How to register a car in Luxembourg and how much it costs

My name is Sergey (name changed at the request of the protagonist), and I have been living in Luxembourg for a year now. I work as a cloud engineer at a large IT company. It was thanks to this job that I ended up in the Grand Duchy.

Car or bus

We chose the car for another reason — it's a convenient way to transport personal belongings, especially when you're in a hurry. I threw everything I needed into the boot and set off. I've had the opportunity to travel around Russia a lot for work, and what sometimes happens to luggage brings tears to my eyes.

Another argument in favour of a car is that it is an almost indispensable aid for getting around the country. Luxembourg is proud of its public transport system. And I really have no complaints about it in the capital. But I work in Esch, on the border with France, and getting there is quite problematic.

There have been many occasions when the bus simply did not arrive. You look at the timetable, and it says "5 minutes delay" at first, then 15, then 20. After half an hour, you realise that it is not going to show up.

There is the option of travelling by train, but there are always issues with trains. For example, this line to Esch was under repair for almost the entire summer. Trains either did not run at all or only ran to a certain station, after which you had to transfer to a bus. In short, it was a mess.

The issue of legalising the car became quite acute. I had to use the car a couple of times for short trips. I didn't risk driving long distances because if you get caught by an inspector, the fines here are quite hefty.

However, let's start at the beginning.

First things first — the numbers

The legalisation process for people coming from Russia can be very unfamiliar. Here, it works like this: you buy a car, go to the registration authority, where they check it, draw up the documents and issue the number plates.

You can order a number on Guichet. Here, you can choose any number from a pool of available numbers. You can customise it a little, but it will be more expensive. You can even queue up for unique numbers — for those who want to show off with beautiful numbers.

Once you receive a response from Guichet, print it out and take it to a company that manufactures number plates. Pay for the plates to be made. After a while, the plates will be ready. Pick them up and you can put them on any vehicle you like — they are not yet linked to any particular car.

Customs is not scary

The next step was importing the car. Since I arrived in my own car, it had to go through customs.

I, of course, chose the first option. And, as it turned out, it is almost impossible to do this without a customs broker. Perhaps there are other options, but I haven't found them.

There are several customs brokers in Luxembourg. I had no idea which one to choose. So I decided to go and consult with customs itself.

Here, they gave me a list of companies and even highlighted those that deal with cases like mine. This is because there are firms that specialise exclusively in commercial transport, for example.

I chose one of the closest ones based on location. But I didn't write or call ahead. That was a mistake. I'm still not used to life in Russia, where you go to the right place, do what you need to do, and leave. It doesn't work that way here.

So I became the owner of a card with all the contact details. I went home, described my situation, attached the documents and sent them by email. They didn't reply immediately, but after a day or two.

But they advised me on all the forms I needed to fill out. And next time, I could come at any time that was convenient for me. I just had to give advance notice so that one of the employees would be there. And, of course, I had to pay for the services — 200 or 250 euros. By the way, they only accept cash.

I handed over all the documents and attached the technical papers for the car itself. I had them translated into English in advance so that there would be no questions. And there weren't any: I waited a little while and received my vignette No. 705. This is a coloured piece of paper that certifies that customs has been successfully passed.

Car registration with SNCA

The next step is registration itself. To do this, you need to make an appointment with SNCA. You can do this on their website. Then it's the usual story — you make an appointment, fill out the paperwork, and show up on the agreed date.

The memo describes specific cases in detail, the procedure to follow and, most importantly, the documents that are required. It was there that I saw one important point that I hadn't thought about — the mandatory technical inspection.

I think: "Great!" There's a service station right next to my house. I drove up in my smart car, which I had washed especially for the occasion. And they say to me: "Who are you?" And they speak exclusively in Luxembourgish. I managed to explain myself somehow.

I went to the SNCA. I approached the window and explained once again that I wanted to register my car. They understood me and took my registration certificate. As it turned out, as long as the car is registered in Luxembourg, the certificate is kept here.

They gave me an application form where all the registration stages are entered. The paperwork went smoothly. But there is also the technical part. That's where things got interesting.

Certification — an important stage

As soon as I walked into the technical department, they asked me right away, "Do you have an EC certificate (certificate of conformity of the vehicle with EU environmental standards — editor's note)?" I didn't have the certificate.

While still in Russia, I knew that this document was necessary. At that time, I attempted to contact the manufacturer, but never received a response. I decided to travel there and sort it out on the spot. And that's when they asked me for it.

I was given the contact details of two companies that work with such cars. I wrote to both of them, and they replied with roughly the same thing: "Come and we'll test it." But one charged €400, and the other €250. Of course, I went to the second one.

I go in to see them and explain the situation for the hundredth time. They take the documents and go somewhere. I wait in the reception area for half an hour. Finally, one of the employees comes up to me and says, "Show us the car." I say, "Here it is, the car. Just like in the documents."

The funny thing is that this piece of paper was almost an exact copy of my vehicle registration certificate. In other words, I gave them my vehicle registration certificate, they transferred the data from it to their form, added a little bit, and that was it. I must admit, I would also like to earn 250 euros a day like that.

Nothing to do: I went home. A few hours later, I checked and saw that the certificate was already in the post. It arrived on the same day. So, could they have done it right there and then? Why give such deadlines?

"Well, okay, now," I think, "I have almost everything I need, I'll be able to pass the MOT."

Technical inspection

I learned my lesson from my last trip to the technical inspection and this time I came with an appointment. I was lucky: I got an employee who spoke not only Luxembourgish but also English. He looks at my documents and says:

What to do? I return home and register for an appointment at SNCA, because otherwise they may not accept me; we've been through this before. I go there a couple of days later and say, "Here's the problem, help me, I'm a cat with paws." Luckily, I didn't have to wait again — they quickly stuck this barcode on me, and the very next morning I was finally able to get the MOT certificate.

Final stage of registration

I naively believed that the matter was close to completion: I had gathered all the paperwork, and now I would bring it in and register the car. But that was not the case.

I arrive at SNCA for the thousandth time, they take my documents and start processing them. And then it turns out that I am missing one more application form.

I filled out the form right there on the spot, thankfully they gave me a sample. I handed it to the employee, and he gave me a cheque for €88. Sign here to receive it.

The question is, why? Because I fill out an application for them, and they help me. There was nowhere to go — I paid. They sent everything to the Ministry. About a week later, I received an official response on paper stating that approval had been granted.

I paid, and they issued the certificate. And they stamped the one that became an alternative to the EU environmental standards certificate for €250. They said to always carry both certificates with me along with my insurance, because the inspection may require them for verification.

I took the documents and breathed a sigh of relief: all that was left was to pay the transport tax. It was a trivial matter, and not a particularly urgent one at that. The tax is issued by a different department, so drivers have official permission to drive for 30 days without paying. And it would seem that this was the happy ending, but no.

That'll do!

On my way home, I decided to check that all the paperwork was correct. I opened it up, and my documents didn't say Chevrolet, but Toyota. And the engine wasn't petrol, but diesel... And then it was the holidays, and no one was working...

And so I'm back at SNCA. I tried to explain the problem to three people. They didn't believe me that there was a mistake in the document and said, "Everything is fine!"

In the end, only the third person compared them carefully. "Indeed," he said, "it's a mistake!" I was already about to approach the same person who had processed everything for me and ask him to find five differences between the two documents.

But, unfortunately, he wasn't there that day. Finally, everything was reissued, and I immediately double-checked all the data — it was correct. However, there was still one unfinished business left.

Of course, I didn't call, I wrote an email. I attached the valid documents and the incorrect notification. I asked them to correct it and issue me with the correct one. I even circled the discrepancies in red so that they would be clearly visible.

Guess where they sent me? To the SNCA! That's when I realised that they had only skimmed through my letter. I wrote in detail, step by step, what, where and why had been done incorrectly. This time it worked: they reissued my tax notice and cancelled the old one.

A note to motorists

The most frustrating thing about this whole story is that all these details, procedures and necessary documents are not described anywhere. We had to learn everything the hard way. Let's summarise.

However, the main question remains, which every car owner must answer: do you need it? Separately, I will list the cost of all the work required to legalise your car, step by step.

Consider carefully whether you truly wish to bring your vehicle and register it here, particularly if you are not prepared for the associated costs and challenges.