The Brazilian Luxembourgers Survey

Updated: July 2nd, 2023
Written by: Daniel Atz with Lauren Lowell and Verônica Bochi

Since 2018 alone, over 23,000 Brazilians have obtained Luxembourg dual citizenship through ancestry. Why are so many Brazilians becoming Luxembourgish? This is the first survey to measure how these new dual citizens see Luxembourg and their future in Europe.

Em Português 🇧🇷 En Français 🇫🇷

Please note that this video contains entries in multiple languages. To turn on the correct subtitles, please press the play button, followed by the gear icon and “Subtitles/CC”.

Background

From August 15 to September 15, 2021, we ran an open survey of Brazilian-Luxembourgish dual citizens through ancestry. 212 (future) dual citizens participated representing a wide range of ages and demographics.

The following is the first systematic survey of the Brazilian-Luxembourger dual citizens. In it, participants respond to questions on their future in Luxembourg and motivations for applying for dual citizenship. No LuxCitizenship clients participated in this survey. All respondents self-identified (future) Luxembourg dual citizens.

Let’s Put It in Perspective

As of July 2023, there are 26,743 Luxembourg citizens living Brazil. Why does that matter? Well, that number is equivalent to over 4% of Luxembourg’s national population.

The 26,743 total Luxembourg citizens living in Brazil are nearly equivalent to the population of Differdange, Luxembourg’s 3rd largest commune.

However, the Luxembourg citizens in Brazil have a greater number of eligible Luxembourgish voters than Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg’s 2nd largest commune.

The population of Luxembourg citizens in Brazil has grown from 2,844 at the time of Luxembourg’s last election to 26,743 in time for its October 2023 election. That’s like adding a new major city to Luxembourg’s central electoral circumscription. With this quick shift, we think it’s important to understand these new Luxembourgers.

Key Findings

Having analyzed the results of our survey, we have highlighted some general findings.

Of all the Brazilian Luxembourgers who participated in our studies, there are several key takeaways that the majority had in common:

Over 80% of the Brazilian dual citizen survey respondents want to learn Luxembourgish
Over 90% of the respondents want to move to Luxembourg or the EU
There is a strong interest to make this move in the next 5 years
The Brazilian respondents were over 25% more likely to be planning a move in the next 5 years than the North Americans

Citizenship Status

We asked the respondents if they have already received their dual citizenship or if they have not yet completed the process.

Citizenship Status: Who Are Our Respondents?

77.5% of the respondents to our survey have already obtained Luxembourg dual citizenship. This is much more than the 54% of eligible Brazilian applicants under Article 89 of the Luxembourg Nationality Law who have already traveled to Luxembourg and obtained dual citizenship.

The Covid-19 pandemic prevented travel to Luxembourg for most Brazilians from March 2020 until late December 2021. Even after the removal of all Covid-19 travel restrictions in Luxembourg in 2022, many Brazilians still have been unable to travel to Luxembourg to complete their citizenship application.

Year Citizenship Was Received

2016 or before

2017

2018

12%

2019

33%

2020

26%

2021

21%

Have You Received Citizenship?

International Experience

We asked the (future) dual citizens about their experiences outside Brazil.

Have You Lived Outside Brazil?

24.1% of the respondents indicated that they had already lived outside of Brazil. By comparison, 27.3% of North American respondents indicated that they had already lived outside the US, so they are reasonably comparable.

Brazilian-Luxembourger Dual Citizen Jonathan and his wife Bruna explain about their experiences in the first three months after moving to Luxembourg.

Please note that this video was recorded in Portuguese. To turn on the correct subtitles, please press the play button, followed by the gear icon and “Subtitles/CC”.

Lived Outside of Brazil?

Multilingualism

Most people in Luxembourg speak 4-5 languages. How do the Brazilian dual citizens compare?

Schwätzt Dir Lëtzebuergesch?

Both around 84% of the Brazilian dual citizen applicants as well as their North Americans cousins indicate being interested to learn Luxembourgish. These are huge numbers! This could be a real opportunity to explore.

Of the 45.3% of participants who speak at least one foreign language, 24% of them speak at least two foreign languages and 8.3% speak three foreign languages or more.

Interested in Learning Luxembourgish?

An extract from RTL TV Lëtzebuerg’s report “Luxembourger and Brazilian” (Lëtzebuerger a Brasilien) See article for the videos.

Interest to Move

Do these new dual citizens plan to put their Luxembourg passport to use? How do they see their future in Europe?

From Brazil to the EU – Moving to Luxembourg

An incredible 90.6% of participants in this study expressed interest in moving to Luxembourg or another country in the European Union. This is a notable difference from the data collected in our American Luxembourgers Survey, where 80% of American applicants expressed interest in moving.

Want to Move to the EU?

Brazilian-Luxembourg Dual Citizen Fernanda explains what her ancestry and dual citizenship mean to her as part of a 2020 video campaign during the outbreak of Covid-19

Plans to Move in the Near Future

67% of respondents indicated they plan to move to Luxembourg or another country in the European Union in the next 5 years. This is 26% higher than the North American respondents planning a move within 5 years.

When?

In the next 1-2 years

44%

In the next 3-5 years

23%

I don’t have plans, but I’m interested

27%

Only in a long time

Verônica and Lucas give a bit of their first impressions moving to Luxembourg as a Brazilian dual citizen couple.

Please note that this video was recorded in Portuguese. To turn on the correct subtitles, please press the play button, followed by the gear icon and “Subtitles/CC”.

Application Motivations

What drove these Brazilians to apply for Luxembourg dual citizenship?

Dual Citizenship Motivations

Our Brazilian dual citizen respondents indicate that they pursued Luxembourg dual citizenship to provide themselves and their families more opportunities in the future.

*“Other” motivators listed by applicants commonly included improved quality of life, safety, retirement, and health.

Main Motivations for Applying for Dual Citizenship

Thinking about the future of my children / grandchildren

72%

I am proud of my Luxembourgish heritage

66%

I am interested in working in Luxembourg / Europe

58%

As a form of security or backup (in case it would be needed in the future)

48%

I desire to reconnect with the land of my ancestors

48%

I am interested in studying in Luxembourg / Europe

34%

Recent political and social movements have motivated me to secure a second citizenship

27%

Other

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