Wills & Succession · Luxembourg
Find wills lawyers in Luxembourg for your estate
Estate planning in the Grand Duchy runs on civil-law rules that differ sharply from common-law habits: a reserved share for children, a trilingual court system and two independent Bars. Describe your situation once and we will match you with a lawyer whose practice fits your case.
- Specialists in Luxembourg succession and testamentary practice
- Registered with the Luxembourg or Diekirch Bar
- Free matching, no obligation to instruct
Free matching · No obligation · Reply within 24–48h
Get matched with a lawyer
Tell us about your situation and receive a free, confidential case review.
Why this matters
Making a will in Luxembourg is not a formality
Making a will in Luxembourg means working within a civil-law system that follows the French Napoleonic tradition, and the rules are not the same as in a common-law country. Luxembourg succession law reserves a fixed share of your estate for your children, so the room you have to distribute assets freely depends on how many descendants you leave. Cross-border families, expatriates and owners of property in more than one country face an extra layer of questions about which national law applies. Because the practical outcome turns on how a will is drafted, signed and later administered, the sensible step is to speak to a specialist early. We are a matching service: you describe your situation once, and we put you in touch with wills lawyers in Luxembourg who handle estates, testaments and succession disputes. The first matching is free, and no lawyer is assigned to you automatically.
Luxembourg in practice
How succession and wills work in Luxembourg
Luxembourg is small but its legal landscape is distinctive: a Civil Code inherited from the Napoleonic tradition, two independent Bars, a trilingual court system and one of Europe’s largest cross-border populations. For anyone making a will here, those four features decide most of the practical questions.
Forced heirship caps your testamentary freedom
Under Article 913 of the Civil Code, a will may not give away more than one half of the estate if you leave one child, one third if you leave two, and one quarter if you leave three or more. With no descendants, the disposable portion covers the whole estate. Reserved heirs may ask for excessive gifts to be reduced.
Choosing the law that governs your succession
For deaths on or after 17 August 2015, EU Regulation 650/2012 determines the applicable law and, in principle, points to the law of the deceased’s habitual residence. A testator may elect the law of his or her nationality to govern the whole succession — a frequent planning choice in a country with a very large expatriate population.
Two Bars and the lists that matter
Only lawyers entered on the roll of the Barreau de Luxembourg or the Barreau de Diekirch may practise here; they alone may give paid legal consultations and are bound by professional secrecy protected by criminal law. Those on List I carry the title avocat à la Cour and perform the ministère d’avoué before the district courts, the Court of Appeal and the Court of Cassation.
Property in the estate and the notarial deed
If the estate includes Luxembourg real estate, the transfer must be recorded in an authentic notarial deed to be enforceable against third parties and transcribable in the mortgage register. Notaries have exclusive competence for acts by which immovable property changes owner. A private compromis de vente signed earlier binds the parties but gives no third-party protection.
Fees, court costs and legal aid
Bringing proceedings before the Luxembourg courts involves no court fees payable to the State; the substantial costs are lawyers’, notaries’, bailiffs’ and experts’ fees. There is no binding tariff — the lawyer sets fees in agreement with the client under Article 38 of the Law of 10 August 1991, and disputes over fees go to the Bâtonnier. Legal aid may cover fees in full or partially, at 50% or 25%.
Which court hears a succession dispute
Ordinary civil litigation runs through three Justices of the Peace and two District Courts, while the Supreme Court of Justice in Luxembourg City comprises the Court of Appeal and the Court of Cassation. Civil matters before the District Courts follow a written procedure in which representation by a lawyer is required, whereas the Justice of the Peace proceeds orally.
Key time limits — Inheritance, Probate & Wills
| Matter | Deadline | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Inheritance / succession declaration filing | 6 months from death | The window for filing the succession declaration after a death. |
| Surviving spouse’s succession option | 3 months and 40 days from the opening of the succession | The period for the surviving spouse to choose between the statutory options. |
Every country-specific statement on this page is taken from official Luxembourg sources (Ministry of Justice, Guichet.lu, Justice.public.lu, Legilux) and the European e-Justice Portal, as published in the latest consolidated texts available, including the Civil Code version dated 20 April 2025.
- European e-Justice Portal — National justice systems: Luxembourg
- European e-Justice Portal — Access to justice in Luxembourg
- European e-Justice Portal — Restrictions on successions: special rules (Luxembourg)
- Ministry of Justice — The legal profession of avocat
- Guichet.lu — Lawyer’s fees and legal costs
- Guichet.lu — Filing the succession declaration
- Guichet.lu — Termination of a residential lease
- Justice.public.lu — Succession
- Legilux — Civil Code (consolidated version)
Common situations
What people struggle with before they call a lawyer
Most enquiries we receive about Luxembourg wills start with one of these three problems.
You do not know who inherits what
Your estate includes property in Luxembourg and relatives living abroad, and you are unsure which country’s law will govern the succession or whether a will signed elsewhere will be recognised here.
The reserved share limits your plans
You want to favour one child, a partner or a charity, but Luxembourg law reserves part of the estate for your descendants. Without advice, a gift that goes too far can later be challenged by the reserved heirs.
Two Bars and confusing lists
Lawyers in the Grand Duchy appear on the rolls of the Barreau de Luxembourg or the Barreau de Diekirch, and only certain lists allow full representation before the district courts. Working out which profile you need is not obvious.
How we help
Matching that is specific to Luxembourg
We do not sell legal advice. We identify the right practice area and put you in contact with a lawyer who works in it.
One request, several profiles
Describe the estate once and we compare it with wills lawyers in Luxembourg who work on testaments, succession declarations and inheritance disputes.
Country-specific, not generic
Matches are made for Luxembourg, where the Civil Code, forced heirship and the EU Succession Regulation frame what a will can achieve.
Clarity on cost before you commit
Luxembourg sets no binding tariff and fees are agreed with the lawyer. Matching itself is free, and you decide afterwards whether to instruct.
Cross-border experience
Particularly useful if you live abroad, commute into the Grand Duchy or own property in a second country and need the applicable law identified.
Cross-border estates
Where else your estate may reach
If your will has to work in more than one jurisdiction, we look for firms used to coordinating files across these countries.
Questions
Wills and succession in Luxembourg: frequent questions
Can I leave my estate to anyone I choose under Luxembourg law?
Not entirely. Article 913 of the Civil Code reserves part of the estate for your descendants: a will may give away one half if you leave one child, one third if two, and one quarter if three or more. Where there are no descendants, gifts may exhaust the whole estate. Gifts beyond the disposable portion may be reduced at the request of the reserved heirs.
Do I need wills lawyers in Luxembourg if my family lives abroad?
If the deceased’s habitual residence is in Luxembourg, EU Regulation 650/2012 normally designates Luxembourg law, even for heirs living elsewhere. A testator may instead elect the law of his or her nationality to govern the whole succession. Because the interaction with Luxembourg’s forced-heirship rules is debated, cross-border estates are worth discussing before the will is signed.
Does my spouse have a protected share of my estate?
Under Luxembourg succession law the surviving spouse is not a forced heir and holds no inalienable reserve. He or she does hold a statutory option between a child’s share and the usufruct of the family home, and must exercise that option within 3 months and 40 days from the opening of the succession.
Who is allowed to advise and represent me in a succession matter?
Only lawyers on the roll of the Barreau de Luxembourg or the Barreau de Diekirch may practise law in the Grand Duchy, and they are the only professionals allowed to give legal consultations as a habitual paid activity. Representation before the district courts, the Court of Appeal and the Court of Cassation is reserved to lawyers on List I, who hold the title avocat à la Cour.
What will it cost to settle an estate?
Luxembourg charges no court fees for bringing proceedings, so the main costs are lawyers’, notaries’, bailiffs’ and experts’ fees. A lawyer’s fees are not fixed by a tariff; they are agreed with you, taking account of the importance and difficulty of the matter, the result obtained and your financial situation. Legal aid may cover fees in whole or in part.
In which language will my case be handled?
Luxembourg has three administrative languages — French, German and Luxembourgish. Procedural documents must be drafted in French, but hearings may be conducted in any of the three, and translation provided by the court is paid for by the State. Laws are published in French, so a working command of French matters in litigation.
Next step
Get matched with a wills lawyer in Luxembourg
Tell us what the estate contains, where the family lives and what you want the will to achieve. We will point you to a lawyer in Luxembourg whose practice fits that situation, at no cost for the match and with no obligation to instruct anyone.