Incentives and benefits

How to apply for unemployment benefit in Luxembourg

The government offers a range of support and benefits for those in need, one of those are unemployment benefits for people in search of a new workplace and temporarily unemployed. In this article we will take a closer look at how to apply for benefits and who is eligible for it in Luxembourg.

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Losing a job is an unpleasant event. It is often dangerous for the family budget. Luckily, it is possible to receive unemployment benefits in Luxembourg. However, you must meet certain criteria.

Receiving reasons

The main obstacle to claiming unemployment benefits is residency. Only Luxembourg residents with a LuxTrust certificate and individual identification number (eID) can apply.

Citizens who can apply for benefits:

dismissed workers aged 16 to 64, except those who have been dismissed for serious misconduct;

self-employed persons who have stopped working for financial, economic or medical reasons or in cases of major emergencies;

young people aged between 16 and 21 who have not found a job after completing their full course of education and who have registered with the employment service within 12 months;

former employees who have worked for at least 26 weeks (at least 16 hours per week) in the last year.

Cross-border workers are not entitled to benefits in Luxembourg. If you live in another country but work in the Grand Duchy, you will be able to claim the allowance in your place of registration.

How to get unemployment benefit

You cannot get unemployment benefits without the ADEM, the national employment agency.

The Employment Exchange is one of its departments. You must apply within 15 days of your dismissal or termination of the contract.

You will receive detailed instructions on how to proceed once you have registered as a new job seeker. Furthermore, you will also be assigned a personal tutor to help you adjust and guide you through the basic steps of claiming benefits and finding a new job.

You must apply for full unemployment benefits within 2 weeks of registering with ADEM as a new job seeker.

The employment service in Luxembourg is not very different from other countries. In order to receive unemployment benefits, the jobseeker must:

actively look for a job;

be available for interviews;

accept offers that are relevant to the field of specialization and qualifications;

have regular meetings with the tutor.

You should not ignore these requirements. If you do, you may be disqualified from the Employment Service and your benefits may be withdrawn.