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Buying and Selling a New or Used Car in Luxembourg

Information on the paperwork and process involved whether buying a car from a dealership or a secondhand car through a classified advertisement. The documents required and where they must be sent.

New cars in Luxembourg are bought from dealerships unless they are imported. The registration process for cars bought from a Luxembourg dealership is carried out by the car dealer. The buyer has to provide the following documents:

The name and address of the buyer's Luxembourg registered insurance company
The buyer's certificate of residence (certificat de résidence) issued within the last month at the buyer's local Municipal Office (Commune)

Buying/Selling a Used Car in Luxembourg

Used cars in Luxembourg can be bought from a dealership or from a private individual. Car advertisements can be found in national and local newspapers as well as on notice boards in shops and supermarkets.

There are a number of Internet sites that can be useful in both buying and selling used cars in Luxembourg. The most popular ones are:

Automarket Luxembourg
Autotrade (in French and German)
Driving.lu
Luxauto (in French)
Luxbazar (in French and German)

When buying a used car from a private individual both parties should complete a contract of sale. The contract should include the following details and can be used as proof of transaction when registering the vehicle:

Name and address of both the buyer and the seller
Identification of the vehicle (make, model, chassis number, number of kilometres)
The condition of the vehicle and any apparent defects
Sale price
Signature of both parties

A sample contract can be downloaded in English, French, Portuguese or German from the Luxembourg Automobile Club website: Click here (PDF)

The Luxembourg Automobile Club (Automobile Club du Grand-Duché de Luxembourg - ACL) provides a fee-paying service for people wishing to sell their car. This provides the buyer with a guarantee that the car has been checked recently by the ACL. To use the service, the seller should make an appointment with the ACL-Diagnostic Center by telephone or e-mail:

Tel: 45 00 45-236
e-mail

The ACL website has a list of recommendations for buyers of secondhand cars, this includes details of things to look out for when buying or test driving a used car:

For further information: Click here (in French and German)

Roadworthiness tests (contrôle technique)

A used car should be sold with a valid contrôle technique certificate. The seller is responsible for ensuring that the vehicle inspection is up-to-date and gives the valid CT certificate to the buyer. For used cars that have a CT certificate with less than six weeks remaining validity, the vehicle must undergo a roadworthiness test.

If the CT certificate has more than six weeks remaining validity, the new owner may choose not to have a CT carried out when registering the vehicle. In this case they must fill in a specific form (Renonciation au Contrôle Technique).

The form can be downloaded online: Click here and select Renonciation au Contrôle Technique
See the AngloINFO INFOrmation Page, Vehicle Roadworthiness Tests in Luxembourg

Registering a Vehicle in Luxembourg

The seller of the vehicle must inform the Ministry of Transport of the change of ownership, in writing, within 15 days of the sale of the vehicle. The seller must send a form (Déclaration de mise hors circulation) accompanied by part 1 and 2 (grey and yellow) of the registration document (document d'immatriculation) and proof of sale (document-facture) to the following address:

Société Nationale de Controle Technique (SNCT)
BP 123
L-5201 Sandweiler
The form can be downloaded: Click here and select Déclaration de mise hors circulation

Note: The forms must be sent by registered mail.

The new owner will need to take the following documents to one of the SNCT offices to register the vehicle in their name:

A Vehicle Transaction request form (Demande de Transaction Automobile) available from the SNCT: Click here (in French)
Proof of identity
Tax stamp (Timbre de Chancellerie), available from the SNCT or the Administration de l'enregistrement et des domaines
Proof of sale (document-facture)
Proof of valid car insurance from a Luxembourg registered insurance company
Photocopy of Part 1 and 2 (grey and yellow) of the previous registration documents, which must be provided by the seller
Photocopy of the seller's proof of identity

An inspection is carried out (unless the new owner has filled in a Renonciation au Contrôle Technique form) and once the car is declared fit, the owner receives the Carte Grise registration document, a technical control certificate, a document stating the next technical inspection date, and a pink temporary registration vignette (valid for 20 days) which is placed at the right bottom corner of the windscreen.

An invoice for registration tax is sent during the following days, and once payment is made, a grey window stamp is sent to replace the temporary pink one. This is valid for one year.

SNCT offices:

Tel: 35 72 14 234
Centre
At: 11 rue de Luxembourg, L-5230 Sandweiler
Open: Monday to Friday from 07:30-16:45
For a map: Click here
South
At: 22-28 rue Jos. Keffer, L-4176 Esch-sur-Alzette
Open: Monday to Friday from 07:30 to 16:45
North
At: 1 route de Pintsch, L-9776 Wilwerwiltz
Open: Monday to Friday from 08:00 to 11:45 and 13:00 to 16:45

Luxembourg Number Plates

If the seller wants to keep the original number plate, the buyer needs to contact the Société Nationale de Controle Technique, with their Social Security number (numéro matricule) to request a new plate registration number. It is possible to obtain a personalised number for an additional fee.

Note: All vehicles registered before 17 June 2003, with a number plate made up of two letters and three numbers must change the number plate when the vehicle changes owner.

The new owner will need to present the letter received from the SNCT before the plates can be mounted.