According to figures published today by Luxembourg's Ministry of Justice, 11,451 people obtained the Luxembourgish nationality in 2019.
Over the past five years, the number of people having acquired the Luxembourgish nationality has more than doubled, going from 5,306 in 2015 to 11,451 in 2019.
This increase is partly due to changes to legislation in recent years, namely the reform of the Luxembourg nationality law of 1 April 2017 which simplified the conditions for acquiring Luxembourgish nationality.
French nationals (2,446) were the largest group to have acquired the Luxembourgish nationality in 2019, followed by Brazilians (2,117) and Belgians (1,335). The significant number of Brazilian nationals acquiring Luxembourgish citizenship is partly attributed to Article 89 of the recovery procedure, which remains applicable until 31 December 2020 and which grants the nationality on the condition of having a grandparent who was Luxembourgish as of 1 January 1900.
The number of British nationals having acquired the Luxembourgish nationality amounted to 431 people in 2019, including 211 by the application of Article 28. The option based on Article 28 allows individuals who have lived in Luxembourg for at least 20 years to acquire the nationality, without having to pass the Luxembourgish language exam.
