Andorra Visa and Residence Options in 2026

Andorra has its own immigration system. It is not an EU member state, and moving there is not accomplished simply by holding an EU residence card, a Schengen visa, or a Spanish or French work permit. The right route depends on whether you will work for an Andorran employer, run a local business, work remotely without a fixed geographical location, join an approved entrepreneur program, live from investments or other resources, provide mainly international professional services, reunite with qualifying family, or study/research in Andorra.

For searchers using terms such as Andorra digital nomad visa and Andorra startup visa, the important news is that these are not invented marketing labels. Andorra's current Immigration Service publishes a dedicated D.3 digital-nomad residence and a distinct D.4 residence for participants in entrepreneur programs. They are still different from ordinary self-employment residence and from employer-sponsored residence and work.

This guide was verified against current Government of Andorra immigration pages, 2026 quota announcements, the immigration fee schedule and the government's immigration legislation index on 15 September 2026.

Quick comparison of Andorra residence pathways

| Route | Best fit | Core residence pattern | Important 2026 point | |---|---|---|---| | Digital nomad | Location-independent work using telecom/technology | At least 90 days/year | D.3 is a real residence category; no single public fixed-euro income threshold is stated on the current D.3 page | | Startup / entrepreneur program | Founder selected for the foreign entrepreneur program promoted by the economy ministry | At least 90 days/year | D.4 starts at 1 year and renews in 1-year periods | | Self-employment | Company owner/administrator or qualifying liberal professional | Generally active residence; renewal conditions are demanding | 2026 quota is 200; current policy adds a €50,000 non-refundable contribution for affected self-employed applications | | Work residence | Employee with an indefinite contract from an Andorran company | Permanent/effective residence | 2026 general quota set at 800 before stated deductions; first permit 1 year | | Passive residence | Person living from non-Andorran work/investment/pension resources without local employment | At least 90 days/year | New 2026 passive residents face €1,000,000 total investment plus non-refundable contributions | | International professional | Professional based in Andorra whose services are overwhelmingly used abroad | At least 90 days/year | At least 85% of services must be used outside Andorra; maximum one employee | | Family reunification | Eligible family of Andorran national or qualifying residence-and-work holder | Depends on sponsor | Separate residence authorization; do not assume automatic work rights | | Study / research | Study, training, high-level sport or scientific/similar research | Only while qualifying activity lasts | Permission is tied to the approved activity and its duration |

Does Andorra have a digital nomad visa?

Yes. The official Immigration Service calls it D.3: Residència per a nòmada digital. It is a residence authorization for a newcomer whose work does not require a specific geographical location and who uses telecommunications and technology.

The current D.3 government page requires the applicant to fit the regulatory quota and establish principal and effective residence in Andorra for at least 90 days per calendar year. The initial authorization lasts 2 years, followed by a 2-year first renewal, a 3-year second renewal and generally 10-year later renewals, subject to treaty exceptions.

A separate favorable determination from the economy authorities is part of the route. Read the Andorra digital nomad visa guide before relying on blogs that quote a universal income number: the current public D.3 page requires sufficient means under the applicable regulations but does not publish one simple fixed euro income threshold on that service page.

Does Andorra have a startup visa?

Andorra has a genuine founder-focused immigration route, although the official wording is more precise than “startup visa.” D.4: Residència per a participants en programes per a emprenedors is for a newcomer selected for the foreign entrepreneur program promoted by the ministry responsible for the economy and whose work can be performed without a fixed geographical location using technology.

The official D.4 page requires at least 90 days of principal/effective residence per calendar year. Its initial validity is 1 year, renewable in successive one-year periods.

Andorra also has a separate startup-company ecosystem and company qualification/registration rules. Corporate “startup” status is not itself immigration permission. See the Andorra startup visa and entrepreneur residence guide.

Ordinary employment: residence and work authorization

A person hired by an Andorran employer normally looks to the A.1 residence and work authorization, not the digital-nomad route. The official A.1 page requires, among other things:

• a place in the applicable quota;
• an indefinite employment contract with a legally constituted Andorran company; and
• permanent and effective residence in Andorra.

The initial authorization is 1 year, followed by three possible 2-year renewals; after seven years, successive periods are generally 10 years, subject to treaty exceptions.

The Government approved a 2026 general quota of 800 residence-and-work/frontier permits, comprising 624 resident permits and 176 frontier permits, before the deductions described in the quota announcement. Quotas are administrative ceilings, not promises that a slot remains available today.

For permits subject to the current language rules, first renewal can require A1 Catalan, with A2 applying at the later stage described by current policy. See the Andorra work residence guide.

Self-employment and company-owner residence

Andorra's J.1 route is a true residence and work authorization for self-employment. A company-based applicant may need prior foreign-investment authorization and must satisfy ownership, management and real-business conditions. The official service material states that the company must become the holder of an active registered commerce within the applicable three-month period.

Current government materials require careful reading because 2026 policy changed. The current J.1 checklist still displays a €50,000 non-remunerated AFA deposit in the relevant company path. Separately, the Government's March 2026 quota announcement says applications covered by the new sustainable-growth law must make a €50,000 non-refundable contribution. ReloTide does not add these into a fabricated €100,000 universal figure: applicants should confirm how the current law applies to their exact J.1 case before transferring funds.

The same March 2026 announcement set the self-employed quota at 200: 150 foreign-investment self-employed permits, 30 liberal professionals other than doctors, and 20 doctors, with categories not interchangeable.

Read the Andorra self-employment residence guide.

Passive residence changed materially in 2026

Search results still surface older Andorra passive-residence pages quoting €600,000. That number should not be treated as the current new-applicant rule.

The Government's March 2026 immigration quota announcement says new passive residents under the current sustainable-growth framework must make:

• a minimum total investment of €1,000,000;
• a €50,000 non-refundable contribution for the principal; and
• a €12,000 non-refundable contribution for each dependent.

The 2026 residence-without-work quota is 200, including 163 non-lucrative places, 10 for international professionals, 17 for scientific/cultural/sports-interest residents, and 10 for private geriatric/medical-care residence.

The standard financial-means test on the current D.1 service guidance uses annual income above 300% of the annual Andorran minimum wage, plus another 100% for each dependent. Since the Government raised the monthly minimum wage to €1,568.67 from 1 July 2026, the current arithmetic is approximately €56,472.12/year for the principal, plus €18,824.04/year per dependent. The legal test is indexed to the minimum wage, so these euro amounts must be recalculated when that wage changes.

See the Andorra passive residence guide.

International professionals: not the same as digital nomads

Andorra's non-work residence framework includes a category for a professional with international projection. The activity's base must be in Andorra, the professional can have at most one employee, and at least 85% of services must be used outside Andorra.

Current service materials also identify a €47,500 non-remunerated AFA deposit for the principal plus €9,500 for each dependent in this category. This is a distinct legal architecture from D.3 digital-nomad residence and J.1 self-employment.

Read the international professional residence guide.

Family reunification

The B.1 route covers qualifying family of an Andorran national or, under the official page's general rule, the holder of a residence-and-work authorization who resides in Andorra. Eligible relationships include spouses/stable partners, minor children, certain dependent adult children, qualifying dependent ascendants aged 65+ or retired, and defined guardianship cases.

The current application guidance uses household means linked to the Andorran minimum wage: generally 100% for each adult in the household and 70% for each minor, with detailed evidence rules. A family-residence authorization should not be treated as automatic unrestricted work permission unless the competent authority confirms the relevant work status.

See Andorra family reunification.

Study, training, sport and research

Andorra groups study, qualifying formative placements, high-level sports training and scientific/similar research in the F authorization. It permits residence only while the approved study, training, sport or research activity lasts. The study pathway must involve a recognized institution in Andorra.

The current guidance ties the economic-means calculation to 100% of the minimum wage for each relevant adult and 70% for minors in the household formula. See the Andorra student, training and research residence guide.

Permits that are important but are not ordinary relocation routes

The Immigration Service also publishes categories such as:

• C.1 frontier work, for a worker who works in Andorra but normally resides/sleeps outside it;
• G.1 temporary/seasonal immigration, tied to a fixed-duration contract and quota;
• H.2 temporary authorization for employees of foreign companies, for qualifying specific work; and
• I.1 work without residence, where the person resides abroad.

These categories matter for cross-border and temporary labour planning, but ReloTide does not turn them into ordinary “move to Andorra” residence pages because they do not perform the same settlement function as the routes above.

Government immigration fees

The current official fee schedule lists, among other items:

• initial residence and work authorization: €190.96;
• initial self-employment residence and work authorization: €190.96;
• renewal of residence/work and self-employment authorizations: €22.61;
• initial residence without work: €3,000;
• resident dependent under that framework: €1,000; and
• family-related residence lines: €22.61 in the specified categories.

Do not automatically apply the D.1 €3,000 fee to every D.3/D.4 digital-economy case. The competent Immigration Service should confirm the tariff line for a specific application.

Catalan-language renewal requirements

Language requirements are now part of immigration planning. The Government's language-law guidance explains that A1/A2 requirements apply to relevant residence-and-work renewals under the current rules. It also states that from 2029 these requirements extend to self-employed residence/work, frontier work, residence without work, and residence for foreign people contributing to the digital economy and entrepreneurship.

That means a 2026 digital nomad should not be told that the 2029 extension is already a current-renewal condition. Conversely, an ordinary worker should not ignore the current A1/A2 framework.

Tax is separate from immigration

An Andorran residence authorization does not, by itself, answer every tax question. Andorra's personal income tax system, company tax, social security and cross-border tax treaties have their own residence and source rules. The Government's tax portal currently describes a 10% headline IRPF rate with relief in defined income bands, but eligibility and effective taxation depend on the taxpayer's facts.

Remote employees, founders and international professionals should separately review payroll, permanent-establishment, corporate management, VAT/IGI, social-security and treaty issues before assuming that immigration residence determines the tax result.

Application workflow

A practical Andorra immigration project normally follows this order:

1. Choose the correct legal category. Do not use D.3 because “digital nomad” sounds easier if your actual plan is a local company or Andorran employment.
2. Check the current quota and route-specific preapproval. Several categories are capped, and D.3/D.4 involve economy-ministry determinations/program participation.
3. Prepare foreign documents properly. The government repeatedly requires foreign official documents to be apostilled under the Hague Convention or otherwise duly legalized.
4. Secure qualifying accommodation and insurance where the route requires them.
5. File the Immigration Service application with the route-specific forms and evidence.
6. Complete medical/registration formalities and register with the relevant Comú within the stated period after authorization.
7. Track renewal-specific rules, including residence-day tests, continuing business/employment conditions and language requirements where applicable.

Which route should you compare first?

If you work entirely through technology without needing a fixed location, start with the digital nomad route. If you are entering an approved foreign entrepreneur program, compare the startup/entrepreneur program route. If you will own and actively operate an Andorran company, use the self-employment route. If you have an Andorran employer, use work residence.

If your plan is to live in Andorra without local employment, compare passive residence. If your professional base will be Andorra but at least 85% of services are used abroad, examine international-professional residence.

For discovery across countries, browse digital nomad visas, startup visas, entrepreneur visas, self-employment visas, and the Europe regional hub.

Frequently asked questions

Is Andorra in the Schengen Area?

Andorra has a distinctive relationship with neighbouring France and Spain and has updated border-management arrangements, but an Andorran immigration authorization is its own national status. Do not assume that a Schengen visa is an Andorran residence permit.

How many days must an Andorra digital nomad live in the country?

The official D.3 page requires principal and effective residence for at least 90 days per calendar year.

Is the old €600,000 passive-residence investment still current for a new 2026 application?

Current 2026 Government policy states €1,000,000 minimum total investment for new passive residents plus the stated non-refundable contributions. Older official forms or secondary sources quoting €600,000 can be stale.

Can I call self-employment a startup visa?

No. Andorra has both a J.1 self-employment route and a separate D.4 entrepreneur-program residence. A company founder must match the actual legal category rather than treating the labels as interchangeable.

Does family reunification automatically let a dependant work?

The B.1 page is a residence authorization. Do not assume unrestricted employment from that fact alone; confirm any work authorization required for the family member's circumstances.

Are Andorran immigration quotas guaranteed for the whole year?

No. A quota establishes a ceiling and can be divided by category, reduced by prior issuances or exhausted. Check the current Immigration Service position at the time of filing.

Published pathways