Languages in Andorra: Catalan, French, Spanish and integration

What is the official language of Andorra?

Catalan is the only official language of the State (Constitution, Article 2). Llei 6/2024 of 25 April 2024 on Andorra’s own and official language strengthens its use: for example, it makes Catalan the language of education in Andorran educational establishments, and the language of sports and leisure activities. The Govern also publishes a national action plan for the language for 2026⁠–⁠2028.

In everyday life, you will hear a lot of Spanish, French and Portuguese: more than half of residents are foreign nationals. But the common language, that of the State and its institutions, remains Catalan.

Languages spoken in Andorra: who speaks what in everyday life?

Catalan is the most widely spoken language in everyday life, ahead of Spanish; French and Portuguese come far behind. According to the survey on language knowledge and use carried out in 2022 by the Govern and Andorra Recerca + Innovació, 63.7% of residents over 14 name Catalan as the usual language of their dealings with others, and 48.6% Spanish.

Source: Govern d’Andorra and Andorra Recerca + Innovació, “Coneixements i usos lingüístics de la població d’Andorra”, telephone survey of 747 residents from 20 May to 2 June 2022, margin of error of 3.65 points. Mother tongue: the language in which the person learnt to speak. Several answers possible: the totals exceed 100%.

Asked about the share of each language in their speech, residents attribute on average 50.7% of their exchanges to Catalan, 35.5% to Spanish, 5.1% to French and 4.9% to Portuguese. The levels declared follow the same order: on a scale of 0 to 10, average comprehension reaches 9.6 for Spanish, 9.0 for Catalan and 6.0 for French.

Catalan required to renew your permit

Llei 6/2024 amended the qualified law on immigration to make the renewal of residence and work permits conditional on knowledge of Catalan. Its preamble gives the reason: the language is “an important element for the integration of the people who arrive in Andorra”, and it is “necessary to be able to work in the country” (free translation).

Source: Llei 9/2012, qualified law on immigration, Articles 54 bis and 58, as amended by Llei 6/2024. Without the required level, renewal is refused.

The Govern’s press release on the general quota approved on 7 October 2026 confirms this progression: level A1 at the first renewal, A2 at the second. Our news item Catalan: level A1 required at the first renewal details the reform, and our guide to renewing your residency sets out all the conditions.

Passive residents, the self-employed, cross-border workers: what is planned

For now, the requirement applies to residence and work permits. However, Llei 6/2024 instructs the Govern to adopt, within five years of its entry into force, the regulations that will also require levels A1 and A2 for the renewal of authorisations for:

• residence and work on own account, i.e. those of the self-employed;
• cross-border work;
• residence without work, including passive residency;
• residence for people who contribute to the digital economy and entrepreneurship.

If you plan to stay for the long term, it is therefore best to start learning Catalan as soon as you arrive, whatever your status.

What the law requires in everyday life, and at work

Llei 6/2024 is not limited to renewals. It organises the use of Catalan throughout public life, with practical effects for a newcomer:

• Right to be served in Catalan: everyone may address public authorities, health and social services, professionals and any business or shop established in Andorra in Catalan (Article 3);
• Public authorities: public staff greet people and converse in Catalan, and only switch language if the other person does not understand it; documents sent to the authorities must in principle be written in Catalan, with a possible exemption in the event of reasonable difficulty (Article 8);
• Shops and restaurants: signs, advertising, menus and price lists are written in Catalan, and other languages may appear in second place (Articles 16 and 18);
• Employment: businesses must ensure that their staff in contact with the public can serve Catalan-speaking customers in Catalan, and the obligation extends to the self-employed (Article 21).

For an employee dealing with customers, Catalan is therefore also a skill expected by the employer, beyond the renewal requirement alone. Finally, the law instructs the Govern and the comuns to inform anyone over 18 who settles in Andorra and to direct them to language training suited to their level (Article 6).

How can you learn Catalan in Andorra?

The Govern presents several options on its “Aprèn català” (learn Catalan) page:

Source: Govern d’Andorra, “Aprèn català” section, consulted on 10 October 2026.

The Catalan centres are aimed in particular at people whose schedules make attending classes difficult: shift work, seasonal employment, family commitments. They offer flexible hours and personalised learning, monitored by a language adviser.

Official Catalan exams: levels and sessions

To certify your level, the Govern awards six official Catalan language diplomas, from level A1 to level C2, aligned with the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages. Each exam includes a written test and an oral test.

• the exams are called at least once a year by a notice published in the BOPA, which sets the dates, venues and enrolment conditions;
• sessions take place in January⁠–⁠February and in June;
• they are open to anyone over 16, whatever their nationality, whether resident or not;
• results are published on the cultura.ad and educacio.ad websites, and the diploma is then requested from the Govern’s procedures service.

These rules appear on the Govern’s official exams page, which refers to Decrees 213/2025 and 199/2026 on Catalan diplomas. For the first renewal of a residence and work permit, it is level A1 that is required.

Can you live in Andorra speaking only French?

French helps, but it is not enough to stay if you are an employee: Catalan is required when renewing a residence and work permit. In everyday life, French is understood, but much less than Catalan and Spanish: on a scale of 0 to 10, residents over 14 rate their understanding of French at 6.0 on average, compared with 9.0 for Catalan and 9.6 for Spanish, according to the 2022 survey.

Andorra’s population is very diverse. At 31 July 2026, 44.6% of the country’s residents were Andorran nationals, 23.6% Spanish, 9.2% Portuguese, 4.7% French and 17.9% other nationalities, including 3,350 Argentinians, 1,779 Colombians and 1,035 Peruvians, groups that are growing fast.

Spanish residents23.6% of the population

21,225

Portuguese residents9.2%

8,309

French residents4.7%, up 6.3% over one year

4,263

French and Spanish are therefore very present, at school as in everyday life: two of the three school systems teach in these languages. For administrative procedures, some Govern documents are available in several languages; for example, the requirements for renewing a work permit are published in Catalan, Spanish, Portuguese, French and English. But the official language remains Catalan, and it is Catalan that is required on renewal.

Integrating: census registration, rights and local life

• Registration with the comú: holders of a residence and work permit must register with the comú of their parish within 3 months;
• Children: whatever the school system, they learn Catalan and about Andorran culture;
• Political rights: only Andorrans can vote and stand in general elections (Constitution, Article 51);
• Work: the law requires that a foreign employee’s working and pay conditions be no less favourable than those of nationals and residents.

See also registering with your parish’s comú and, for children, the French school in Andorra. The right to vote is explained in our presentation of Andorran institutions.

Andorran nationality: residence and integration

Nationality is the culmination of a long process of integration. Llei 8/2026 in principle requires 20 years of residence, as main and permanent residence, continuous or not, including the last 5 years of effective residence, as well as proof of integration. The period is reduced to 10 years for those who have completed 10 years of schooling in Andorra, and to 5 years of uninterrupted residence in the case of marriage to an Andorran.

The details are in our guide to Andorran nationality.