Setting up your home in Luxembourg
Relocating to Luxembourg and setting up a home comes with its challenges. Here are some suggestions to
help you with getting your household going.
Connect to Internet, television, and telephone
If you are renting your accommodation in Luxembourg, the Internet, television, and telephone
might already be included in the rent. If that is not the case, you can get a package deal from
one of the Luxembourg providers. Bear in mind that it will take a while to get an appointment
with a provider. If you know the details of your rental agreement before arriving in Luxembourg,
try getting an appointment with a provider before you arrive in the country, just to make sure that
you will have Internet when you move in. Find out how setting up your home in Luxembourg goes:
Electricity, gas, and fuel oil (mazout)
You can continue with the providers that the
owner or previous tenant has already contracted,
or you can engage a different provider. You can
choose an electricity provider from this list and
a gas provider from this one.
In Luxembourg, standard home electrical
sockets are 220 volts AC and use the European
two-pin plug. Don’t forget to buy an adaptor
for the electrical goods you have brought from
other countries that have different voltages.
You can follow the steps listed on the Creos
Luxembourg website on how to get a new
electricity or gas supplier. Contact them for
emergency services and troubleshooting as well.
Bear in mind that many households in
Luxembourg do not use natural gas for the
heating systems but fuel oil, the so-called
mazout. Search online for a mazout company
that services your area and can home deliver
the fuel oil for you.
Water
In Luxembourg, tap water is safe to drink. When you move in, contact the Water Service (Service
des Eaux) of your municipality (commune) to get a water supply contract. Notify them about your
move-in date and the number on the water meter on the date of your move-in.
Waste
In Luxembourg, waste bins are color-coded:
- Grey for general waste;
- Blue for paper waste;
- Brown or green (depending on your area) for glass;
- Green or brown (depending on your area) for organic matter.
Charges depend on collection frequency and weight.
However, you can also recycle glass, paper, plastic, and batteries at public collection stations. Also,
for plastic, tins, and cartons, you can sign up with Valorlux, a municipality service that provides
recycling bags that will be picked up periodically.
Insurance
In Luxembourg, health and car insurance is mandatory. Although not mandatory, it is highly
advisable to het an elective home insurance as well.
Health insurance
All Luxembourgish citizens and all residents who are employed or self employed in Luxembourg
and their family are covered for basic healthcare through CNS- Luxembourg (The National Health
Fund.) EU citizens can use their European Health Insurance Card for emergency treatment. Foriegn
residents who do not work in Luxembourg and do not pay for social security need to get private
health insurance.
Car insurance
If you live in Luxembourg, it is mandatory to have car insurance for your vehicle, called Responsabilité
Civile auto, which intervenes when you are involved in an accident that resulted in damages to a
third party.
There are two types of car insurance:
• Third-Party Insurance (Assurance au tiers)– the basic insurance, which intervenes when you
are involved in an accident that resulted in damages to a third party.
• A Complete Insurance (Assurance tous risques) or Casco- covers you in cases of accidents,
fire, ice, theft, and damage to the car.
Home insurance
Building insurance is not mandatory in Luxembourg. However, for your protection, it is advisable to
buy Home Insurance (Assurance Habitation) to cover you in case of natural disasters (earthquakes,
fires, floods), vandalism, theft.