Transport permit in Luxembourg: the 4 conditions
A transport permit in Luxembourg is the business permit a road carrier needs for goods vehicles over 3.5 tonnes, international vans over 2.5 tonnes or passenger vehicles for more than nine people, driver included. EU Regulation 1071/2009 sets its four conditions: a fixed place of operation, professional integrity, financial standing and professional competence. Work abroad also takes a Community licence.
Which transport activity needs which permit?
You need a transport permit for goods vehicles over 3.5 tonnes, international vans of 2.5–3.5 tonnes and passenger vehicles for more than nine people, driver included. Other goods transport is a general commercial activity, with no course and no guarantee.
Article 1 of Regulation 1071/2009 draws the goods lines: at or under 2.5 tonnes its rules do not apply, and up to 3.5 tonnes they apply only to international work. Guichet.lu’s list of activities names six road-transport permits; five carry the course and exam:
| Activity | Permit | Course and exam | Guarantee | Community licence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goods up to 2.5 t, any route | General commercial | No | No | No |
| Goods 2.5–3.5 t, Luxembourg only | General commercial | No | No | No |
| Goods 2.5–3.5 t, international | Transport | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Goods over 3.5 t, Luxembourg only | Transport | Yes | No | No |
| Goods over 3.5 t, international | Transport | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Bus or coach, Luxembourg only | Transport | Yes | No | No |
| Bus or coach, international | Transport | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Weight means maximum authorised mass, not load; exactly 3.5 tonnes is the lighter class (article 7 of the Regulation). Article 2 covers transport for others, not your own goods. An international permit also covers national work, the list says.
Every transport permit is one of Luxembourg’s business permits, issued by the Ministry of the Economy; Guichet.lu has a page for each: international goods over 3.5 tonnes, international goods of 2.5–3.5 tonnes, national goods over 3.5 tonnes, national goods under 3.5 tonnes, international passengers and national passengers.
Each class is its own permit, so heavier vehicles need the heavier class. Working without the right permit risks prison, fines and provisional closure, Guichet.lu warns.
What are the four conditions for a transport company?
A transport company needs a fixed place of operation in Luxembourg, professional integrity, financial standing and professional competence: the four conditions of article 3 of Regulation 1071/2009, which Luxembourg applies through its law of 30 July 2002.
- A fixed place of operation in Luxembourg, where the business is taxable (article 2 of the law); Guichet.lu rules out a letterbox company.
- Professional integrity, the Regulation’s good repute: article 7 of the law adds unfitness declarations and serious offences on pay, working conditions or road transport to the integrity test of every business permit.
- Financial standing: a guarantee (article 8).
- Professional competence: a course and exam (article 9).
In a company, the manager (dirigeant) carries the conditions: Guichet.lu asks this named person to meet the integrity condition, run the business day to day, have a real link with it and have paid all social and tax charges. Article 4 of the Regulation, calling this person the transport manager, adds residence in the EU.
A sole trader lacking the competence may still be authorised by naming a competent person to run the activity (article 6 of the law). The conditions hold as long as the business runs, Guichet.lu adds.
The 4 criteria of a general business permit differ.
How do you prove professional competence?
The manager takes the House of Training course and passes its final exam, Guichet.lu says; experience or a diploma can waive the course, but only some carriers of 2.5–3.5 tonnes can skip the exam.
The House of Training teaches it in French, on Saturdays, to residents and people with a link to Luxembourg; Guichet.lu sends non-residents to train where they live. Article 9 of the law bars a candidate after three failed exams. The certificate has no time limit, the House of Training says, and the permit application form asks for it.
Article 3 of the grand-ducal regulation of 13 August 2002 on professional competence can waive the course, not the exam, for the first two routes; Guichet.lu adds two for goods:
- Five years in management functions (fonctions dirigeantes) at a carrier: no course.
- A higher-education or technical diploma: no course.
- International goods over 3.5 tonnes: running a company of the same type for the ten years before 4 December 2009: no course.
- Goods at 2.5–3.5 tonnes: running a company of the same type for the ten years before 20 August 2020: no exam.
A course waiver is not an exam waiver: for goods over 3.5 tonnes and for passengers, Guichet.lu allows no exam exemption.
How much is the financial guarantee, and who is exempt?
Article 3 of the grand-ducal regulation of 13 August 2002 on financial standing sets the guarantee at €9,000 for the first vehicle and €5,000 for each further one; for international vans of 2.5–3.5 tonnes, Guichet.lu sets €1,800 and €900. Carriers working only inside Luxembourg are exempt.
| Vehicles | First vehicle | Each further vehicle |
|---|---|---|
| Over 3.5 t, or bus or coach | €9,000 | €5,000 |
| 2.5–3.5 t, international | €1,800 | €900 |
The proof is a deposit with, or a guarantee from, a bank or financial institution, approved by the Ministry of the Economy (articles 1 and 4). It serves the carrier’s creditors in a bankruptcy, and only the trustee can call on it (article 2).
The guarantee has no end date: a bank ends it only on six months’ notice, and the permit is withdrawn within 60 days unless a new one arrives (article 6). The amount follows the fleet (article 5).
The exemption covers goods carriers whatever the vehicles’ mass (article 3); Guichet.lu extends it to passenger carriers.
What is the Community licence, and how do you get one?
The Community licence lets a Luxembourg carrier transport goods or passengers for hire in every EEA country and Switzerland, say the Ministry of Mobility and Public Works’ pages on goods and passenger transport; the ministry issues it after the permit.
Under Regulation 1072/2009, goods vehicles up to 2.5 tonnes need no licence (article 1); the goods licence runs up to ten years, renewable, and cannot be transferred (article 4).
To apply, per Guichet.lu’s licence page and the ministry:
- The manager named on the permit, and no one else, signs the form as gérant technique.
- Annex A lists the staff and annex B any hired vehicles; a new company’s first annex A is certified by the Centre commun de la sécurité sociale (CCSS).
- The original goes to the ministry’s licensing desk (Guichet des autorisations), by hand or registered letter.
Guichet.lu says the original licence stays at the company’s seat, with a certified copy in each vehicle, and that the vehicles must be registered in Luxembourg and driven by staff the carrier legally employs, or the ministry may withdraw its transport authorisations.
The ministry also requires a driver attestation for a non-EU goods driver and, outside the EEA and Switzerland, a bilateral or multilateral authorisation, unless a liberalisation agreement applies.
Do taxis and hire cars need a transport permit?
No: taxis and hire cars for nine people or fewer, driver included, are a List C craft, needing no qualification under article 12 of the law of 2 September 2011. A taxi also needs the Ministry of Mobility’s operating licence, capped in number, its taxi page says. Its licence page opens ordinary licences only after a vacancy notice in the Mémorial, to the waiting list.
In what order do you apply?
Course, exam and guarantee come first: Guichet.lu says the conditions are checked when you file. Then come the permit, the CCSS and VAT registrations it lists, and the Community licence.
- Pass the course and exam, or prove a waiver.
- Have the bank’s guarantee approved by the Ministry of the Economy, unless you stay inside Luxembourg.
- Apply for the permit on MyGuichet.lu, as Guichet.lu’s permit page says; applying for a business permit covers the form, the fee and the wait.
- Register with the CCSS and for VAT, and declare as an employer if you hire.
- For work abroad, apply for the Community licence.
Frequently asked questions
What are the 4 conditions to start a transport company in Luxembourg?
A fixed place of operation in Luxembourg, professional integrity, financial standing and professional competence. EU Regulation 1071/2009 sets the four, and Luxembourg applies them through its law of 30 July 2002. In a company, a named manager must meet the integrity condition, run the business day to day and have a real link with it.
What is a Community licence?
It lets a Luxembourg carrier transport goods or passengers for hire in every EEA country and Switzerland. The Ministry of Mobility and Public Works issues it after the transport permit, on a form the manager named on the permit signs. The original stays at the company's seat, and a certified copy travels in each vehicle.
Do I need a transport permit for a van under 3.5 tonnes?
It depends on where you drive. Inside Luxembourg only, a van up to 3.5 tonnes needs a general commercial permit, with no course and no guarantee. Across borders, a van over 2.5 tonnes needs the transport permit, its course and exam, a guarantee of €1,800 for the first van and €900 for each further one, and a Community licence.
Can I skip the transport course?
Yes, with five years in management functions at a carrier or a higher-education or technical diploma; for international goods over 3.5 tonnes, also after running such a company for the ten years before 4 December 2009. The exam stays compulsory, except for carriers of 2.5–3.5 tonnes who ran such a company for the ten years before 20 August 2020.
Does a carrier that works only in Luxembourg need the financial guarantee?
No. A grand-ducal regulation of 13 August 2002 exempts goods carriers working only inside Luxembourg, whatever the vehicles' mass, and Guichet.lu gives passenger carriers the same exemption. Every other carrier needs €9,000 for the first vehicle and €5,000 for each further one, or €1,800 and €900 for international vans of 2.5–3.5 tonnes.