Andorra Work and Residence Permit in 2026

The standard route for a foreign national who will live in Andorra and work for an Andorran employer is the A.1 residence and work authorization. Searchers often call it an Andorra work visa, but the government's terminology is an immigration authorization that combines residence and employment rights.

It is different from temporary seasonal work, frontier work, work without residence, self-employment and digital-nomad residence.

Core eligibility

The official A.1 page says a newcomer must:

  • fit within the applicable regulatory quota;
  • hold an indefinite employment contract with a legally constituted company in Andorra; and
  • establish permanent and effective residence in Andorra.

The file also includes professional qualification information, accommodation, criminal-record and civil-status evidence, medical-review material and the employment documentation required by Immigration.

2026 quota

On 29 April 2026, the Government approved a general quota of 800 residence-and-work/frontier authorizations, comprising:

  • 624 resident authorizations; and
  • 176 frontier-worker authorizations.

The government announcement also explains that specified earlier quota issuances and professional-sports allocations are deducted from that headline figure. It therefore should not be read as “624 places are definitely still open.”

Quota availability can change during the year. Employer and applicant should confirm the live position before relying on a filing plan.

Extra-community experience requirements

Current 2026 quota policy keeps training/experience conditions for workers outside the EU/EEA framework and, in relevant categories, can require substantial provable prior experience. Government 2026 communications refer to a six-year professional-experience requirement for defined extra-community applicants, with category-specific exceptions.

The exact condition depends on nationality, occupation, quota regulation and prior Andorran work history. Do not generalize a sports-specific exception or one quota decree to every worker without checking the regulation governing the job.

Initial validity and renewals

The official A.1 page gives this progression:

  • initial authorization: 1 year;
  • three renewals of 2 years each; and
  • after seven years, generally successive 10-year authorizations, subject to treaty exceptions.

Renewal requires continued professional activity and permanent/effective residence. The A.2 page asks for CASS records, local residence evidence and, at first renewal, salary evidence covering the relevant permit period.

Catalan language requirement

Andorra's current A.2 renewal page expressly requires, at the first renewal, proof of A1 Catalan issued by the Government of Andorra. Government language guidance describes the progression toward A2 at the later renewal stage under the current framework.

This is a genuine 2026 active-worker issue, not merely a future policy. A newcomer planning to remain should begin Catalan preparation well before renewal.

Documents

The A.1 checklist includes, among other items:

  • completed active-resident immigration application;
  • valid passport (or qualifying EU/EEA identity document where accepted);
  • criminal-record certificates from the required countries;
  • sworn criminal-record declaration;
  • recent photograph;
  • proof of accommodation;
  • civil-status documents;
  • CV and proof of professional qualifications;
  • employment contract and professional/salary conditions documentation;
  • CASS points statement if the applicant worked previously in Andorra;
  • medical-review/consent material; and
  • Comú registration documentation.

Foreign official documents generally need Hague apostille authentication or other proper legalization where the checklist requires it.

Government fee

The current fee schedule lists:

  • initial residence and work authorization: €190.96; and
  • renewal: €22.61.

Those are immigration-administration fees. They do not include translations, apostilles, housing, medical expenses, professional recognition or private advisory costs.

Processing time

The public A.1 service page does not state one universal guaranteed end-to-end processing period. Quota availability, employer evidence, professional qualifications, document legalization, medical review and any request for additional documents can alter elapsed time.

Avoid private claims that every Andorra work permit is approved within a fixed number of days unless tied to a current official standard.

Residence requirement

This is an active residence category. The applicant agrees to reside permanently and effectively in Andorra. It should not be confused with 90-day categories such as digital-nomad residence or passive residence.

A worker who expects to live mainly in France or Spain while commuting may instead fall into the frontier-worker framework, which ReloTide discusses on the Andorra hub but does not treat as an ordinary settlement route.

Changing employers

Employment immigration is tied to the professional conditions underlying the authorization. A worker considering a job change should check Immigration requirements before changing employer, occupation or conditions, rather than assuming the original authorization is fully portable.

Work residence versus digital nomad

Use A.1 when the person has an Andorran employer and indefinite local employment contract. Use D.3 digital nomad residence when the work is genuinely location-independent and fits the separate digital-economy framework.

An employee should not call an Andorran office job “remote work” simply to avoid ordinary work-residence rules.

Work residence versus self-employment

A company owner, administrator or qualifying liberal professional should compare J.1 self-employment residence. A.1 is the employee route; J.1 is the active self-employed route.

Family reunification

Qualifying A.1 holders can be relevant sponsors under Andorra's B.1 family-reunification framework. The family file has separate relationship, accommodation and financial-means evidence. The current family guidance uses minimum-wage-linked household calculations.

Do not assume that a family residence card automatically carries unrestricted work rights without checking the applicable authorization.

Seasonal and other work categories

Andorra also operates:

  • temporary/seasonal G.1 authorizations;
  • C.1 frontier work;
  • H.2 temporary authorizations for qualifying employees of foreign companies; and
  • I.1 work without residence.

These are separate from A.1. A six-month project, ski-season job or daily cross-border commute should not be forced into a permanent-residence page.

Tax and social security

Employees normally need CASS/social-security compliance and should review Andorran IRPF plus cross-border tax issues if they retain connections abroad. Immigration authorization does not itself decide tax residence or treaty treatment.

Application sequence

  1. Secure a genuine qualifying Andorran job offer/indefinite contract.
  2. Confirm the current quota and nationality/occupation rules.
  3. Prepare professional-qualification and work-history evidence.
  4. Secure accommodation.
  5. Obtain and legalize criminal-record/civil-status documents where required.
  6. Submit the A.1 file with employer and salary-condition documentation.
  7. Complete medical and local registration formalities.
  8. Maintain employment, residence and CASS records.
  9. Prepare A1 Catalan evidence before the first renewal.

Related routes

Compare self-employment residence, digital nomad residence, family reunification, the Andorra hub, and Europe. Browse the broader visa-type directory for other relocation models.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need an Andorran employer?

For ordinary A.1 residence and work, yes: the official route requires an indefinite contract with a legally constituted Andorran company.

How long is the initial permit?

One year.

What is the 2026 work quota?

The general quota was set at 800, split 624 resident and 176 frontier permits before the deductions described in the government's announcement.

Is Catalan required?

For current A.1 renewals, the official A.2 page requires A1 Catalan at the first renewal. Later requirements should be checked under the current language rules.

What is the government fee?

The published initial A.1 tariff is €190.96; the listed renewal tariff is €22.61.

Official and supporting sources

Related routes in Andorra