CORONAVIRUS CRISIS - IMPACT ON LUXEMBOURG

Martina Meinhold of Managment Mobility Consulting 

On 17th March, the Luxembourgish government announced a three-months state of emergency to fight the disease.

People have been ordered to stay at home unless they need to buy food or have other urgent business, and most employers have told their staff to work remotely.

Cross-border workers, living in France, Belgium or Germany, who cannot work from home have to show a certificate from their employer when commuting to and from Luxembourg.

In Luxembourg, as in France, people that are not respecting these rules are fined.

Throughout the country, all creches, schools, universities remain closed. All shops are closed except food stores, pharmacies, opticians, petrol stations, telecom outlets, newsagents, and drycleaners.

The administrative services for immigration and residency are closed to the public and operate only via e-mail.

Transports : public transports are running (trains, buses, tram) but school holidays timetable are applied.

High speed trains (TGV) between Luxembourg and Paris are suspended.

As from Monday 23rd March 2020, Luxembourg airport is closed to all passenger traffic. Only cargo freight still operates. All Luxair airline flights are cancelled until 19th April and LuxairTours flights untjl 30th April.

Immigration:

Visas and residence permits are extended for duration of crisis. Foreigners do not need to take any steps if papers about to expire.

Anyone in Luxembourg under a short-term or long-term visa, temporary residence permit, residence card or residence permit that was due to expire starting 1 March will be allowed to remain in the country for the coming months. The same rule has been put in place for travellers not requiring visas but whose stay is limited to 90 days. Like most government offices, the immigration office is no longer open to visitors but accepts documents electronically or by mail. Face-to-face appointments can be scheduled for urgent cases.

Luxembourg's passport office has also shut its doors and is not processing visa applications or passport requests.

Most real estate agents have closed their offices to the public and stopped physical visits of accommodations with clients. Moving companies now carry out technical pre-move visits with online web applications, with a view to a move in the future.

In order to continue accompanying our customers and all those who are planning an international transfer to France or Luxembourg in this unpredictable situation, Management Mobility Consulting is adapting its relocation assistance. We have set up home office measures for all of our staff. As far as possible, we set up virtual property tours and arrange the contactless opening and closing of bank accounts remotely without any physical interaction.

We are also offering new services:

We arrange essential food shopping deliveries for our customers, medical supplies, and help them to adapt their daily lives to the current situation. We offer companies to set up a hotline for their expatriate employees to answer any kind of questions during their confinement.

In Luxembourg and France, in partnership with a leading medical laboratory, we are currently establishing a personalised medical concierge service. Transferees and their families have the possibility to be put in contact with bilingual doctors via videoconferencing to get medical guidance in these challenging and unpredictable times.