Andorra’s new Immigration Regulation: what truly changes and how it affects companies, professionals and families

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The new Immigration Regulation: what really changes and how it will affect entrepreneurs, professionals and families

The reform of the Immigration Service Regulation does not introduce a structural change, but rather a quiet transformation that will influence how permits are processed and assessed in the country. It is not a new model, but a reinterpretation of the existing one: more control, greater precision, and less room for unclear situations.

This is, in essence, the core novelty — and where its relevance lies. It continues a trend seen in recent years, aimed at ensuring that immigration becomes progressively more qualified and genuinely effective.

➤ To better understand the broader context, the article “Residence in Andorra in 2025: current stability and changes on the horizon” may be helpful, as it already outlined the tendencies that are now taking shape.

🏠 Increased focus on housing and effective residence

Housing has always been an essential requirement, but often handled in a somewhat formalistic way. The new regulation changes this dynamic and grants Immigration wider scope to verify whether a person truly resides in Andorra. A rental contract or census registration alone will no longer suffice: the Administration may request additional information about the dwelling, its suitability, and the people living in it.

The obligation to obtain the ⚠️ owner’s consent when the applicant is not the leaseholder is also reinforced — an area that had previously produced inconsistent criteria. The message is clear: residence must be demonstrated with coherence and traceability.

➤ For an overview of the different pathways into the country, the article “Types of residence in Andorra: all administrative modalities” may be useful.

💶 Economic means: less interpretation and more coherence

In certain types of residence, such as family reunification, demonstrating sufficient means is crucial. While minimum income percentages have not changed, the regulation now clarifies how they must be interpreted. This means applicants must demonstrate their income with overall consistency: not only the amount matters, but also the origin, stability and genuine link with the person being reunited.

In practice, cases that previously fell into grey areas — irregular income, family contributions or unstable employment — will now have less room to progress.

➤ If you are considering family reunification, the article “Family reunification in Andorra: how it works and what economic requirements apply” helps contextualise these criteria.

🟢 Residence + self-employment: effective management at the centre

Authorisations based on foreign investment, commonly known as self-employment permits, and which have historically represented the bulk of qualified immigration, receive particular attention. The regulation does not change the philosophy of Article 16 bis, but it reinforces the requirement that the applicant actively participate in managing the company.

This means that if the administrator does not perform real functions, the company is inactive, or the business project is merely formal, it will now be harder to justify a permit — potentially leading to a denial.

This criterion, already applied in practice, now has explicit regulatory backing. Likewise, the reservation of a place is subject to a strict deadline: if the documentation is not completed within six months, the procedure expires with no implicit flexibility. A cleaner but more demanding system.

➤ To explore this further, the article “Self-employment residence in Andorra: requirements, advantages and real taxation” may be useful.

🔁 Renewals: deeper control of activity and presence in the country

Renewing a permit, which until now had been treated more as an administrative formality, becomes more demanding. Immigration will be able to check CASS points monthly, verify the consistency between professional category and salary, and request justifications for prolonged absences from the country.

➤ In this regard, the article “The CASS in Andorra: contributions, coverage and key points for 2025” helps explain the link between authorisations and social contributions.

The core idea is twofold:

• ensuring that the resident genuinely lives in Andorra, and
• confirming that the activity or personal situation that justified the permit remains valid.

Situations involving minimal activity, symbolic contracts or long stays abroad will now find it harder to pass the assessment.

➤ Likewise, “Catalan in Andorra: language requirement and its impact on immigration and permit renewals” explains another key element that until now had not received particular attention.

🔶 Regularisations: a narrowing path

Expired permits have always been a sensitive area, but the regulation now defines it with greater clarity. A one-off explanation will no longer suffice: applicants will need to demonstrate real continuity of residence and activity.

The Service may analyse:

• the municipal census,
• border entries and exits,
• electricity consumption,
• social contributions,
• and any information proving that the person has not lost their link with Andorra.

In practice, this means that cases previously manageable with a certain degree of flexibility will now require much stronger legal arguments and a far more thoroughly prepared file.

Avoiding these situations as much as possible — and being well prepared — is therefore essential.

Short-term work: less informality and more traceability

The arrival of technicians or staff from foreign companies has long been a useful mechanism for various sectors, though often marked by inconsistent documentation. The new regulation clarifies and tightens requirements: applicants must clearly demonstrate their employment relationship with the company of origin, have full health coverage, and justify the true temporary nature of the activity.

This will particularly affect sectors that depend on occasional external services and that, until now, used simpler or less standardised procedures.

➤ To understand how these measures align with other recent reforms, the article “Changes to the IRNR Regulation for seasonal workers: what has really changed?” may be relevant.

A regulation that does not change the system, but does change the way it must be managed

The new regulation does not introduce new types of permits nor does it alter the underlying criteria. Instead, it consolidates a trend already underway within the Immigration Service: requesting more documentation, analysing it in greater depth, and ensuring that residence in Andorra reflects an actual, not merely formal, presence.

For companies, professionals and families, this means preparing stronger, more coherent files, anticipating potential requirements, and ensuring internal consistency. Solid cases will remain solid. Those that previously entered “borderline” will now face greater difficulty.

The country has not changed the rules — but it has changed the way they are applied.
And in the field of immigration, that changes almost everything.

💬 Do you have questions and want to review your case with expert guidance?

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Last updated: December 2025