Andorra Startup Visa and Entrepreneur Residence in 2026

The common search phrase Andorra startup visa maps most closely to a real official immigration category: D.4 residence for participants in entrepreneur programs (Residència per a participants en programes per a emprenedors). Andorran government communications have also used entrepreneur-visa terminology, but the current Immigration Service page is the best description of the residence authorization itself.

D.4 is not a generic founder visa for anyone who registers a company. It is for a newcomer who participates in the foreign entrepreneur program promoted by the ministry responsible for the economy and whose work fits the program's location-independent, technology-enabled model.

Who can use D.4?

The official D.4 service page describes a newcomer who:

  • is participating in the foreign entrepreneur program promoted by the competent economy ministry;
  • carries out work that does not require a fixed geographical location and uses telecommunications, technology and the tools selected for the program;
  • fits the regulatory quota; and
  • establishes principal and effective residence in Andorra for at least 90 days per calendar year.

A founder who is not in the qualifying entrepreneur program should not assume D.4 applies merely because the business is innovative.

Startup-company status versus immigration status

Andorra's digital-economy framework supports startups and innovation, but a company being recognized, registered or described as a startup does not by itself issue residence permission to its founder.

D.4 is the immigration authorization. The entrepreneur program/economy-ministry determination is a substantive part of eligibility. Company-law, foreign-investment, trade-registry and tax steps can run alongside immigration but should not be conflated with it.

If the founder instead plans to own and actively manage a conventional Andorran company outside the D.4 program, compare self-employment residence.

Legal framework

The Government's immigration legislation index identifies Law 42/2022 on the digital economy, entrepreneurship and innovation and Decree 212/2023, which implements the relevant digital-economy amendments to immigration legislation. The index also identifies the quota regulation for digital nomads and entrepreneur-program participants.

The existence of these specific provisions is why ReloTide treats D.4 as a distinct route rather than labeling all company founders “startup visa” applicants.

Residence requirement

D.4 requires the holder to establish principal and effective residence in Andorra for at least 90 days per calendar year. This is a minimum residence obligation, not simply an address-registration requirement.

Applicants should retain evidence of actual residence and avoid assuming that maintaining a lease while spending the entire year elsewhere is enough.

Permit validity and renewal

The current D.4 page states:

  • initial residence authorization: 1 year; and
  • renewal: successive 1-year periods while eligibility continues.

That is materially different from D.3 digital-nomad residence, whose published progression begins with two years. A founder comparing the two should not assume that all digital-economy permits have the same duration.

Financial means

The D.4 page requires the applicant to prove sufficient economic means under the applicable regulatory requirements for the applicant and dependants during the residence period.

The public D.4 service page does not publish one universal minimum founder-capital amount or one simple fixed monthly-income figure. Do not confuse:

  • the applicant's personal means test;
  • funding expected by an entrepreneur program;
  • company capitalization;
  • investment approvals; or
  • the separate €50,000 rules affecting some J.1 self-employment cases.

They are not interchangeable thresholds.

Housing

The D.4 service requires qualifying accommodation. The applicant can generally show ownership or rental, or that the process of acquiring qualifying accommodation has begun under the official terms, with completion required within the stated period.

Housing evidence should match the exact current Immigration Service checklist at filing.

Insurance

Applicants need qualifying coverage valid in Andorra for sickness and disability for themselves and dependants during the authorization period, subject to the official age-related exceptions. Minors and people over 60 are described under a health-coverage formulation on the government page.

Criminal records, civil status and legalized documents

The route requires standard immigration identity and background evidence, including criminal-record and civil-status documents where applicable. The government notes that foreign official documents must generally be apostilled under the Hague Convention or duly legalized.

An application with a strong business concept can still fail administratively if civil-status, criminal-record or legalization formalities are incomplete.

Comú registration

Following authorization, the current D.4 instructions require registration with the relevant parish Comú and evidence of that registration within the official deadline. The page describes a one-month timeframe for this post-approval step.

Is there an Andorra startup visa investment minimum?

Not as a single universal D.4 number published on the current immigration service page. Private websites may quote startup funding expectations, company capital or unrelated residence investments, but those should not be relabeled as the D.4 immigration threshold without a current official basis.

For a founder entering via J.1 self-employment, different capital/deposit/contribution rules can apply. For passive residence, the 2026 investment requirement is again a different legal framework.

Government fee and processing time

The current official D.4 e-tramits page lists a €224.61 price for the D.4 residence procedure and a maximum resolution term of 2 months.

The two-month figure is the authority's maximum resolution term for the D.4 immigration procedure; it should not be expanded into a guarantee that entrepreneur-program selection, economy-ministry review, foreign-document preparation, housing/insurance setup and post-approval formalities all finish inside two months. Private accelerator timelines remain estimates unless they distinguish those stages.

Entrepreneur program versus digital nomad

Both routes come from Andorra's digital-economy framework and both use a 90-day annual residence standard, but they answer different facts.

D.3 digital nomad: designed around the applicant's qualifying location-independent work.

D.4 entrepreneur program: designed around participation in the designated foreign entrepreneur program promoted by the economy ministry.

A founder is not automatically D.4, and a D.3 holder is not automatically an entrepreneur-program participant. Compare the Andorra digital nomad guide.

Entrepreneur program versus self-employment

J.1 self-employment is the more conventional active-business route for qualifying company owners/administrators and liberal professionals. It can require foreign-investment approval, ownership/management evidence, active commerce and the current financial obligations attached to the self-employed framework.

D.4 is narrower and program-based. If the business needs an Andorran operating company but the founder is not selected for the entrepreneur program, D.4 should not be used as a shortcut around J.1 requirements.

Family considerations

The D.4 service page expressly requires adequate means and insurance for dependants where applicable. The precise immigration authorization for accompanying or later family should be confirmed with Immigration because the ordinary B.1 family reunification route is written around specified sponsor statuses.

Do not promise family work rights based solely on the principal's D.4 residence.

Catalan and long-term planning

The Government's official language-law guidance states that from 2029 renewal language requirements will extend to residence for foreign people who contribute to the digital economy and entrepreneurship, alongside self-employed and residence-without-work categories.

A 2026 applicant therefore needs to distinguish current D.4 filing requirements from future renewal obligations. Long-term residence planning should include language preparation even though the future extension is not the same as an immediate 2026 first-renewal rule.

Tax and corporate planning

D.4 residence does not settle the founder's tax or company-law position. Consider separately:

  • where the company is incorporated and effectively managed;
  • Andorran corporate tax and IGI/VAT-equivalent rules;
  • personal IRPF residence;
  • payroll/social-security obligations;
  • intellectual-property ownership;
  • foreign permanent-establishment risk; and
  • tax treaties with countries where founders, staff or customers are located.

Immigration eligibility should not be advertised as a guaranteed tax outcome.

Application sequence

A practical sequence is:

  1. confirm that the project fits the official entrepreneur program rather than only the broad idea of a “startup”;
  2. complete the program/economy-ministry selection or favorable-resolution stage;
  3. confirm quota availability;
  4. assemble passport, criminal-record and civil-status evidence;
  5. document housing;
  6. document sufficient personal means;
  7. arrange qualifying insurance;
  8. apostille/legalize foreign public documents where required;
  9. submit the D.4 immigration file and complete medical/administrative steps; and
  10. complete Comú registration after approval.

Alternatives

Explore startup visas, entrepreneur visas, the Andorra hub, and Europe.

Frequently asked questions

Does Andorra have a startup visa?

Andorra has a real D.4 entrepreneur-program residence. “Startup visa” is useful search language, but applicants must meet the official D.4 program conditions.

Is forming an Andorran startup enough for residence?

No. Company formation or startup status is separate from the D.4 immigration authorization.

How many days must I live in Andorra?

D.4 requires at least 90 days per calendar year of principal and effective residence.

How long is the first permit?

One year, with successive one-year renewals under the current published rule.

Is there a fixed D.4 investment minimum?

The current D.4 immigration page does not publish one universal founder-investment minimum. Do not import thresholds from J.1 self-employment or passive residence.

Official and supporting sources

Related routes in Andorra