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The contact person and documents

📐 Article4 min read

What you will learn The contact person's role, the requirement of presence, the duty to keep documents, and the translation rule.

Posting presupposes a presence and an address in Luxembourg. Two physical requirements in an otherwise paperless system, and that is what makes them easy to overlook.

The contact person's role

They are the administration's point of contact. The contact person must be reachable during the works.

The posting firm freely and clearly designates an individual or entity, present on Luxembourg territory for the duration of the work.

That person is the reference point for communicating with the competent administration and other authorities.

Their designation takes place before work begins, and their details appear in the posting declaration.

Their presence on the territory for the duration of the work is a substantive requirement, not a mere administrative entry.

They need not be an employee of the firm, the designation being free, but they must be reachable and present.

Element Requirement Where
Contact person Appointed and reachable In Luxembourg
Employment documents Kept available On site
Translation In an accepted language On request

What this requirement means in practice

Three consequences for a foreign firm.

A purely formal designation is insufficient, the administration possibly seeking to reach that person.

A firm with no permanent presence must organise this function, which may run through a site manager on the ground or a mandated third party.

A change of contact person must be reported through the same channel as the declaration.

On a long project with rotating teams, this requirement calls for explicit organisation, failing which the contact declared is no longer present.

The duty to keep documents

A second territorial anchor.

The firm must state in its declaration the address in Luxembourg where the posting documents will be kept.

That address is disclosed to the administration, and any change must be reported.

The documents must be capable of being made available on inspection, which presupposes they are actually accessible at the address declared.

Keeping the documents at the foreign head office therefore does not satisfy the duty, even if the documents exist and are in order.

The translation rule

A practical point that often surprises.

Documents must be translated into French or German if they were not drawn up in one of those languages.

This requirement directly concerns firms whose employment records are drawn up in another language.

It means anticipating translation, since a translation requested at short notice during an inspection cannot be produced.

It carries cost and lead time, to be built into preparing the work rather than discovered at the inspection.

What must be available

Four categories, to organise before starting. They group the documents to be kept available.

Documents relating to the posting itself, including the declaration and badges.

Documents relating to each posted employee's employment contract.

Documents relating to working time and pay, linked to the mandatory rules covered in the corresponding article.

Translations, where the originals are not in French or German.

The exact list of documents that may be required is to be checked with the competent administration, and this guide does not reproduce it.

What this means for a professional

Four rules.

Designate someone genuinely present, not a nominal contact.

Organise continuity of that function on long projects.

Set up an effective keeping address in Luxembourg, accessible on inspection.

Anticipate translations, which cannot be produced at short notice.

This article reflects the rules at the date of checking and serves professional orientation. It does not constitute legal advice.

Frequently asked questions

The contact appointed towards the administration, reachable throughout the works. They must be able to respond at an inspection.

Three consequences, on appointment, availability and holding the documents. They assume an organisation planned before start-up.

Four categories, organised before starting: contracts, working time, wages and declarations. They must remain available on site.

They must be producible in a language accepted by the administration. The translation rule is checked before the inspection, not during it.

Working on a site in Luxembourg