Immigration law in Andorra

The main legal basis is the Llei qualificada d’immigració 9/2012, amended by Llei 5/2025, Llei 6/2024 and Llei 2/2026. The Servei d’Immigració, the Ministeri d’Interior, the Servei Mèdic d’Immigració, the Cos de Policia, the Comú, CASS and other competent authorities share responsibilities depending on the procedure. The exact authorization determines whether a person may live, work, study, provide services, operate a business or remain temporarily in Andorra. Andorra itself does not issue a separate entry visa for ordinary travel, but it is not a Schengen member. Access normally takes place through France or Spain. A third-country national may therefore need a Schengen visa issued by France or Spain, including a visa allowing return or multiple entries when the travel plan requires it. Tourist stays may last up to 90 days in Andorra within a 365-day period, while the Schengen limit is generally 90 days in any 180-day period. Tourism does not permit work. A person who intends to stay longer than 90 days or work in Andorra needs a suitable autorització d’immigració. A Schengen overstay can lead to irregular status and can prevent an Andorran authorization. Andorra uses government quotas based on labour-market needs. Applications are generally prioritised chronologically, with preference for nationals of treaty states, followed by EU and EEA nationals and then other nationalities. In 2026 the general quota is 800 authorizations, including 624 resident workers and 176 frontier workers, with an additional quota of 150 for sportspeople. An increase of 250 announced in June 2026 is deducted from the global quota. Availability can change quickly and must be checked when the application is prepared. Family reunification is quota-free. The main work categories include residència i treball for an indefinite contract with an Andorran company and a permanent, effective home in Andorra; treball de fronterer for someone who works in Andorra but normally sleeps abroad; treball sense residència for someone who works for an Andorran company while living permanently abroad; and temporary work authorizations tied to a specific contract, sector or season. The ordinary resident-worker authorization starts for one year, can normally be renewed three times for two years each and then for ten years after seven years. A frontier authorization starts for one year and is normally renewed for three years. An employer must sign the application, verify the worker’s valid authorization, report the start and end of employment and wait for approval before allowing work. Other possibilities include self-employment, teaching at an institution covered by an international agreement, study, approved internships, high-performance sport, research, digital work, entrepreneurship and passive residence. A self-employed applicant usually needs a quota place and, depending on the category, a professional authorization, registration with the relevant professional body or an investment authorization. An investment-based passive residence generally requires at least 1,000,000 euros in Andorran assets, or 400,000 euros directly or indirectly invested permanently in the Fons d’Habitatge, plus an AFA deposit of 50,000 euros for the main applicant and 12,000 euros for each dependent. A qualifying property investment must exceed 800,000 euros per unit. Digital nomad and entrepreneur authorizations require a positive decision from the Ministry of Economy, sufficient means, accommodation, insurance and normally at least 90 days of residence per year. Family reunification can cover a spouse or stable partner, minor children, certain dependent adult children, dependent parents aged at least 65 or retired and people under guardianship or protection. The sponsor must prove a genuine family relationship, adequate housing and sufficient means for a dignified livelihood. Dependent family members need full health insurance. A worker with an effective permanent residence in Andorra can normally use family reunification without a quota, while the authorization period follows the sponsor’s status. Sham relationships, polygamy and unsupported dependency claims are excluded. Applications commonly require the application form, passport or identity document, recent photograph, criminal-record certificates from relevant countries, a sworn declaration, proof of accommodation, civil-status or family documents, an employment contract or appointment, qualifications or a curriculum vitae where relevant, proof of funds, insurance, CASS documentation and a medical examination with consent. Foreign public documents normally require an apostille or legalisation. The Servei d’Immigració may request additional documents or examinations. Changes to address, employer, personal status or other relevant data must be reported. Registration with the Comú is generally due within three months for work and family-reunification cases and within one month for passive residence, digital work, entrepreneurship and certain residential-centre categories. Residents must also deal with CASS, carry the authorization, validate a driving licence where necessary and generally register an imported vehicle within twelve months. Children under 16 must attend school. Renewal depends on the actual authorization and the person’s real situation. Work residents must maintain permanent and effective employment and residence. A gap in employment can generally reach no more than 60 consecutive days and 90 days per year when reported to the Employment Service. Self-employed people generally need 183 days per year, while passive residents, digital workers, internationally active professionals and entrepreneurs generally need at least 90 days per year. A renewal application should be filed before expiry. A timely application normally allows the person to continue under the former rights while it is decided; an expired renewable authorization may receive a transitional status of less than one year until a final decision. Certain renewals require integration evidence. Some workers and sportspeople must show Catalan at level A1 for the first renewal and A2 for the second, usually through a Government diploma or recognised equivalent. Citizenship generally requires Catalan at level B1 for applicants under 70 and also covers knowledge of Andorran history, geography and institutions. Andorra has no directly evidenced general asylum procedure equivalent to a comprehensive refugee system. Llei 4/2018 provides exceptional temporary and transitional protection for people under UNHCR protection or affected by systematic or widespread human-rights violations. This protection normally lasts two years and may exceptionally be extended by six months, with access to accommodation, work or training, social and health services and schooling. It does not itself establish refugee status. Afterward, the person may need an ordinary residència i treball authorization or another applicable legal status. Citizenship may arise through descent, birth or adoption, marriage to an Andorran citizen or naturalisation. Marriage-based acquisition generally requires at least five years of uninterrupted main or permanent residence before or after marriage, integration, cohabitation and no relevant conviction. Ordinary naturalisation generally requires 20 years of main or permanent residence, including at least five effective years immediately before the application. A special path may apply after ten years of residence and ten years of schooling in Andorra. The application goes to the Govern and requires residence, criminal-record and schooling evidence together with declarations of loyalty and respect for the law. A positive decision is conditional on proving loss of the former nationality within five years, with a possible extension of up to two years when renunciation has begun. Andorra can refuse an application for public-order or national-interest reasons, and active possession of another nationality can create a risk of loss of Andorran nationality. The Ministeri d’Interior or an authorised delegate decides initial applications. Refusal may follow from missing requirements, false or concealed information, simulation, security or public-order concerns, medical unsuitability, an exhausted quota or abuse of rights. A different authorization may sometimes replace the refused one if the applicant and employer expressly agree and the other requirements are satisfied. Residents’ appeals are generally suspensive until a final judgment, while appeals by frontier or non-resident workers are generally not suspensive and may require departure within up to 30 days. Expulsion proceedings allow ten working days for a statement before the Minister decides; residents generally retain suspensive appeal rights. Certain minors, people born in Andorra with uninterrupted residence and legal residents with at least 20 years of residence receive stronger protection against expulsion except where imperative security or public-order grounds apply. Working without the appropriate authorization, working outside its scope, staying overnight in Andorra as a frontier worker or remaining after an authorization has ended can create irregular status and sanctions. Fines range from 50 to 200 euros for minor offences, usually 1,000 to 3,000 euros for serious offences and 3,000 to 6,000 euros for very serious offences, or up to twice the avoided AFA deposit in relevant cases. Authorities may cancel an authorization for missing effective residence or work, false information, prohibited sector changes, failure to make a required investment or misuse of family reunification. The employer must not allow work before the authorization is issued.