Is Luxembourg in the EU? Yes, since day one

The short answer is yes, and from day one. Luxembourg is one of the six countries that founded what is now the European Union, its capital shares EU seat status with Brussels and Strasbourg, and one of its villages gave its name to the borderless Schengen area. For a British traveller the more useful half of that sentence is the Schengen part, because it decides how long you can stay and what happens at the border. Here’s the detail.

A founder of the EU, the euro and Schengen

According to the EU’s own website, Luxembourg has been a member state since 1 January 1958, in the eurozone since 1 January 1999 and in the Schengen area since 26 March 1995. Before that it had signed the Treaties of Rome in 1957 alongside France, Germany, Italy, Belgium and the Netherlands, and in 1952 it took in the High Authority of the ECSC, forerunner of today’s EU.

Its institutional weight is huge for its size. The capital hosts EU institutions alongside Brussels and Strasbourg, and the country elects 6 MEPs. Christophe Hansen, in charge of Agriculture and Food, is the commissioner it nominated. It has held the Council presidency twelve times since 1960, most recently from July to December 2015, and the official calendar has the next one from January to June 2029. Which institutions are there and which you can visit is covered in EU institutions in Luxembourg.

Schengen is a village before it’s a rulebook

I love this detail. Schengen isn’t a bit of Brussels jargon; it’s a wine village on the Moselle where Luxembourg, Germany and France meet. The agreement was signed there on 14 June 1985 aboard the Princesse Marie-Astrid, moored on the river. The implementing convention followed on 19 June 1990 and came into force in 1995, and the site has carried the European Heritage Label since 2017. The village has its own page, Schengen village, and the museum and monument have theirs in European Museum Schengen.

Once your dates are set, check which hotels are still free in Luxembourg before prices climb.

Benelux, Europe before Europe

Before the EU there was Benelux. The customs convention between Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg was signed in 1944, while the governments were in exile in London, and came into force on 1 January 1948. The Benelux Economic Union followed in 1958, and since a treaty of 17 June 2008 it has been the Benelux Union. Luxembourg already had its own economic union with Belgium from 1921.

A language quirk few people know

The country has three administrative languages but uses only two with the EU. The EU official languages that correspond to Luxembourg are French and German. Luxembourgish, which the constitution names as the language of the country, isn’t among them. What it sounds like, and a few words to try, is in Luxembourgish language.

Once your dates are set, check which hotels are still free in Luxembourg before prices climb.

What it means if you’re travelling from the UK

Since Brexit, the rules that matter are Schengen’s. gov.uk sets two passport tests, an issue date no more than 10 years old on arrival and at least 3 months of validity left after your planned exit from Schengen. Passports renewed before 1 October 2018 can fall foul of the first rule even if they haven’t expired. The visa-free limit is 90 days in every 180, and time in France, Germany or any other Schengen country counts towards the same total. Officers may also want to see where you are staying, your travel insurance, a ticket home and proof you can pay for the trip. The full checklist is in Luxembourg entry requirements.

At the border you’ll meet the EES, the EU’s Entry/Exit System, which gov.uk says is now being implemented across Schengen. Your first crossing may involve giving fingerprints and a photo; there’s no charge, the registration covers you for three years, and children aged 11 or younger skip the fingerprints. If you travel by Eurostar from St Pancras, the checks happen before you leave London.

The rest is practical. You’ll pay in euros. UK mobile networks no longer have to offer free roaming in the EU, so check your provider’s policy before you go. And for healthcare you’ll need a GHIC or EHIC plus travel insurance, since gov.uk is clear the card is no substitute for it. How the card works on the ground is explained in GHIC Luxembourg. One more thing, gov.uk mentions temporary border controls on entry into Germany, worth knowing if you plan a day trip to Trier.

If you would rather have a local show you round, book a guided tour in Luxembourg and choose by the reviews.

A car frees you from timetables: search car hire in Luxembourg on DiscoverCars and compare companies.

So you do not pay over the odds, look at trains, coaches and flights to Luxembourg on Omio and pick the one that suits you.