The Luxembourgish Sproochentest, explained
The Sproochentest is the Luxembourgish language test taken for naturalisation. It has two parts: a 10-minute speaking test assessed at CEFR level A2, and a 35-minute listening comprehension test assessed at level B1. You pass by scoring at least 50% in the speaking test. Registration costs EUR 75 and is refundable once you have applied for nationality.
Last verified against official sources on 18 August 2026. Exam fees, dates and regulations change — always confirm on inll.lu before you register.
What is the Sproochentest?
It is the test of spoken Luxembourgish that the law requires for naturalisation, run by the Institut National des Langues. Its full name is the test of evaluation of the Luxembourgish language, but almost everyone — including the INL — calls it the Sproochentest.
It is not a general language certificate and not a school exam. It exists for one purpose: to establish that you can hold a conversation in Luxembourgish and follow it when other people speak it.
What are the two parts of the exam?
- Speaking — 10 minutes, level A2
- Two five-minute halves. In the first you are interviewed on an everyday A2 subject, with the examiner offering a choice between two. In the second you describe a visual medium, choosing from three.
- Listening — 35 minutes, level B1
- Three kinds of recording: a radio message, an everyday conversation, and an exchange or presentation on a specific subject. You mark your answers on a questionnaire.
The two are assessed at different levels on purpose. You have to understand more Luxembourgish than you have to produce, which is what living in the country actually demands. Both parts are taken on a tablet, within a single half-day session.
The format of each part is set out on the page about how the exam works.
What score do you need to pass?
You need at least half the points in the speaking test. If you score below that, the result is not automatically a fail: it can be offset by your listening result, provided the arithmetic average of the two is at least 50%.
The full rule, and what examiners are actually marking, is on the page about the pass mark and scoring.
How much does the Sproochentest cost, and how do you register?
As of August 2026 the registration fee is EUR 75. It is refundable: once you have submitted your nationality application to the civil registrar at your commune, you can claim the fee back, along with approved Luxembourgish course fees. Registration goes through the INL’s MyINL portal, where the available dates are published.
What happens if you fail?
You can take the Sproochentest again. According to the INL there is no limit on the number of attempts, with one condition: you can only register again once the result of your previous attempt has come through.
Is anyone exempt from the language test?
- If your physical or mental condition prevents you from learning Luxembourgish, you can ask the Minister of Justice for an exemption from the language test, supported by a medical certificate from a specialist doctor.
- There is also a route that replaces the test with a 24-hour Luxembourgish course — but it belongs to acquiring nationality by option, not by naturalisation, and it is for adults who have legally resided in Luxembourg for at least 20 years. Option and naturalisation are separate procedures with separate conditions.
Both are conditions in law rather than favours, and both turn on your individual circumstances. The exact wording is on the guichet.lu pages linked below, and nothing here should be read as a substitute for them.
How should you prepare for it?
- Practise speaking out loud, not silently. The speaking part is a conversation with a person, and it is the half with the hard pass condition attached.
- Train your ear separately. Listening is assessed a level higher than speaking, and it is the part most candidates underestimate.
- Work across the everyday subject areas rather than memorising a script — you do not get to choose the subject, only between the two offered.
- Get used to describing a picture out loud. It is half the speaking mark and it needs vocabulary most people never practise.
Where these facts come from
Everything on this page about the exam is traceable to an official source. Where something is not published, this page says so instead of guessing.
- Introduction to the SproochentestInstitut National des Langues — the body that runs the exam
- Prerequisites for voluntary acquisition of nationalityguichet.lu — the Luxembourg government’s citizen portal
- INL frequently asked questionsInstitut National des Langues