This 2020 article reflects trends in 2019 and information available in January 2020. The information is now out of date. The Ministry of Justice has released how many Americans in total applied for Luxembourgish citizenship and it was more than our predictions. Check out the American-Luxembourgers Study and our more recent blog articles for more information.
Over 2,100 Americans Have Reclaimed Luxembourg Citizenship
To view “American-Luxembourgers” LuxCitizenship’s interactive research report on American people reclaiming Luxembourg Citizenship, please click here.
Annual Statistics Released
The Luxembourg Ministry of Justice has released its annual statistics report on how many people have obtained Luxembourg citizenship. In 2019, 11,451 people obtained Luxembourg Citizenship through various procedures. These include Reclaiming Luxembourg Citizenship and Citizenship by Option. The number also includes procedures like Naturalization from living in Luxembourg. The following article breaks down the total numbers. Then we analyze the total numbers and trends for American applicants.
A Decrease in Total Applicants
There is one surprising trend for 2019. 2019 is the first year in 5 years that the total number of applicants has decreased. 425 people or 4% less applied than in 2018. All the same, 400 people more reclaimed Luxembourg Citizenship. 1,100 fewer people applied under a law for foreigners born in Luxembourg.
Looking further, 44% of the total applicants or 5067 people reclaimed Luxembourg citizenship under Article 89. 7% more went through the Article 23 Citizenship by Option process.
Applications by Country
Of the 11,451 applicants, the French were the largest group (2,446 – 21%). Then in second place are the Brazilians (2,117 – 18%). The Belgians came in third place (1,335 – 12%). The total number of Brazilians more than doubled from 2018 (935).
So where does that leave the Americans? 730 Americans (6%) obtained Luxembourg citizenship in 2019. This puts Americans in 5th place in 2019. Compared to 2018, this is a 9% increase in total US applicants (659 – 2018).
Number of Americans Reclaiming Luxembourg Citizenship Grows 77% Year on Year
| City | Total US Applicants | Reclaimed Citizenship | Citizenship By Option |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 730 | 639 | 37 |
| 2018 | 667 | 598 | 12 |
| 2017 | 412 | 382 | 0 |
| 2016 | 233 | 216 | 0 |
| 2015 | 100 | 83 | 0 |
| 2014 | 80 | 61 | 0 |
| 2013 | 48 | 25 | 0 |
| 2012 | 42 | 21 | 0 |
| 2011 | 32 | 7 | 0 |
| 2010 | 44 | 7 | 0 |
| 2009 | 47 | 2 | 0 |
Of these 730 Americans, 639 or 88% reclaimed Luxembourg citizenship under the Article 89 process. An additional 37 people or 5% went through the Citizenship by Option process. The remaining 7% went through other processes like naturalization. The Ministry of Justice does not publish statistics on individuals who obtained Luxembourg nationality certificates through the Article 7 process. These applicants have their citizenship recognized instead of “obtaining” it.
Trends for 2020
Looking ahead to 2020, we know three things to be true.
First, December 31st, 2020 is the last day possible to reclaim Luxembourg citizenship. After this date, the program comes to an end. It will not be possible to obtain citizenship through this path after. Therefore, it is reasonable to expect a large number of people will apply in 2020. Many people applied for Luxembourg Ancestor Certificates in past years without traveling to Luxembourg.
