The Grand Duchy of Luxembourg is one of those unique countries that currently offers dual citizenship based on familial descent. This door was opened to people of Luxembourgish descent in 2008 when the Grand Duchy established its sweeping Nationality Law.  

One track of the 2008 law pertains to foreign people without Luxembourgish ancestry who have moved to Luxembourg and who desire Luxembourg nationality while retaining their original nationality. The other track of the law pertains to individuals of Luxembourgish descent who desire dual citizenship with Luxembourg. This track could be summarized as “Luxembourg citizenship by descent.”  

The original 2008 process for Luxembourg citizenship by descent was called Article 89. The criterion for application under Article 89 was that an individual had a direct-line ancestor, male or female, who was born in Luxembourg, and who was alive anywhere in the world on January 1, 1900. Article 89 opened the door to citizenship to countless Luxembourg Americans and people of Luxembourg descent around the world.  

Article 89 started out as somewhat of an experiment by Luxembourg’s Ministry of Justice who seemed skeptical that many people of Luxembourgish descent would be interested in Luxembourg dual citizenship. Thus, Article 89 was launched as a 10-year experiment. The opportunity for Luxembourg citizenship by descent was to end December 31, 2018. 

In the first years after 2008, few Luxembourg Americans knew about the opportunity or process for Luxembourg citizenship by descent. But by 2012, word was beginning to spread among Luxembourg Americans and interest grew and the number of applicants greatly increased. Most Luxembourg Americans did, in fact, qualify for the Article 89 process as most would have had a Luxembourg-born immigrant ancestor still living on January 1, 1900. Yet some people of Luxembourgish descent experienced great disappointment because their only Luxembourg-born ancestor had died before the 1900 benchmark and thus they did not qualify. 

After 2012, the number of applicants by Luxembourgish descent continued to rise steadily. As the December 31, 2018, deadline for the Luxembourg citizenship by descent program drew closer, Luxembourg’s Ministry of Justice began to re-evaluate the experimental nature of Luxembourg citizenship by descent. The dramatically rising number of applicants from the United States but especially from the Luxembourg-descent community in Brazil, motivated the Ministry of Justice and Luxembourg’s Parliament to make major revisions to the Nationality Law in 2017. 

At that time, it was announced that the original Article 89 process would, in fact, stop taking new applicants as of December 31, 2018. But simultaneously it was announced that two new procedures for Luxembourg citizenship by descent were being introduced, namely Article 7 and Article 23. This announcement that the opportunity for Luxembourg citizenship by descent would continue indefinitely was met with great support in the U.S., Brazil and beyond. 

The new Article 7 process, a one-stage process, based citizenship on the criterion of descending from an all-male, Luxembourg lineage. Prior to January 1, 1969, citizenship in Luxembourg was only passed on through a male parent. Thus, in the case that you came from an all-male, Luxembourg lineage, you were understood to already have Luxembourg citizenship though it was not documented or recognized. For those qualifying for Article 7, only documentation of your all-male lineage is required, there is no need for the submission of a stage two application in Luxembourg.  

The new Article 23 process, a two-stage process, based citizenship on a mother or grandmother coming from an all-male, Luxembourg lineage. In this case, the beginning of the process is to have the mother or grandmother declared a Luxembourg citizen under Article 7. This is possible even if the mother or grandmother is deceased. After the mother or grandmother is declared a Luxembourg citizen, then the applicant submits a series of application documents in Luxembourg as part of their formal application for citizenship by Luxembourg descent. 

Since the introduction of Articles 7 and 23 in 2017, the number of applicants for Luxembourg citizenship by descent has continued to grow in leaps and bounds in the United States, Brazil and around the world. Most people who have Luxembourg ancestry continue to qualify for dual citizenship. Only those whose female ancestor with all-male lineage who is too many generations removed in the lineage do not qualify to apply.  

At this time, it is impossible to know how long the opportunity for Luxembourg citizenship by descent will continue under Articles 7 and 23. Those of Luxembourg descent are encouraged to move forward with the process so as not to miss out on this opportunity and the many benefits of Luxembourg dual citizenship.  

Luxembourg Legacy (formerly Luxembourg Dual Citizenship Consultation Services) has been assisting people of Luxembourg descent from throughout the world with Luxembourg citizenship for about 15 years. CEO/Founder Kevin Wester was the first consultant doing this work at the request of then Luxembourg ambassador to the United States Jean-Paul Senninger. Rebecca Shamblin joined Wester as his associate in 2024, and Mary Bolich joined the team as communications specialist in 2025. To date, Luxembourg Legacy has assisted more than 3,500 applicants secure Luxembourg citizenship. Luxembourg Legacy has gained a national and international reputation as the foremost consultants for Luxembourg citizenship by descent. They pride themselves on high-quality client satisfaction and their skills and relationships in troubleshooting obstacles in the application process. 

“At Luxembourg Legacy, we bring our vast experience to helping people navigate the process of Luxembourg citizenship by descent,” Wester said. “We pride ourselves on forming the most enthusiastic and best educated new citizens for Luxembourg. We feel honored to accompany our clients on their journey to becoming real Luxembourgers.”  

Visit luxembourglegacy.com for more information their services or contact info@luxembourglegacy.com. 

Learn more about the benefits of Luxembourg dual citizenship.