Company formation · Luxembourg
Company formation in Luxembourg with a lawyer who knows the Grand Duchy’s formalities
You describe your project; we match you with a Luxembourg lawyer who works on incorporations, contracts and everything that follows. The matching is free, and there is no obligation to instruct anyone.
- Lawyers registered on the Barreau de Luxembourg or the Barreau de Diekirch
- Advice on structure, contracts and cross-border tax questions
- Free matching, first response usually within 24–48 hours
Matching costs you nothing. Each lawyer sets their own fees in agreement with you.
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Company formation in Luxembourg
A legal step, not merely an administrative one
Setting up a business in the Grand Duchy raises questions that sit squarely in the legal field: which structure suits your project, who may lawfully advise you, which documents must be drafted in French, and what happens if a disagreement later reaches a Luxembourg court. Because legal consultations given as a habitual paid activity are reserved to lawyers registered on one of the two Luxembourg Bars — the Barreau de Luxembourg or the Barreau de Diekirch — working with an admitted avocat from the outset keeps your project on solid ground. Our service is free for you: describe your project, and we match you with a lawyer who handles company formation in Luxembourg, from the constitutive documents to contracts, leases and cross-border tax questions.
Luxembourg in practice
How the legal framework around a Luxembourg company actually works
Luxembourg is a continental civil-law jurisdiction whose Civil Code and Commercial Code shape how businesses are created, run and, if necessary, litigated. The notes below set out the practical framework — who may advise you, which language governs the paperwork, where disputes are heard — together with the statutory time limits that can affect a company and its founders.
Who may advise you on a Luxembourg company
Luxembourg reserves legal consultations given as a habitual paid activity to lawyers entered on one of the two Bars, the Barreau de Luxembourg and the Barreau de Diekirch, and lawyers are the only professionals admitted to assist and represent parties before the courts. They are also bound by professional secrecy protected by criminal law.
French foundations, trilingual practice
The Grand Duchy has three administrative languages — French, German and Luxembourgish — and hearings may be conducted in any of them, with court translation paid for by the State. Procedural documents must nevertheless be drafted in French, and legislation is published in French in the Mémorial, consulted through the Legilux database.
Where business disputes are heard
Civil and commercial claims of lesser value go to the three Justices of the Peace, in Luxembourg City, Esch-sur-Alzette and Diekirch, with jurisdiction up to EUR 10,000, or EUR 15,000 in certain cases. The District Courts of Luxembourg and Diekirch hear the remaining civil and commercial matters, with appeal to the Court of Appeal and cassation to the Court of Cassation. In commercial matters, a lawyer’s representation is not in principle mandatory.
Notarial deeds for property
If your company acquires premises in Luxembourg, the transfer must be recorded in an authentic notarial deed to be opposable to third parties and transcribable in the mortgage register, and the notary alone is competent for the acts by which immovable property changes owner. A compromis de vente signed first binds the parties but does not replace that deed.
Costs, fees and legal aid
Luxembourg charges no court fees payable to the State for bringing proceedings, so lawyers’ fees, together with notaries’, bailiffs’ and experts’ costs, form the main expense. Fees are freely agreed between lawyer and client under the Law of 10 August 1991, and disputes over them may be brought before the Bâtonnier. Legal aid is available to natural persons of insufficient means.
Tax position of founders and shareholders
For direct taxes, someone resident in Luxembourg is taxed on worldwide income, while a non-resident pays tax only on Luxembourg-source income. Residence turns on having a fiscal domicile or habitual residence in the Grand Duchy, and holding a residence permit does not by itself make you a tax resident. Luxembourg’s treaties, all following the OECD model, remove double taxation.
Key time limit — Commercial & Corporate Law
General civil and commercial claims — 30 years. The ordinary limitation period under the Luxembourg Civil Code, covering most contractual claims arising from a company’s day-to-day business.
All country-specific details on this page are drawn from official sources — Luxembourg public authorities (guichet.public.lu, mj.gouvernement.lu, Legilux, impotsdirects.public.lu, itm.public.lu) and the European e-Justice Portal — consulted in 2025.
- European e-Justice Portal — National justice systems: Luxembourg
- Ministry of Justice — The legal profession (avocat)
- European e-Justice Portal — Access to justice in Luxembourg
- Legilux — Luxembourg Civil Code
- Guichet.lu — Court and lawyer costs
- Guichet.lu — Preliminary sale agreement (compromis de vente)
- Administration des contributions directes — Residents and non-residents
- ITM — Notice periods for dismissal and resignation
- Guichet.lu — Termination of a residential lease
- Guichet.lu — Administrative appeals and judicial review
Common concerns
What makes company formation in Luxembourg feel complicated
Founders arrive with the same few questions. Knowing the framework in advance makes a first meeting far more productive.
You are unsure who may advise you
In Luxembourg only lawyers registered on one of the two Bars may give legal consultations as a habitual paid activity, so choosing the right professional early avoids work that later has to be redone.
The paperwork runs in French
Luxembourg’s administrative languages are French, German and Luxembourgish, yet procedural documents must be drafted in French — a detail that shapes how contracts and filings are prepared.
Cross-border questions multiply
Founders who come from abroad often hold shares, property or family interests in more than one country, and tax residence in Luxembourg depends on domicile or habitual residence, not on a residence permit.
How we help
What our free matching gives you
Matching is free, without obligation, and built around your project rather than a directory listing.
One request, several matching lawyers
Tell us what you are setting up, where the shareholders are based and which languages you work in, and we identify Luxembourg lawyers whose practice covers your situation.
Registered on the right Bar
Every lawyer we introduce practises through the Barreau de Luxembourg or the Barreau de Diekirch and is bound by professional secrecy protected by Luxembourg criminal law.
Clarity on fees before you commit
There is no official tariff for lawyers’ fees in Luxembourg; each lawyer sets them under the Law of 10 August 1991, so we encourage you to agree the basis in writing first.
Support beyond incorporation
The same lawyer can stay with your project through commercial contracts, lease arrangements for premises, employment questions and, where a dispute arises, proceedings before the Luxembourg courts.
Cross-border projects
Founders who come to Luxembourg from
Businesses and investors frequently reach Luxembourg from its neighbours and from across Europe. If your project touches another jurisdiction, say so and we include it in the matching.
Questions
Company formation in Luxembourg: your questions answered
Do I need a lawyer for company formation in Luxembourg?
Luxembourg reserves legal consultations given as a habitual paid activity to lawyers registered on one of its two Bars, and they are the only professionals who may assist and represent parties before the courts. For drafting constitutive documents and advising on structure you are therefore working with an admitted avocat, and our matching service introduces you to one at no cost.
Which Luxembourg Bar will my lawyer belong to?
There are two independent Bars: the Barreau de Luxembourg, by far the larger, and the Barreau de Diekirch for the northern judicial district. Each has its own Bâtonnier and handles discipline and legal aid. Only lawyers on List I may use the title avocat à la Cour and carry out representation where the ministère d’avoué is required.
Will my company documents have to be in French?
Luxembourg has three administrative languages — French, German and Luxembourgish — and hearings may be held in any of them, with court translation paid for by the State. Procedural documents, however, must be drafted in French, and laws are published in French, so French drafting is usually the working standard for filings and formal contracts.
What does litigation cost if a dispute arises?
Luxembourg levies no court fees payable to the State for bringing proceedings, so the substantial costs are lawyers’, notaries’, bailiffs’ and experts’ fees. Each party generally bears its own lawyer’s fees even when successful, unless the court awards a procedural indemnity. Legal aid may cover fees, wholly or partly, for natural persons of insufficient means.
If the company buys property, which formalities apply?
A transfer of real property in Luxembourg must be recorded in an authentic notarial deed to be opposable to third parties and transcribable in the mortgage register, and the notary has exclusive competence for such acts. A private compromis de vente is commonly signed first and binds the parties, but only the notarial deed protects you against third parties.
Can running a Luxembourg company change how I am taxed?
It may. A resident taxpayer is taxed on worldwide income, while a non-resident is taxed only on Luxembourg-source income; residence turns on having a fiscal domicile or habitual residence in Luxembourg, and a residence permit alone does not create tax residence. Luxembourg’s tax treaties, following the OECD model, relieve double taxation.
Next step
Tell us about your project
Describe your project in a few lines — the activity, the shareholders and the countries involved — and we introduce you to a Luxembourg lawyer who handles company formation in Luxembourg. The matching is free and you decide afterwards whether to instruct.