Andorra Work Permits. Do I need a police certificate?
General Information
Please be advised that I can no longer advise and assist in work permit applications unless this is Active Residency by way of Andorran Company Formation. This page is for information only for work permits and seasonal work permits.
New Regulations for UK potential employees both seasonal and permanent from 2025
As from April 2025 Andorra finally conceded that the UK had left the EU and therefore it would treat UK nationals as "ex.comunitari".
This means that for seasonal workers starting now, 2025 /2026 season will need:-
- 2 years previous work experience proven by letters from previous employees
- AND a Subject Access Report’ (SAR) from HMRC. Legally they have to provide this within one month of requesting, or let you know within that time frame if it is going to be delayed and why
- AND this will need to be Notarised, Apostillised and with a sworn translation into Catalan, Spanish or French
- AND a CV relevant to the above work with any associated certificates.
For permanent workers where you have an Andorran company sponsor, that should read 4 years previous work experience and all of the same as above.
The above documents in addition to the other requirements will take you 6 to 8 weeks to get with the correct stamps etc. There is no point of waiting until the winter or summer arrives !!!
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 issues quotas known as "CUPO" in areas that it decides may benefit from the employment of foreign workers.
Firstly DO NOT just pitch up in Andorra without essential documents that you will need before you arrive, in most cases that means your police certificate which must have been apostillised or legalised. 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.
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.
For further information on how to obtain police reports and Apostilles please click here.
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 apply for your police report at the latest by the end of September.
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. Your employer should be responsible for ensuring that the forms are filled and completed at Immigration.
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.
