Luxembourg committee backs repeal of investor permit after nine grants

Luxembourg’s parliamentary home affairs committee has recommended abolishing the residence permit for third-country investors. Bill 8586 would repeal Articles 53bis to 53quater of the 2008 immigration law, which created the permit in 2017, and the committee recommended its adoption in a report dated 16 September 2026. The government says nine people received the permit. The Chamber’s dossier records no plenary vote.

What the bill does

The Minister of Home Affairs, Léon Gloden, filed Bill 8586 on 21 July 2025. It has three purposes: to transpose the EU directive on the single work and residence permit, Directive (EU) 2024/1233; to repeal the residence permit for investors, which the bill itself says is commonly called the “Golden Visa”; and to change family reunification rules for beneficiaries of international protection.

Article 6 of the text proposed by the committee states: “Les articles 53bis, 53ter et 53quater de la même loi sont abrogés.” Article 1 removes the investor from the list of temporary residence categories in Article 38 of the law.

Why the government wants it gone

The bill’s explanatory memorandum gives the number of permits issued since the scheme opened in 2017: four in 2018, two in 2019, one in 2020 and two in 2024. It states that the first seven, issued for three years in 2018, 2019 and 2020, expired without a renewal being granted because the legal conditions were not met. The Chamber of Commerce’s opinion describes the same seven differently, saying no renewal applications were filed for them.

The government’s commentary on the bill’s articles describes the economic impact as minimal and says it proved difficult in practice to carry out the checks the law requires. It adds that keeping the scheme under the new EU rules would impose a disproportionate administrative burden.

The commentary also gives the government’s answer to investors. A third-country national who wants to invest in an existing or new business can still do so, provided that they manage the business, by applying for a residence permit as a self-employed worker.

The current investor route

Under the consolidated text of the 2008 law applicable from 12 June 2026, there are four ways to qualify:

• at least 500,000 euros in an existing company with its registered office in Luxembourg and a commercial, craft or industrial activity, with an undertaking to maintain the investment and an equivalent level of employment for at least five years; only the employment requirement is waived for the takeover of a company in difficulty under a redundancy plan approved by the minister responsible for employment;
• at least 500,000 euros in a company to be created, with the same registered office and activity requirements, and an undertaking to create at least five jobs within three years of its creation, recruited in collaboration with the national employment agency, ADEM;
• at least 3 million euros in an investment and management structure with its registered office in Luxembourg, which must keep appropriate substance there and employ at least two people;
• at least 20 million euros deposited with a financial institution established in Luxembourg for at least five years.

Investments whose main object, direct or indirect, is buying or renting property are excluded. On the first three routes at least 75 per cent must be own funds, and any borrowed share must run for at least three years; the deposit must be entirely own funds. The Minister of the Economy gives an opinion on the two 500,000 euro routes and the Minister of Finance on the other two. The permit lasts three years. The minister who gave the opinion checks compliance within 12 months of the temporary authorisation and may grant up to 12 months to remedy a shortfall. If it persists after that period, the minister may recommend that the immigration minister initiate withdrawal. Each three-year renewal needs that minister’s favourable opinion.

Our programme record for the Luxembourg investor permit sets out the procedure in more detail.

Existing holders

The bill as filed contained no transitional rule. The Council of State, in its opinion of 2 December 2025, said the repeal risked harming legally acquired positions, found that this breached the principle of legitimate expectations, and raised a formal objection.

The committee’s amendments of 15 April 2026 added a transitional article under which investor residence permits issued before the new law enters into force would remain valid until their expiry date. The Council of State lifted its formal objection on 30 June 2026.

The proposed text would also repeal the investor-specific renewal rule in Article 53quater. The transitional article preserves existing permits until expiry but does not expressly preserve a right to renew them, and it does not address applications pending when the law takes effect.

The alternative: a self-employed permit

The self-employed permit in Article 51 has no fixed capital threshold. The applicant must hold the qualifications and registrations the activity requires and show adequate resources. The activity must serve the country’s interests, judged by factors such as economic need, viability, job creation and investment. The applicant’s presence in Luxembourg must also be needed to run the business day to day. The permit lasts up to three years and is renewable.

The difference is in the last condition. Unlike Article 51, Article 53bis contains no express requirement that the investor be present to manage the business, and the deposit route does not require setting up or running one.

Where the bill stands

The committee examined the Council of State’s supplementary opinion and adopted its report on 16 September 2026, recommending by majority that the Chamber adopt the bill. When the Chamber’s dossier page was checked on 25 September 2026, it gave the bill’s status as in committee and recorded no plenary vote.

The government’s guidance on Guichet.lu, last updated on 10 July 2023, still describes the investor route and does not mention the bill.

Limits of this reading

The text could still change before any vote, and no date of entry into force has been set. This article does not examine the bill’s provisions on the single permit or on family reunification, and it does not estimate how many investor permits remain valid.