Thursday, September 24, 2009

Luxembourg travel advice

Travel Summary

  • There are confirmed human cases of A (H1N1) - Swine Flu in Luxembourg. You can check for updates on the situation in Luxembourg by visiting the website of the Luxembourg government at: www.gouvernement.lu. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has raised its Pandemic Threat Alert Phase to Level 6. The WHO website at: www.who.int has further details. Check Swine Flu for further information. You should also monitor local media reports for any developments and advice. There is a dedicated Swine Flu page on this website. Guidance on Pandemic Flu can be obtained on the UK Department of Health website at www.dh.gov.uk.

  • There is an underlying threat from terrorism. Attacks could be indiscriminate, including in places frequented by expatriates and foreign travellers.

  • Around 120,000 British nationals visit Luxembourg every year (Source: STATEC (Statistics Office in Luxembourg). Most visits are trouble-free. The main type of incident for which British nationals required consular assistance in Luxembourg in 2007 was for replacing lost or stolen passports. Luxembourg can only issue Emergency Passports in a genuine emergency. Otherwise, full passport services can be obtained from the British Consulate-General in Paris.

  • We recommend that you obtain comprehensive travel and medical insurance before travelling. You should check any exclusions, and that your policy covers you for the activities you want to undertake. See the General (Insurance) section and Travel Insurance for more details.

Safety and security

Terrorism

There is an underlying threat from terrorism. Attacks could be indiscriminate, including in places frequented by expatriates and foreign travellers.
For more general information see Terrorism Abroad.

Crime

You are advised to take the usual sensible precautions against crime.

Scams

Foreign visitors and residents can be targeted by scam artists. These scams can pose great financial loss to victims. If you receive an e-mail purporting to be from HMRC (Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs) offering a tax refund on provision of your bank details you should make absolutely sure that it is not part of a scam.

For more general information see Victims of Crime Abroad.
Political Situation

Luxembourg Country Profile

Local Travel

Travel by car, train and bus throughout the country is relatively quick and easy.
Road Travel
In 2007 there were 43 road deaths in Luxembourg (source: DfT). This equates to 9.0 road deaths per 100,000 of population and compares to the UK average of 5.0 road deaths per 100,000 of population in 2007.
It is advisable to travel with vehicle registration documents to prove you are the legal owner of the vehicle you are driving. Failure to do so could lead to the police confiscating and impounding your vehicle as well as imposing fines.
When you drive, remember that there are different speed restrictions to the UK. ‘On the spot fines’ are common.
When driving, be aware that it is easy to cross into neighbouring countries without realising it. You must have your passport with you for identification.

Heavy Goods Vehicles, transiting Luxembourg on the way to France
:
There is a restriction for HGVs over 7.5t transiting Luxembourg between 21.45 on a Saturday and the day before a public holiday and 21.45 on a Sunday and the day of the French public holiday. Please see: www.cita.lu/files/pdf/journees_transit.pdf for list of holidays.

Heavy Goods Vehicles, transiting Luxembourg on the way to Germany:
There is a restriction for HGVs over 7.5t transiting Luxembourg between 2330 on Saturday and the day before a public holiday and 2145 on Sunday and the day of the German public holiday. Please see: www.cita.lu/files/pdf/journees_transit.pdf for list of holidays.

For more general information see Driving Abroad.
Air Travel
The revised EU-wide security measures that came into effect for all passengers departing from UK airports in November 2006 are also being implemented in Luxembourg. For more details about this see Airline Security

Local laws and customs

French, German and Luxembourgish are the administrative languages. English is spoken in Luxembourg City itself, but less so elsewhere.

For more general information for different types of travellers see Travel Advice Relevant to You.

Entry requirements

Visas
Holders of British passports, describing them as "British Citizens", do not require visas to enter Luxembourg.
Passport validity
Your passport should be valid for at least six months.

Travelling with children

Single parents or other adults travelling alone with children should be aware that some countries require documentary evidence of parental responsibility before allowing lone parents to enter the country or, in some cases, before permitting the children to leave the country. For further information on exactly what will be required at immigration please contact the Luxemburg Embassy in London.

Health

There are confirmed human cases of A (H1N1) - Swine Flu in Luxembourg. You can check for updates on the situation in Luxembourg by visiting the website of the Luxembourg government at: www.gouvernement.lu. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has raised its Pandemic Threat Alert Phase to Level 6. The WHO website at: www.who.int has further details. Check Swine Flu for further information. You should also monitor local media reports for any developments and advice. There is a dedicated Swine Flu page on this website. Guidance on Pandemic Flu can be obtained on the UK Department of Health website at www.dh.gov.uk.
The Form E111 is no longer valid. You should obtain a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) before leaving the UK. The EHIC is not a substitute for medical and travel insurance, but entitles you to emergency medical treatment on the same terms as Luxmbourg nationals. It also does not cover you for medical repatriation, on-going medical treatment or treatment of a non-urgent nature. For more general information see EHIC.

You should exercise normal precautions to avoid exposure to HIV/AIDS. For more general information on how to do this see HIV and AIDS.

You should seek medical advice before travelling to Luxembourg and ensure that all appropriate vaccinations are up-to-date. For further information on vaccination requirements, health outbreaks and general disease protection and prevention you should visit the websites of the NaTHNaC and NHS Scotland's Fit For Travel or call NHS Direct on 0845 46 47.

For more general health information see Travel Health.

General

Insurance
We recommend that you obtain comprehensive travel and medical insurance before travelling. You should check any exclusions, and that your policy covers you for all the activities you want to undertake. For more general information see Travel Insurance.

If things do go wrong when you are oversees then this is How We Can Help.

In an emergency, telephone 112 for medical treatment and 113 for the Police services.

Registration

Register with our LOCATE service to tell us when and where you are travelling abroad or where you live abroad so our consular and crisis staff can provide better assistance to you in an emergency. More information about registering with LOCATE can be found here.

Money
Since 15 June 2007 new legislation on the controls of cash entering or leaving the EU apply in all Member States. Any person entering or leaving the EU will have to declare the cash that they are carrying if this amounts to 10,000 euros or more; this includes cheques, travellers' cheques, money orders, etc. This will not apply to anyone travelling via the EU to a non-EU country, as long as the original journey started outside of the EU nor to those travelling within the EU.
You are reminded that the currency of Luxembourg is the Euro.

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