Disclaimer
The following article is an opinion piece by the respective author and does not necessarily reflect the position of the FOKUS. party. We stand for diversity of discussion and therefore consider it important to give other opinions the space they deserve.
Two Ways to Get a Passport: Everyday Life or Family Album
In Luxembourg, there seem to be two kinds of connection to the country: one that is painstakingly cultivated, and one that is genealogically verified.
Some people live here, work here, pay rent, taxes, and bills. They learn languages, collect certificates, have documents translated, stand in line at counters, wait for appointments, and hope that their integration will eventually be recognized by the authorities.
Others flip through a family album, discover a great-great-grandfather with Luxembourgish roots—and suddenly, the path to citizenship begins not with everyday life, but with genealogy. Democracy, it sometimes seems, has surprisingly close ties to genealogy.
Of course, that’s an exaggeration. After all, proving one’s ancestry is no walk in the park—it requires numerous documents and certifications.
Nevertheless, the political contrast remains striking. At times, it feels like a civic journey through time—complete with an official stamp.
When the family tree is faster than integration
The Luxembourg government officially distinguishes between naturalization, reinstatement of citizenship, and the option. Depending on the procedure, applicants must demonstrate language proficiency and a lawful period of residence of 5 years. The last year prior to the motion / request must have been spent continuously in Luxembourg. These are the integration requirements that supplement the standard prerequisites for acquiring citizenship.
However, there was also a special historical provision: Descendants of former Luxembourg nationals could regain citizenship if they could prove they had a direct ancestor who was a Luxembourg national on January 1, 1900. This was initially based on Article 29 of the Nationality Act of 2008 and later on Article 89 of the Law of March 8, 2017.
By March 2026, 41,569 people had obtained Luxembourgish citizenship through this rule of descent —nearly 13,000 of them in Brazil alone. The figures come from a response by Minister of Justice Elisabeth Margue on April 23, 2026, to a parliamentary inquiry.
So it’s fair to say that the Luxembourg passport has made quite a name for itself internationally. Sometimes it seems to travel the world more easily than the people who are just going about their ordinary daily lives here.
Even though this specific time window has now closed, the so-called option under Article 23 of the amended law of March 8, 2017, still allows for the acquisition of Luxembourg citizenship through a Luxembourg parent or grandparent, subject to certain conditions. This is current law. The actual political question begins only after that.
After all, every set of rules governing the acquisition of citizenship also says something about how a state understands belonging. Which connection carries more weight: a lived connection to the country or family origins?
Luxembourg was once a country of emigration. It is understandable—and deserves respect—that the descendants of emigrants from Luxembourg can reconnect with their family roots.
How much importance does a modern state place on a person’s actual center of life today?
People who have been living in Luxembourg for years—working, paying taxes, raising children, learning the language, and taking on responsibilities—feel a sense of belonging differently than someone whose connection to the country is documented primarily in archives.
This is not about a contrast between the past and the present. It is about whether both forms of connection should be given equal political weight.
And this is precisely where a discussion begins that goes far beyond legal provisions.
The Passport as a Business Model: A Gold Rush with a Birth Certificate
A market of its own has long since developed around the Luxembourg passport. Public reports show that interest increased sharply, particularly in Brazil, after many descendants of Luxembourgish emigrants realized that their family history could suddenly become a matter of citizenship. The number of motions / requests skyrocketed, especially in 2017 and 2018, as many people realized that the law’s window of opportunity would soon close.
Where there is demand, a market emerges. Since then, genealogical research firms, specialized consulting firms, and service providers for citizenship proceedings have been offering their assistance. They comb through archives, reconstruct family trees, verify documents, and assist applicants in their search for the ancestor who qualifies them for Luxembourg citizenship.
Anyone who finds the right documents may not only discover their past, but also gain access to a European passport.
Some have to prove their future in Luxembourg. Others start with their past. and whether there was a great-great-grandfather or a great-great-grandmother who was a Luxembourg citizen on January 1, 1900. That is precisely where the real irony lies.
From the family tree straight to the ballot box.
The Electoral Law of February 18, 2003, governs the participation of Luxembourg nationals residing abroad in parliamentary elections. Article 169 specifies which municipality is responsible for registering voters: first, the last municipality of residence in Luxembourg; alternatively, the municipality of birth; and—if neither of these municipalities applies—the City of Luxembourg. Article 170 then sets forth the procedure for applying to vote by mail.
This means that even a Luxembourg citizen who holds citizenship by descent, has never lived in Luxembourg, and has neither a residence nor the center of his or her life there, can vote by mail in parliamentary elections after being registered on the voter rolls.
Legally, this is permissible. Democratically, however, it raises fundamental questions. Should someone really be able to have a say in housing, taxes, pensions, schools, or the future of Luxembourg, even though they will never bear the consequences of those decisions themselves? Those who permanently reside on another continent—who neither live nor work here nor participate in social life—make decisions that affect people who bear the consequences of those policies every day.
This makes it all the more remarkable that, with the growing number of Luxembourgers living abroad—particularly in Brazil—the parliament even discussed a pilot project for electronic voting on April 13, 2026, to further facilitate voting from abroad. The fundamental democratic question, however, seems to be taking a back seat: not how people with no ties to Luxembourg can vote as easily as possible, but whether individuals whose primary residence is not in Luxembourg should have any say at all in the country’s political future. Democracy must not become an online service for citizens whose primary residence has been outside Luxembourg for years or even generations.
The digital journey to the ballot box.
Perhaps tomorrow, a single click from the other side of the world will be enough to vote on housing, taxes, pensions, or healthcare in Luxembourg. The question is not whether this is technically possible. The question is whether it is democratically sound.
Politics is not a streaming service. You can’t get to know a country through a few TV reports, campaign videos, or media posts. Anyone who has never lived in Luxembourg has no firsthand experience of day-to-day politics or the consequences of political decisions. Yet they can still have a say in who governs this country.
Democracy thrives on a country’s own experience. Anyone who takes on political responsibility should understand how political decisions affect everyday life – not just from the news, family stories, or media, but from personal experience.
Introduction of a residency requirement.
In a position paper, FOKUS is therefore calling for the introduction of a residency requirement for national parliamentary elections and referendums. The decisive factor should not be a formal registration or a short-term stay, but rather a verifiable and permanent center of life in Luxembourg. This is an important step toward once again linking the right to vote more closely to an actual connection to Luxembourg. The decisive factor should not be a short-term stay or formal registration, but rather a permanent center of life in Luxembourg. Anyone who helps shape the country’s future should also be a permanent part of society and share in the consequences of political decisions.
The goal is not to restrict democratic rights, but to ensure that political participation remains tied to a genuine connection to Luxembourg. After all, democracy thrives not only on citizenship, but also on a sense of responsibility toward the community whose future is being decided.
