Guide · Luxembourg

Driving a UK-registered car in Luxembourg: the six-month rule, what SNCA registration costs, and what to do instead

If you move to Luxembourg, a UK-registered car must be registered here within six months. What conformity, the CT and the SNCA involve, and the alternative.

Last reviewed October 2026

How long can I keep it on UK plates?

Anyone who moves to Luxembourg must have their vehicle registered in the Grand Duchy within six months of arrival. You must declare your arrival at your commune's population office as soon as you arrive, and the six months are counted from that declaration. On the UK side, the DVLA expects you to notify it when a vehicle leaves the UK for 12 months or more, as a permanent export.

Can a right-hand-drive car be registered?

The SNCA's published rules don't single out right-hand drive; what a UK car does need is proof that it conforms. A car first registered after 1 February 2016 normally needs an EU certificate of conformity, and for a car from outside the EU without one, the SNCA checks the technical data, or asks for a technical report from an approved technical service. The headlamps must be set or replaced for driving on the right. Ask the SNCA before you spend money, and expect a weak resale price for a right-hand-drive car in Luxembourg.

What registering it involves

Declare your arrival at your commune; the six months run from that declaration.
Conformity: the EU certificate of conformity, or for a non-EU car without one a check of the technical data, with a technical report from an approved technical service if the data is incomplete.
A valid contrôle technique at an approved inspection centre, with headlamps set for driving on the right.
Apply for a registration number, take out Luxembourg liability insurance and buy the €50 fiscal stamp, then book an appointment with the SNCA or send the file by post.
Plates from an approved supplier, then the annual vehicle tax, which is based on CO2.

What it costs

No one-off registration tax: Luxembourg's only vehicle tax is the annual tax, based on the car's CO2.
SNCA fiscal stamp (droit de chancellerie): €50, plus €200 for a personalised number.
Example costs, from one owner's itemised registration of a non-EU car in 2026: a replacement for the certificate of conformity about €250, the contrôle technique about €66, plates about €35.
On top: any headlamp work, Luxembourg insurance and the annual vehicle tax.

The alternative: sell it back to the UK

The obvious comparison is driving it back to the UK yourself. Luxembourg City to Calais is about 400 km, plus the crossing, the journey back and then the job of selling the car in the UK. It only works while the MOT and UK insurance are valid. We collect the car free from your address on a transporter, handle the export paperwork and pay you in pounds sterling (£) by bank transfer on collection day.

Get a free valuation for your car in Luxembourg

Free collection anywhere in Luxembourg, all export paperwork handled, paid in pounds sterling (£) on the day.

Value my UK car

Common questions

Is there a registration tax in Luxembourg?

No one-off tax like Belgium's BIV or the Dutch BPM. The costs are the conformity and inspection steps, the SNCA fees and plates, then the annual vehicle tax based on CO2.

What if the MOT has expired?

Not a problem. We buy cars with an expired MOT, no UK tax or a SORN, and collect them by transporter.

Rules, rates and thresholds change. This guide is a general summary as of October 2026, not legal or tax advice — check the current position with the registration authority before relying on it.

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