Guide to living in Andorra, residency, personal advice on relocating to Andorra

General Overview on Working in Andorra

It is very difficult to obtain a work permit for all levels of qualification in Andorra, other than seasonal work permits for the ski season based around the tourism industry in hotels and bars. Also there are not a great deal of employment opportunities in Andorra and salary levels are generally lower than in the neighbouring countries.

However, most benefits arise from being based here as a passive resident and having a business outside Andorra, or being internet based. Advantages on tax depend on the country where you are resident for tax purposes and how they treat andorran residency. Income can be structure tolegally avoid paying tax, and from the Andorra end, there are no income or corporate taxes here on monies earned outside Andorra. I would advise that you speak directly with a financial advisor in your country of residence as each case is individual.

Seasonal Work Permits

I have had a number of enquiries recently as to what exactly is required when applying for work permits either seasonal or permanent. Each year the Andorran Government dreams up a new requirement which has become a mine field for the unprepared, and as ever it would appear that this website is unique in trying to explain what you have to do. I can assist and advise those who are interested in obtaining either seasonal or permanent work permits.

Firstly DO NOT just pitch up in Andorra without essential documents that you will need before you arrive. You should attempt to contact bars and restaurants with your CV and seek openings first. Most applicants arrive early November and go round to see hotel and bar owners prior to the season. Seasonal permits for the ski season will run from about 15th November through until early May, after that you have 7 days to leave the country. Permanent work permits if available can depend on the level of professionalism, from time to time a new quota is released for various sectors of commerce. A quota, known here as a "CUPO" is from time to time opened by the Ministry of The Interior with a fixed number of places available.

For seasonal permits though, the main document to obtain is the police report, also known as a certificate of previous convictions from your country of origin (country of issue of your passport). Also required is a police report from your last country of residency or where you have been working immediately prior to coming to Andorra, but this latter demand can be easily avoided.

Each country will have its own procedure for issuing you with a police certificate and you will need to research in your country how this is done. One thing remains the same though with Andorra as the destination, you will require a Police Certificate and it must be either apostillised or legallised.

In the UK the police certificate is provided by means of an application form for "Subject access" under the Data Protection Act. You should search for the website of the police constabulary where you have lived in the UK, you can also use the address of relatives or friends. You then should download an application form and will need to enclose a cheque as payment and normally costs 10 pounds. You can in some cases pay more for a quicker service, the pledge to the public is that it will be processed within 42 days maximum, but normally takes a couple of weeks.

Unfortunately that it is not the end of it as Andorra requires you to have it "apostillised" under the Hague Convention, and this Apostille applies to ALL police reports from whichever country in the world. In the UK, this entails that you send or take the completed police form to Milton Keynes for a stamp to prove it is an authentic document. Milton Keynes is the only place in the UK where this can be done and costs about 27 pounds. Be aware though that they will not post it from Milton Keynes to an address outside the UK.

For further information on how to obtain police reports and Apostilles please see my page headed " Police Reports and Apostilles".

So, if you are looking for work for the ski season with a seasonal work permit, do your homework well in advance. A police report is acceptable for the purposes of applying for a work permit in Andorra up to a maximum of 3 months from the date of issue, so if you are planning on coming to Andorra to look for a job in mid November, you should in the UK apply for your police report at the latest by the end of September.

Andorra splits the requirements for those coming to Andorra who are from the EU and those who are not. Be careful again as Andorra has its own interpretation of who is in and who is not. At the moment, for example, Polish, Hungarians and other former East European countries are not EU !! This means that all non-EU applicants will need references to prove 2 years work experience in a similiar capacity, with the relevant contact details of the person who employed them.

There then is considerable form filling, all in Catalan, a basic medical, and all this provided the documents are all completed correctly will take less than a week to approve.

I can assist those who are interested in all aspects of Immigration documentation.