If you are renting, the first thing to do is to terminate the lease contract for your current accommodation within the legal notice period established in the contract. You must also agree a date for the departure inventory with the owner. Try to set this date for the day following your move, which will give you time to clean the accommodation that you are leaving.
Notify your friends and family
If you need help to move, tell your friends or family the date with sufficient notice that they can organise coming to help you. You can then also ask for help to look after your children or your pet on moving day.
Rent a moving truck or a load elevator
You can rent a truck or borrow one from your friends or family. Evaluate your belongings and the volume that you will have to move in order to rent a truck that is large enough that you don’t have to make too many trips.
If you are moving from a fairly high building without a lift, you may also consider renting a load elevator, which will save you time and avoid you losing any of your friends.
Find free moving boxes
Set aside cardboard boxes, newspapers and old blankets. You must have enough boxes to pack all your belongings. Many DIY shops sell boxes, but you can also pick them up from supermarkets or restaurants.
Another more ecological solution may be to rent moving supplies. Many moving companies also offer rental of these supplies.
Start sorting, throwing away or donating what you no longer want – why not organise a garage sale? There will be so many things you won’t have to take with you.
Contact a moving company in Luxembourg if necessary
Many companies can take care of your move to Luxembourg. Contact several companies to obtain free quotes. You should know that the services provided by these companies can range from simple transport to dismantling furniture, packaging and reassembling it in your new apartment or new house.
Reserve parking spaces
If you need to use public space, you will need to obtain prior authorisation, to be requested at least 5 working days in advance from the commune of Luxembourg.
Ask the municipal administrations for other communes of Luxembourg.
There are many administrative procedures to carry out during your move to Luxembourg, but some can be anticipated:
- Terminating your contracts for telephone, gas and electricity services at your former address by communicating the date of your move.
- Taking out new contracts for internet, water, gas and electricity services for your new home. Many companies simplify your procedures by offering contract transfers. Ask your current operator.
- Communicating the change of school: children living in Luxembourg must attend the public school closest to their home. You must therefore indicate any change of address during the year to the school and check whether your child will change school during the year or finish the school year at their old establishment. If your child attends a private school, you will only need to indicate the change of residence.
- Organising mail tracking: to receive your mail at the new address, contact the post office to subscribe to their forwarding service for a duration of your choice. This must be carried out at least 3 days before the desired date for forwarding.
- Insuring your new home: you can inform your insurer that you are going to move. They will carry out an assessment with you to insure your new apartment or new house based on your needs. It is also possible to take out a guarantee that protects your belongings during the move.
Now it is time to start packing. You can already pack all the personal items that you won’t need during the last week, leaving available only what is necessary. You can also disassemble some furniture. Don’t forget to label the boxes according to the destination rooms in your new home.
If you have broken furniture that you don’t want to move, you can call the bulk waste service and arrange a collection day with them. You just have to place the bulk waste in the street.
You can also prepare a box to keep on hand, containing essentials such as a first aid kit and important documents.
Remind loved ones who must come to help you to ensure that they will be there.
Empty and defrost your freezer.
If you have decided to use a moving company, organise the final details with them.
Do you need to block off parking spaces in front of your home? For Luxembourg city, you can request authorisation from the traffic service. This must be done 5 days before the moving date and affixed 24 hours in advance on the spaces you want to reserve. For other communes, you must contact the city administration.
"You are entitled to 2 days of extraordinary leave for moving, which must be taken at the time of the move."
Start by offering your friends or family who come to help you a good breakfast.
You must also take readings of the different meters, if they are not smart meters.
Make sure that you have labelled everything to save time both when loading and unloading the truck.
The administrative procedures to carry out following a move may seem complex. Below is a summary of what not to forget.
What changes of address to make?
Are you moving to Luxembourg? You must register in your destination commune. It is no longer necessary to register in the departure commune. It is the destination commune that will make the report to your former commune. You must carry out this registration in the 8 days following your move. Many communes allow the registration to be made via MyGuichet. Normally, the different state administrations are automatically informed of your change of address; you should therefore automatically receive a new tax card. If this is not the case, this procedure can also be carried out via MyGuichet.
If applicable, you must also register your dog and certify that you have taken out third party liability insurance.
Finally, your change of address must also be communicated to:
- Your employer
- Your attending physician and dentist
- Your banking institution
Updating your identity documents
Whether you are a Luxembourg national or from abroad, certain identity documents include the address of your residence. You will therefore have to change or update them. Luxembourg nationals can obtain information from their destination commune. Foreign residences can contact the embassy of their country of origin.
Update your vehicle papers and insurance
You must contact the SNCA (National Society of Automotive Traffic) to change your registration certificate or update your address. This change must be made within one month after the move.
You must also ensure to notify your insurer for them to issue a new insurance certificate or green card for your car insurance.
Request a new parking sticker
Some streets in Luxembourg city and in other communes have paid parking. Residents can park for free if they display a residential parking sticker behind their windscreen, which must be requested from the commune. It is free for 1 vehicle per resident and renewed each year.
Find out about sorting rubbish
There are different bins for different types of rubbish. If you live in an apartment building, the building manager will be able to inform you about the different bins.
If you live in a detached house, contact the commune to find out what types of bin can be made available to you, as well as their cost.
In any case, in Luxembourg city, you cannot place bags of rubbish on public roads, you must buy bin bags from the City.
Moving is a big mental workload; the more prepared and organised you are, the more it will only be a formality.