Non-EU residents in Andorra will be able to travel across the Schengen Area without a visa

Non-EU nationals legally residing in Andorra will be able to travel throughout the Schengen Area without obtaining a visa for short stays, provided they hold a valid passport and an Andorran residence permit.

This is one of the main changes introduced by the border management agreement negotiated between Andorra and the European Union, according to information presented by the Andorran Government on Friday, November 6, before the General Council's Legislative Committee on Foreign Affairs.

The agreement will extend existing travel arrangements between Andorra, Spain and France to the wider Schengen Area, making it easier for third-country nationals residing in the Principality to visit other European countries.

However, the new rules are not yet in force. The agreement must complete the necessary approval, signature and ratification procedures before the additional travel rights can take effect.

Andorran residence permits will facilitate visa-free travel across Europe

Under the provisions outlined by the Government, non-EU residents will be entitled to make short visits to Schengen countries without applying for a separate visa.

To benefit from these arrangements, travellers will need to present a valid passport and a valid Andorran residence permit.

The agreement also provides for exemptions from the European Entry/Exit System (EES) and the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS), under the conditions established by the agreement.

These changes will be particularly significant for residents of Andorra whose nationalities would normally require a visa to enter the Schengen Area.

Nevertheless, the right to travel for short stays will not automatically grant permission to live or work in other European countries. 

Implementing the agreement will also require changes to the identification documents issued to foreign residents.

The Andorran Government has announced that residence permits will gradually adopt a standardised format compatible with those used in the European Union and the Schengen Area.

The updated cards will allow European authorities to verify that their holders are entitled to the travel arrangements established under the agreement.

A transitional period will be introduced for existing residence permits, allowing the authorities to carry out the necessary security checks and progressively replace current cards.

The Government has not yet specified when the replacement process will begin or whether residents will face additional administrative fees. 

The expansion of travel rights will be accompanied by stricter security procedures.

According to the Government, third-country nationals applying for a new Andorran residence permit or renewing an existing one will undergo a security assessment conducted by either Spain or France.

These checks will supplement the procedures already carried out by Andorra's Immigration Department.

The assessments will include searches of European security databases, particularly the Schengen Information System (SIS), to identify alerts or circumstances that could pose a security risk.

Andorra also intends to amend its Immigration Law to introduce additional grounds for refusing entry or residence based on security alerts issued by Schengen countries.

The authorities will still need to determine how Spain and France will share responsibility for these assessments and establish the operational procedures involved. 

The border management agreement will also affect tourists from countries outside the European Union.

One of the changes announced by the Government concerns the calculation of authorised short stays.

Time spent in Andorra by third-country visitors will count towards the general Schengen limit of 90 days within any 180-day period.

This means that days spent visiting the Principality will be included when calculating the maximum permitted duration of a short stay under the new arrangements.

The measure will require amendments to Andorra's immigration legislation and will change how certain international visitors plan their trips between Andorra and neighbouring European countries. 

Formal negotiations on the border management agreement took place between September 2024 and January 2026, with the text initialled in March 2026.

Several institutional steps remain before the agreement can become fully operational.

These include approval by the Council of the European Union, formal signature, ratification by Andorra and the completion of the relevant European procedures.

The Andorran Government also envisages a period of provisional application before the agreement enters fully into force.

Until the new legal framework becomes applicable, non-EU residents should not assume that the announced visa-free travel arrangements are already available.

Once implemented, the agreement will represent a significant change in international mobility for thousands of foreign nationals living in Andorra, allowing eligible residents to travel more freely across the Schengen Area without Andorra itself formally joining the border-free zone.