Transfer and transit of sources

Almost all shipments of radioactive sources within the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg pass through one or more of our country’s borders.

In addition to the statutory rules governing the transportation of radioactive materials, cross-border transfers must also comply with specific regulations. In particular, these apply to:

• deliveries of radioisotopes for medical applications,
• the return of spent radioactive sources to the supplier after use,
• straightforward transit operations.

Transfer of sealed sources between Member States

The Radiation Protection Division (Division de la radioprotection) applies a surveillance and monitoring system, taking account of the type of transfer and the applicable regulatory provisions.

The term ‘transfer’ refers to shipments of radioactive substances between EU Member States, from the place of origin to the destination.

Declaration form

Authorised establishments that are Class II or III and wish to acquire a sealed source must obtain permission from the Radiation Protection Division by submitting a standardised document confirming that they meet all of the applicable rules.

To this end, the transfer request document must be duly completed (boxes 1 to 5) and sent by the Radiation Protection Officer at the establishment to the Radiation Protection Division, which must confirm that it has taken note of the declaration by stamping it. The establishment must then send the document to the supplier of the radioactive source(s).

Please note

• The Radiation Protection Division will only stamp the documents if the source’s destination (point 2 on the form) is the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg.
• The originator of the source in the country of shipment (point 3 on the form) must contain the address of the company in the EU Member State that is in possession of the sources at the time of the form being completed.
• The originator of the source is not necessarily the same entity as the owner of the source.

Obligation of suppliers of sealed sources and other radioactive substances

Within 21 days of the end of each calendar quarter, suppliers of sealed sources and other radioactive substances must provide a complete list of all transfers made during that quarter to a Luxembourg establishment.

Transfers of radioactive waste

The operations required for shipments of radioactive waste are subject to the provisions of Council Directive 2006/117/Euratom of 20 November 2006, transposed into national law by the Grand Ducal Regulation of 3 March 2009 on the supervision and control of transfers of radioactive waste and spent nuclear fuel.

Exports and imports

The import of radioactive sources from a third country and their export to a third country are subject to prior authorisation by the Director of Health. If a high-activity source is being exported, the exporting establishment must also be in possession of the written agreement of the competent authorities of the destination country.

Transit of radioactive sources

The term ‘transit’ refers to the transport of goods through the country, having come from a third country or an EU Member State and heading for another country.

This term is different from ‘transfer’, which refers to the transport of radioactive materials between EU Member States, from the place of origin to the place of destination.

Example

If the country of origin or destination is Luxembourg, it is a ‘transfer’ rather than a ‘transit’. In this case, no authorisation for the transit of radioactive materials is required.

Permit application

Authorisation can be requested by submitting the transit permit application form. This can be downloaded from the ‘Learn more’ box below.

Register

Holders of the authorisation for transit must keep a register that records the following information for every shipment:

• the trade name;
• the quantity transported;
• name of manufacturer;
• factory address;
• arrival date in Luxembourg;
• exit date;
• place;
• destination country.