Importing a car from Luxembourg: registration, COC and paperwork

The documents to gather

From the seller, you should leave with the Luxembourg registration certificate, issued by the SNCA, usually accompanied by the roadworthiness test report, together with a sales contract or invoice quoting the chassis number.

For the registration file itself, three items come up every time: the registration document of the country of origin, the certificate of conformity and the tax clearance. A roadworthiness test is added depending on the age of the vehicle and the rules of your country of registration.

The exact list depends on the authority that will process your file.

The certificate of conformity: why it is often missing

Luxembourg concentrates an unusual density of company cars, often premium, often leased, and often driven by cross-border commuters. That structure has a direct consequence for our files: the certificate of conformity stayed with the leasing company, which has no reason to pass it on at resale.

The second point is the rapid turnover of the fleet. Company cars are renewed every three or four years, which feeds a recent, well-maintained used market. Good news for the buyer: those vehicles are comfortably inside the ten-year limit, so the type-approval data is fully available.

The Luxembourg registration certificate does not replace the certificate of conformity: it attests to registration, not to type approval.

One last point specific to the Grand Duchy: many vehicles there were ordered by companies headquartered elsewhere, and the paperwork travels between several countries before reaching you. It is not unusual for part of the file to have stayed in Germany or Belgium. That does not complicate the request — we work from the chassis number — but it explains why a Luxembourg seller acting in good faith may be unable to say where the original certificate is.

Step by step

1. 1

   The purchase

   Collect the complete Luxembourgish documents and note the chassis number, 17 characters.

2. 2

   The certificate of conformity

   Start the request at signing: it is the longest step, because it depends on the manufacturer.

3. 3

   Tax clearance

   Handled in parallel with the tax authority of your country of registration.

4. 4

   Roadworthiness test

   Required depending on the age of the vehicle and the rules that apply where you register it.

5. 5

   The registration application

   It brings all the documents together. A single missing item blocks the file.

The only turnaround we state is the manufacturer’s, brand by brand: the administrative steps depend on the authority concerned.

The cost of the COC by brand

The brands most represented among imports from Luxembourg:

Indicative prices including VAT, confirmed once the chassis number has been checked. Full list: price by brand. Turnarounds: turnaround guide. What the eCOC changes in 2026: our eCOC guide.