Once in Force, Andorra Stays Will Reduce Your Schengen 90-Day Allowance

The European Union and Andorra have agreed on border management rules that will give non-EU nationals legally resident in Andorra visa-free access to every Schengen country for up to 90 days in any 180-day period. The Andorran government presented the agreement to the General Council's foreign affairs committee on 6 November 2026.

The deal also changes how time spent in Andorra is counted for non-EU visitors. It has not been signed and does not yet apply.

Key facts

• Non-EU legal residents of Andorra: visa-free Schengen travel for 90 days in any 180-day period
• Those residents will not need Entry/Exit System (EES) registration, passport stamps or an ETIAS travel authorisation
• Non-EU tourists' days in Andorra will count towards the Schengen 90/180-day limit
• France or Spain must security-check residents before a permit is issued or renewed
• Andorran residence cards must be replaced with the standardised EU format
• EU citizens are unaffected: up to 90 days in Andorra without formalities

What changes for non-EU residents of Andorra?

Under the agreement, non-EU nationals with legal residency in Andorra may enter and stay in any Schengen country for up to 90 days in any 180-day period without a visa, provided they hold a valid travel document and residence permit. They will also be exempt from EES registration, passport stamping and ETIAS authorisation.

The arrangement covers short visits only. Each Schengen country may still require a visa or work permit for anyone taking up paid employment, and Andorran residency does not give the right to live in another European country.

Until the agreement applies, non-EU residents can move freely only between Andorra, Spain and France. Other Schengen countries set their own entry and transit requirements.

What changes for tourists visiting Andorra?

Time spent in Andorra by non-EU visitors who are not residents will count towards their authorised stay under the 90/180-day rule, calculated as set out in the Schengen Borders Code. A traveller from the United States, the United Kingdom or Canada who spends a week skiing in Andorra between stays in Spain and France will need to count those seven days.

Andorra's own tourist limit will also change, from 90 days within a year to 90 days within any 180-day period. EU citizens can still visit Andorra for up to 90 days without any formalities.

What checks will residents face?

Andorra must notify France or Spain before issuing or renewing a permit to a non-EU national, using a distribution key agreed between the two countries. The notified country runs a security check against national, international and EU databases, including the Schengen Information System (SIS) and EU sanctions lists.

France or Spain have 28 calendar days to object, extendable once by 14 days; no reply means no objection. Where an SIS alert already exists, they have 10 days to respond. If there is a security objection, Andorra must refuse or revoke the permit and require the person to leave, according to Landry Riba, Secretary of State for EU Relations. For a non-security alert, Andorra may still issue the permit, but it will not be valid for travel within Schengen countries except in transit.

Andorra will be told only which country raised an alert, not the reason, and applicants can appeal. A conditional permit, still being designed, would allow holders to work or study while an application is processed but would not be valid for Schengen travel except for tourist stays or other specific cases. New cards will be issued only after the security check is passed.

Andorra must issue residence permits in the standardised EU format within one year of the agreement taking effect. Existing cards stay valid for up to two calendar years or until they expire, but the Andorran government's guidance says all residence cards must be changed during the first two years of application.

Does investment-based residency qualify?

No. Andorra must ensure non-EU nationals gain and keep residency rights only where there is a genuine link to the country, requiring "actual and regular physical presence over an appropriate period of time" plus other objective criteria. Investment, property ownership or pre-set payments do not qualify on their own.

The Commission points to the Court of Justice of the EU Grand Chamber ruling of 29 April 2025 in the Malta citizenship-by-investment case. Andorra's passive residency route currently requires a minimum investment of €600,000 in Andorran assets, a €50,000 deposit with the Andorran Financial Authority and a promise to reside at least 90 days per calendar year. Under the agreement, physical presence — not the investment — becomes the condition for keeping residency and Schengen access.

When will the new rules start?

Negotiations were authorised on 30 May 2024, concluded on 26 January 2026 and the text was initialled on 25 March 2026. On 7 September 2026 the European Commission proposed Council decisions on signature, provisional application and conclusion. Signature has not been scheduled.

Provisional application begins on the first day of the month after both sides have sent the required notifications. Full entry into force requires European Parliament consent and ratification in Andorra, where the immigration and data protection laws must also be amended; Justice and Interior Minister Ester Molné said immigration law changes are expected before the end of the current legislature.

No date has been set by either Brussels or Andorra. Ministers expect provisional application within weeks of signature, while information-exchange and administrative procedures with France and Spain are still being negotiated and are expected to be completed in April 2027.

What this means for travellers

Nothing changes yet. Non-EU residents of Andorra should keep using the current arrangement, which allows free movement only between Andorra, Spain and France, and should check whether their residence card will need replacing once the agreement applies.

Non-EU tourists planning trips that combine Andorra with Spain or France should start counting Andorra days towards their Schengen allowance once the agreement takes effect. EU citizens planning a stay of up to 90 days in Andorra see no change.

Andorra's Department of Statistics put the population at 90,021 at the end of July 2026, including 3,350 Argentines, 1,779 Colombians and 1,035 Peruvians. The government says it does not know how many residents could be affected by security objections, and it has no direct access to Schengen databases.