than the mortgage would be. Plus there are utilities and such.

If we look at the statistics, in the second quarter of 2022 the number of houses available for rent is down 5%, and apartments are down 14%, compared to the same numbers in 2021. At the same time, renting prices only grow. This is a natural process, and it will be continued.

For the last 10 years, highly qualified specialists have been coming to Luxembourg. Those people already have working contracts and high salaries at the moment. Along with high salaries come higher-priced rents.

At the same time, there are still a lot of refugees, single mothers, and workers from other countries with relatively modest incomes. And the market is supposed to adapt to them, which means that there should be more housing. But...

Developers are unable to keep up with the growth of the migrant population, and often cannot just build where there is room. State policy requires that green space stay green. It could be decades before they turn into residential communities.

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