Updated 21 August 2026 · 6 min read
How long it takes to set up a company in Luxembourg — and which deadline actually sets the pace.
In Luxembourg the notary does not set the pace — the business permit does. Guichet.lu states that a complete application is “in principle processed within 3 months of receipt of the complete file”, and an SARL-S cannot be registered without one. Signing the articles of association, by contrast, can be scheduled within days once the file is ready and the capital deposited. Once the articles are signed, two statutory deadlines run in parallel: the filing with the trade and companies register must take place no later than one month after signature, and the beneficial-owner declaration within one month of the entity becoming aware of the triggering event. In short, the “3 to 4 weeks” quoted almost everywhere measures the notarial and registration phase, not the whole path — the date you can actually start invoicing is set by how the permit application is processed.
The deadline that governs everything else
A Luxembourg company can exist legally without being allowed to trade. These are two different things, and this is where most published timelines go wrong: they clock the birth of the legal entity, not the right to carry on the activity.
The application is in principle processed within 3 months of receipt of the complete file.
Source : Guichet.lu — source updated 14 July 2025 · checked on 21 August 2026
The absence of a response before the end of the 3-month period is equivalent to a tacit authorisation.
Source : Guichet.lu — source updated 14 July 2025 · checked on 21 August 2026
Anyone wishing to form an SARL-S must first apply for a business permit from the Ministry of the Economy; it is attached to the RCS registration application.
Source : Guichet.lu — source updated 23 July 2019 · checked on 21 August 2026
Three months is a rule-of-thumb period, neither an enforceable maximum nor an observed average: it runs from receipt of a complete file. That distinction decides your timeline — an incomplete file does not start the clock, it postpones it.
What moves forward in the meantime
The permit being processed does not freeze the rest of the file. Three workstreams run in parallel, and their order decides how much time is lost.
- The articles and the corporate object — a badly framed object is paid for twice: at the permit stage, which checks it against the qualification, and again at the register.
- The account and the capital deposit — for an SARL the capital must be fully subscribed and paid up at incorporation; onboarding with a bank is the step that most often stalls.
- The permit application documents — integrity, qualification, physical premises: assembling them is the real critical path.
An SARL requires a share capital contribution of at least EUR 12,000. The share capital must be fully subscribed and paid up at the time of incorporation.
Source : Guichet.lu — source updated 22 July 2019 · checked on 21 August 2026
After signature, two deadlines apply to you
Once the articles are signed, the timeline stops being a matter of organisation and becomes an obligation. These two deadlines are not negotiable.
The electronic filing must take place no later than one month after the articles of association are signed.
Source : Guichet.lu — source updated 6 May 2022 · checked on 21 August 2026
Registration of beneficial owners and of any change must be requested within one month from the moment the entity became aware, or should have become aware, of the event making it necessary.
Source : Guichet.lu — source updated 2 September 2019 · checked on 21 August 2026
A registered entity that fails to submit an RBE registration request is liable to a fine of between EUR 1,250 and EUR 1,250,000.
Source : Guichet.lu — source updated 2 September 2019 · checked on 21 August 2026
The order that saves time
Frame the activity and the legal form
The activity determines the qualification the permit requires, and the qualification determines the corporate object. Starting with the legal form means starting at the wrong end.
File the business permit application
This is the longest item: it is filed first, not last. The application goes to the Ministry of the Economy, online via MyGuichet.lu or by post.
Open the account and deposit the capital
Bank onboarding follows its own pace and its own requirements. Start it early, because it cannot be caught up later.
Sign the articles of association
Before a notary for an SARL; by private deed for an SARL-S, where a notary is not required.
File with the RCS and declare to the RBE
One month after signature for the register filing; one month as well for the beneficial-owner declaration.
Frequently asked questions
- Why does everyone say “3 to 4 weeks”?
- Because that figure measures the notarial and registration phase — from signing the articles to registration — and not the processing of the business permit, which Guichet.lu puts in principle at 3 months from receipt of a complete file. Both statements can be accurate; they simply do not describe the same thing.
- Is the SARL-S faster?
- It removes the notarial step, since it can be incorporated by private deed. It does not remove the business permit: Guichet.lu specifies that the application must be filed beforehand and attached to the RCS registration request. The longest item is therefore unchanged.
- What happens if the administration does not reply?
- Guichet.lu states that the absence of a response before the end of the 3-month period is equivalent to a tacit authorisation. Silence is therefore not a refusal — but the period runs from receipt of a complete file, and a request for further documents puts that starting point back in question.
- Can you invoice before the permit is issued?
- The business permit is a precondition for carrying on the commercial, craft or professional activity concerned. Trading without one exposes you; this must be checked with the Ministry of the Economy for your specific activity and belongs with qualified professionals — this text is not legal advice.
- What does “complete file” mean?
- It is the starting condition for the three-month period: as long as a document is missing, the administration has no file to process. The conditions concern professional integrity, a qualification matching the intended activity, and appropriate physical premises in Luxembourg.