# Electronic money institution authorisation (Luxembourg)

Source page: https://protegra.io/licensing/licences/emi/luxembourg/

The Electronic money institution authorisation is issued by Commission de Surveillance du Secteur Financier (CSSF) under Directive 2009/110/EC on the taking up, pursuit and prudential supervision of the business of electronic money institutions (EMD2). It can be passported to the other EU/EEA states by notification. The official register lists 21 current holders. The legal decision period is 3 months from receipt of a complete application, maximum 12 months overall. The application fee is EUR 30,000.

## At a glance

| Official name | Electronic money institution authorisation [1] |
| --- | --- |
| Issued by | [Commission de Surveillance du Secteur Financier](https://protegra.io/licensing/regulators/cssf-luxembourg/) |
| Jurisdiction | [Luxembourg](https://protegra.io/licensing/jurisdictions/luxembourg/) |
| Licence family | [Electronic money institution (EMI)](https://protegra.io/licensing/licences/emi/) |
| Legal basis | Directive 2009/110/EC on the taking up, pursuit and prudential supervision of the business of electronic money institutions (EMD2) [2] |
| Passporting | EU/EEA passport available |
| Application fee | EUR 30,000 [3] |
| Annual fee | EUR 30,000 [3] |
| Statutory decision time | 3 months from receipt of a complete application, maximum 12 months overall [4] |
| Public register | [official register](https://searchentities.apps.cssf.lu/search-entities-api/api/v1/entite?page=0&size=5&st=advanced&entType=EMI) [5] |
| Current holders | 21 [5] |

## What it lets you do

- [Issuing electronic money](https://protegra.io/licensing/activities/e-money-issuance/)
- [Execution of payment transactions](https://protegra.io/licensing/activities/payment-execution/)
- [Money remittance](https://protegra.io/licensing/activities/money-remittance/)
- [Issuing payment instruments and acquiring payment transactions](https://protegra.io/licensing/activities/card-issuing-acquiring/)
- [Payment initiation services](https://protegra.io/licensing/activities/payment-initiation/)
- [Account information services](https://protegra.io/licensing/activities/account-information/)

- **Issuing electronic money.** Issuing monetary value stored electronically against funds received, redeemable at par and accepted by third parties as payment.
- **Execution of payment transactions.** Executing direct debits, card payments and credit transfers, including standing orders, from a payment account.
- **Money remittance.** Receiving funds from a payer solely to transfer them to a payee or another provider, without opening payment accounts.
- **Issuing payment instruments and acquiring payment transactions.** Issuing cards or other payment instruments to payers, and acquiring card and other payment transactions for merchants.
- **Payment initiation services.** Initiating a payment order at the user's request from an account held with another provider, as in open banking.
- **Account information services.** Providing consolidated online information on one or more payment accounts the user holds with other providers.

## Where it is valid

_Issued in Luxembourg (gold); can be passported to the other EU/EEA states (blue) by notification._

## Cost

_Regulatory costs from the official sources above. Professional fees, staff, office and audit come on top and depend on the business model._

## How long it takes

Statutory: 3 months from receipt of a complete application, maximum 12 months overall [4]. Observed: not published. The statutory clock usually starts only when the regulator treats the application as complete, and pauses while it waits for answers to its questions.

## Buying a company that already holds it

**Prior notification with an objection period.** Acquisition or disposal of qualifying holdings reaching or crossing 10%, 20%, 30%, or 50% of capital or voting rights, or causing an entity to become a subsidiary, requires prior written notification to the CSSF. The CSSF conducts a prudential assessment of acquirer suitability, reputation, financial soundness, and AML risk within 60 working days (interruptible once by up to 20 working days, or 30 working days for non-EU acquirers) under Articles 18 and 18-1 of the Law of 5 April 1993, Article 12 of the Law of 10 November 2009, Article 83 of Regulation (EU) 2023/1114 (MiCA), and Circular CSSF 17/669 adopting the Joint ESA Guidelines. [6]

## Laws behind it

- [Directive 2009/110/EC on the taking up, pursuit and prudential supervision of the business of electronic money institutions](https://protegra.io/licensing/laws/eu-emd2-2009-110/): Directive 2009/110/EC

## Sources

1. [cssf.lu: authorisation procedure payment institution or electronic mo](https://www.cssf.lu/en/authorisation-procedure-payment-institution-or-electronic-money-institution-registration-aisp/): retrieved 2026-09-24
2. [eur-lex.europa.eu: HTML (32009L0110)](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/HTML/?uri=CELEX:32009L0110): retrieved 2026-09-24
3. [cssf.lu: GDR 231222 CSSF fees (PDF)](https://www.cssf.lu/wp-content/uploads/GDR_231222_CSSF_fees.pdf): retrieved 2026-09-24
4. [cssf.lu: law of 10 november 2009](https://www.cssf.lu/en/Document/law-of-10-november-2009/): retrieved 2026-09-24
5. [searchentities.apps.cssf.lu: entite](https://searchentities.apps.cssf.lu/search-entities-api/api/v1/entite?page=0&size=5&st=advanced&entType=EMI): retrieved 2026-09-24
6. [cssf.lu: circular cssf 17 669](https://www.cssf.lu/en/Document/circular-cssf-17-669/): retrieved 2026-09-24

Last verified 2026-09-24 · Author: Danil Marmysh · Reviewed by Anastasia Sidorenkova · © Protegra. Data: CC BY 4.0, cite "Protegra Licensing Atlas". Not legal advice.