Registration and river navigation certificates
The Directorate of River Navigation issues the following certificates for inland waterway vessels sailing under the Luxembourg flag:
Tonnage measurement certificate and registration
All vessels navigating on inland waterways must be tonnage-measured before being registered.
For passenger vessels, the Union certificate or the valid Rhine inspection certificate may take the place of the tonnage measurement certificate. Pleasure craft with a hull length of less than 15 m do not have to be measured.
Tonnage measurement operations for boats operating in the Grand Duchy are carried out by classification societies and approved surveyors. Approval of the foreign measurement certificate is carried out by the Directorate of River Navigation within the Ministry of Mobility and Public Works.
The tonnage certificate is valid for a maximum of 15 years (10 years for vessels carrying dangerous goods), but may be extended.
To have the tonnage certificate approved, the owner of the vessel must send the vessel management form (F0), and prove that the vessel is being managed in Luxembourg by obtaining an operator's certificate issued by the Administration de l'enregistrement et des domaines.
The owner of the boat can also send a request for a Luxembourg tonnage certificate on plain paper.
The issuing process is set out in the flowchart below and explained in the relevant instructions, together with the annexes to be attached to the application.
Community certificate (EU)
Luxembourg issues Union (EU) certificates in accordance with Directive (EU) 2016/1629 and the ES-TRIN standards. Rhine certificates are automatically recognised under Directive 2006/87/EC, as amended.
These technical prescriptions and standards apply both to vessels carrying goods and to passenger vessels with or without cabins. As a general rule, these requirements apply to:
- floating craft and all vessels over 20 metres
- or whose length × beam × draught is equal to or greater than 100m3.
All inland waterway vessels must comply with these regulations.
Luxembourg does not issue additional Union certificates, as it does not have a river with additional reliefs or requirements.
The certificate must be renewed before its individual validity expires. The maximum validity is 5 years for passenger vessels and for vessels carrying dangerous goods as defined by UNECE provisions. Other boats are valid for 10 years.
The applicant must complete the relevant application form and attach the key documents requested, i.e. a class certificate, a certificate of conformity and a checklist drawn up by the classification society Bureau Veritas, with which Luxembourg has established a cooperation contract in this area.
The inspection committee is then convened, and issues an opinion before the Union (EU) certificate is issued by the Minister.
The issuing process is set out in the flowchart below (link to flowchart).
River ADN certificate of approval
Vessels carrying dangerous goods must be in possession of a river ADN certificate of approval.
On 1 January 2011, the ADN-R and ADN-M were replaced by the ADN, which applies throughout Europe. The ADN is updated every two years.
The applicant must complete the ADN river approval application form and attach a certificate of compliance of the vessel with the ADN rules issued by a classification society.
Certificates of conformity from the following classification societies are accepted:
The ADN river approval certificate is issued or renewed by the Minister on the basis of a certificate of full compliance with European regulations issued by a classification society recognised at European level following a visit by the latter.
The certificate must be renewed before it expires, i.e. every 5 years at the latest, subject to a one-year extension. The cost of the certificate of conformity (100 euros) must be paid to the classification society.
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