Press coverage
Trump-Effect: Ever More Americans Want Luembourg Passports
Read the original article at Saarbrücker Zeitung →
In a piece published by Saarbrücker Zeitung, Daniel Atz — founder of LuxCitizenship — was featured for his role in helping Americans obtain Luxembourgish citizenship in response to growing political and cultural shifts in the United States.
The article explores how more Americans are seeking second citizenship, particularly in Luxembourg, and highlights Daniel’s work in guiding them through the legal and genealogical process. As the headline suggests, the “Trump effect” has led many to consider Luxembourg not just for heritage — but for opportunity and stability.
Through LuxCitizenship, Daniel has built a trusted resource for Americans reclaiming their Luxembourg nationality, often motivated by both family history and modern concerns.
👉 Read the original article in Saarbrücker Zeitung (German): Trump-Effekt: Immer mehr Amerikaner wollen Luxemburger Pass →
English translation
LUXEMBOURG Daniel Atz is American – and since 2014 also Luxembourger.
“When after the war U.S. soldiers were stationed briefly in Luxembourg, my great-grandmother fell in love with one of them and then followed him to the USA,” he tells.
Like him, thousands of people in the United States have family roots in the Grand Duchy. Depending on how far these reach back into the past, some descendants are therefore allowed to apply for Luxembourgish nationality. And the number of those who are interested in it is increasing.
From this observation, Atz founded in New York the company “Luxcitizenship,” which supports people on the path to nationality.
“When I myself undertook the steps, I noticed that there was hardly any information about it in English,” he says. And something else he remembered: “I had heard that the website of the Canadian naturalization authorities immediately after the election of Donald Trump in 2016 was for a long time not accessible – because of overload.”
So he registered his website in November 2016, through which he offers his services to Americans who aim for the Luxembourg passport.
In the first year, demand was low. “Most customers had family motives. For example, a relative had just died and it was for them a reason to research their family history. They wanted to obtain Luxembourgish nationality because it was part of their history,” Atz tells.
But through Trump’s first mandate and the after-effects, the number of customers increased and also the motivations changed. It was increasingly about the economic and political direction of the country.
“When the Supreme Court in 2022 overturned the nationwide right to abortion, suddenly many women contacted us,” gives the company head as an example.
Around 2100 women and men he has so far successfully helped to Luxembourg passports, 500 cases are currently being processed by his seven-person team.
The fastest cases are completed in three to four months. But the undertaking can also take up to one year.
“In many cases the search for documents is difficult. For example, many documents in Chicago were destroyed in 1871 in the great fire. In many U.S. states, the archiving of very old documents was not always reliable or the information is only partially correct. A frequent example is the confusion between the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg and the Province of Luxembourg in Belgium,” says Atz.
The re-election of Trump has again driven the number of potential customers upward. Since then alone, over 1200 new inquiries have been received at Luxcitizenship.
In a free initial quiz, in which customers can find out on the website whether they fulfill the requirements for the Luxembourg passport at all, they can also give information about their motivations.
“The number of people who indicate doubts about the economic situation of the USA has increased by around ten percent. Likewise, there are more and more persons from the LGBT community who are worried,” says Atz.
Will all these people soon break up their tents in America and stream to Luxembourg? Probably not.
Atz additionally offers a consultation hour for new Luxembourgers who are actually interested in a move across the Atlantic. Demand for that is also increasing.
“Previously I had one request every two months. Since January I conduct on some days up to three of these consultation talks,” says the entrepreneur.
But many would underestimate the obstacles. “Most speak only English, that could be difficult in job search. In addition, they underestimate what life in Luxembourg costs, for example regarding the real estate market,” he reports.
He advises his customers to first travel several times to Luxembourg in order to get a realistic idea of everyday life there.
Also, not all new citizens are interested in moving to the Grand Duchy, but rather generally in Europe. The Luxembourg passport also allows them to move to other EU member states.
Popular, according to Atz, are above all Spain, France and Portugal. He is also often asked whether he can help with applying for German nationality. In Germany, however, the criteria are much more restrictive; a German great-grandfather is not sufficient to obtain nationality.
But he thinks that interest will continue to rise in the coming months – namely in passports of all EU countries.