Luxembourg

At a glanceRequirements at a glance

Establishment Authorisation for Road Goods Transport Required

Yes

Required where applicable. In Luxembourg, almost every business activity carried on habitually needs an establishment authorisation (autorisation d’établissement) from the Ministry of the Economy before it starts. Carrying goods by road for others is covered by a specific road goods transport authorisation under the Law of 30 July 2002, which applies the European Union’s common rules for road transport operators. The authorisation attaches to whichever company operates the vehicles. It is not required for transport that is purely non-commercial or only ancillary to another activity, but a professional mover carrying a client’s household goods for payment is carrying goods for others.

Conditions for the Authorisation

The company must have a fixed place of business in Luxembourg; a letterbox or mail-drop address does not qualify. It must designate a manager (dirigeant) who meets the legal conditions of good repute (honorabilité professionnelle), actually runs the business day to day on a permanent basis, has a genuine link to the company as owner or as a representative registered in the Trade and Companies Register, and has paid all social security and tax charges. The manager must also show professional competence, generally by attending courses at the House of Training and passing a final exam (no exemption from the exam applies), or by holding a certificate of professional competence issued by another EU Member State. According to Guichet.lu, operators that carry out only national transport are exempt from the financial guarantee that applies to international operators.

Ownership or Nationality Conditions

None identified. The authorisation conditions found in this research concern the company’s establishment in Luxembourg and its manager’s good repute, competence, management role, and payment of tax and social charges, rather than the nationality of the owners.

General Business Registration Required

Yes. A company must register with the Trade and Companies Register (Registre de commerce et des sociétés, RCS), and a mover that offers packing, storage, or other removal services without operating its own vehicles still needs an establishment authorisation for its commercial activity under the Law of 2 September 2011.

Vehicle Registration and Driver Qualification Required

Yes, where the mover operates its own vehicles. Each vehicle must be registered in Luxembourg with the Société nationale de circulation automobile (SNCA) and kept within the periodic technical inspection regime. Drivers of heavy goods vehicles need a category C1 or C driving licence and, for professional goods transport, the initial qualification and periodic continuing training shown on the licence as “Code 95”.

Compulsory Motor Insurance Required

Yes, where the mover operates its own vehicles. Under the Law of 16 April 2003 on compulsory motor vehicle civil liability insurance, a vehicle may not be used on public roads without civil liability insurance. That law allows the insurance to exclude goods carried in the vehicle, so motor insurance should not be assumed to cover a customer’s belongings; customers should ask what protection, if any, the mover offers.

Carrier Liability Rules

No removal-specific statute was identified. The Commercial Code (Code de commerce) contains general rules on carriers, including a one-year limitation period for claims for loss, damage, or delay (Article 108). However, Luxembourg courts have held that a removal combining packing, dismantling, storage, transport, and reassembly is a contract for services (contrat d’entreprise) under the Civil Code, not a contract of carriage, so those carrier rules do not automatically apply. In a 2023 decision, the court held that the mover has an obligation of result (obligation de résultat): it must deliver the goods complete and undamaged, and if it does not, it is liable unless it proves a cause that excuses it. The court also held that a mover’s general terms bind the customer only if the customer was in a position to know them, for example because they were attached to or handed over with the contract.

Consumer Protection

Yes. The Consumer Code (Code de la consommation) is Luxembourg’s general consumer protection law. It covers, among other things, unfair commercial practices, unfair contract terms (which a consumer can ask a court to annul), and a 14-day right to withdraw from service contracts concluded at a distance or away from the mover’s business premises. The Directorate for Consumer Protection (Direction de la protection des consommateurs) is responsible for consumer protection policy, and authorised bodies can ask a court to stop an unfair practice.

Consumer Complaint Resources (For Movers Not Vetted as ITMs)

Yes. The Service national du Médiateur de la consommation offers free out-of-court mediation for disputes between consumers and Luxembourg-based businesses, after the consumer has first tried to settle the matter directly with the business; either party may withdraw at any time. The Union Luxembourgeoise des Consommateurs (ULC), a non-profit consumer association supported by the State, deals with individual consumer problems. For a dispute with a mover based in another EU country, Iceland, or Norway, the European Consumer Centre Luxembourg (Centre européen des consommateurs) can help seek an amicable solution. Conduct that may be a criminal offence can be reported to the Grand Ducal Police.

Industry Association

None found. No dedicated national association of household removal companies in Luxembourg was identified in this research.

OverviewOverview & Scope

Luxembourg regulates the business of carrying goods by road at the company level, under the European Union’s common rules for road transport operators (Regulation (EC) No 1071/2009) as applied by the Law of 30 July 2002. Unusually, the operator authorisation takes the form of an establishment authorisation (autorisation d’établissement) issued by the Ministry of the Economy, the same body that authorises most commercial activity in Luxembourg. Its conditions are a fixed place of business in Luxembourg and a manager who meets good repute and professional competence requirements and genuinely runs the company. The authorisation attaches to whichever company operates the vehicles. A mover that uses its own trucks needs it directly. Where a mover subcontracts the trucking, the carrier’s own authorisation covers the transport it performs, and the mover should use carriers that hold the licences that transport requires; the mover still needs its own establishment authorisation for its commercial activity. Vehicles must be registered and insured, and professional drivers need the correct licence and Code 95 qualification. Liability for household goods is shaped by case law: courts have treated full-service removals as contracts for services under the Civil Code, with an obligation to deliver the goods intact. Consumer disputes can go to the Service national du Médiateur de la consommation.

RegistrationRegistration & Compliance Essentials

Company licensing

1. Register the company with the Trade and Companies Register (RCS).
2. Obtain an establishment authorisation from the Ministry of the Economy for the company’s commercial activity.
3. Where the company operates its own vehicles to carry clients’ goods, obtain the establishment authorisation for road goods transport, with a fixed place of business in Luxembourg.
4. For the road goods transport authorisation, designate a manager who meets the good repute and professional competence conditions, runs the business day to day, has a genuine link to the company, and is up to date with tax and social charges.

Subcontracted transport

5. Where transport is subcontracted, use carriers that hold the licences required for the transport they perform.

Vehicles and drivers (where the mover operates its own vehicles)

6. Register every vehicle in Luxembourg with the SNCA and keep it within the periodic technical inspection regime.
7. Keep compulsory motor liability insurance in force for every vehicle.
8. Ensure every driver holds the correct licence category and, for professional goods transport, the Code 95 qualification.

Customer practices

9. Ensure consumer-facing practices comply with the Consumer Code, including pre-contract information and the right of withdrawal for distance and off-premises contracts.

ChecklistCompliance checklist

Company licensing

• Company registered with the Trade and Companies Register (RCS)Verified by DocumentRequired
• Establishment authorisation held for the company’s commercial activity (Law of 2 September 2011)Verified by DocumentRequired
• Establishment authorisation for road goods transport held, with a fixed place of business in LuxembourgWhere applicable (mover operates its own vehicles to carry goods for others)Verified by DocumentRequired
• Designated manager meeting the good repute and professional competence conditions (House of Training exam or another EU Member State’s certificate of professional competence)Where applicable (mover holds the road goods transport authorisation)Verified by DocumentRequired

Subcontracted transport

• Where transport is subcontracted, the mover uses carriers that hold the licences required for the transport they performWhere applicableVerified by AffirmationRequired

Vehicles and drivers (where the mover operates its own vehicles)

• Every vehicle registered with the SNCA and within the periodic technical inspection regimeWhere applicable (mover operates its own vehicles)Verified by DocumentRequired
• Compulsory motor liability insurance in force for every vehicleWhere applicable (mover operates its own vehicles)Verified by DocumentRequired
• Every driver holds the correct licence category (C1 or C) and, for professional goods transport, the Code 95 qualificationWhere applicable (mover operates its own vehicles)Verified by DocumentRequired

Customer practices

• Contracts and practices comply with the Consumer Code (including unfair practices and terms, pre-contract information and the 14-day withdrawal right for distance and off-premises contracts)Verified by AffirmationRequired