Limiting begging
In the last few years, Luxembourg City has seen an increase in panhandling, and in particular, begging by organised gangs and aggressive begging. To safeguard the wellbeing of local residents and visitors and to protect local business activity, the City has decided to amend its General Regulations on Public Order and Safety (Règlement général de la police) in order to curb such practices.
Consequently, begging is now banned every day between 7:00 and 22:00 in Ville Haute within the perimeter delineated by the following streets:
- Boulevard Royal
- Côte d'Eich
- Rue du Palais de Justice
- Rue Wiltheim
- Rue Large
- Rue du Saint Esprit
- Plateau du Saint Esprit
- Boulevard F. D. Roosevelt
- Boulevard Royal,
- and on the following streets in the Gare district: Avenue de la Liberté, Avenue de la Gare, Boulevard de la Pétrusse, Pont Adolphe and Rue de Strasbourg
Begging is also prohibited in public squares and parks, all playgrounds and in public car parks in Luxembourg City.
Legal provisions
Criminal Code
- Article 342 (anyone who begs in a group – unless the people are spouses, a parent and their young children, or a blind or disabled person and their guide – shall be punished with imprisonment of eight days to one month)
- Article 382-1 (the following acts constitute a human trafficking offence: recruiting, transporting, transferring, harbouring or receiving an individual, passing on or transferring control over a person, with the aim of forcing them into begging or exploiting them, or making them available to a beggar so that they can be used to elicit public sympathy)
- Article 563, clause 6 (vagrants and those who have been found to be beggars shall be fined €25 to €250)
The City of Luxembourg's General Regulations on Public Order and Safety of 26 March 2001, as amended on 27 March 2023 (Règlement général de police de la Ville de Luxembourg du 26 mars 2001, tel que modifié le 27 mars 2023)
- Article 7 §1 (prohibition of soiling public spaces and thoroughfares and leaving or otherwise disposing of any objects there)
- Article 32 (prohibition of discarding into public spaces and thoroughfares any liquids or substances that could compromise safe passage or public health; prohibition of urinating, spitting or defecating in public spaces and thoroughfares)
- Article 41 (prohibition of organised begging and gang begging in Luxembourg City)
- Article 42 (prohibition of any other form of begging, limited to certain parts of Luxembourg City)
- Article 43 (prohibition of shouting at, accosting, or following people, and hindering the free passage of pedestrians and motorists in public spaces and thoroughfares, and blocking building entrances and crossings)
Action for annulment
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Social facilities and assistance
The City of Luxembourg works closely with social services to help people in need: Caritas, Red Cross, Inter-Actions and many others, whose services include providing homeless people with hot meals, hygiene supplies, clothing and overnight accommodation.
The City also supports the Streetwork and À vos côtés services. Streetwork reaches out to vulnerable people, signposting the available support services. À vos côtés was created in response to concerns voiced by residents of some districts that they felt unsafe.
What to do
- Never react to active, aggressive begging.
- If you are assaulted or threatened, contact the police immediately. Even if you do not file a complaint, any signs of aggression or violence will help to document aggressive begging.
- If you feel unsafe, contact the À vos côtés team.
- It is natural to want to help people in need. To do so, you can reach out directly to the charities operating in Luxembourg that work to help people in distress. That way, you can be confident that people in need are getting long-term help to improve their living conditions. With this in mind, we ask that you refrain from giving money if you are solicited, so as to avoid supporting organised begging.
Useful numbers
- Police: 113
- À vos côtés: 26 29 61 28
- Premier Appel service: 27 40 01 15
- Streetwork service and Service Jeunesse et intervention sociale 4796-2720 or 4796-2786
