Immigration quota in Andorra: 900 work permits until April 2027

October 2026 general quota: 900 permits, 250 of them already granted

On 7 October 2026, by Decree 388/2026, the Govern approved a new general quota regulation. It sets the number of authorisations at 900: 702 residence and work permits, for employees who settle in Andorra, and 198 cross-border work authorisations, for those who work there while sleeping outside the country (cross-border workers), in other words to work in Andorra and live in France or in Spain. Published in the BOPA, in an extraordinary edition of 8 October 2026, the regulation entered into force the same day. Applications can be filed until 30 April 2027.

This quota is not entirely available: the 250 authorisations granted in the June 2026 extension are counted against the 900. That leaves 650 authorisations to be issued over the period, excluding any increase (indicative calculation: 900 minus 250). The Govern presents this figure as maintaining the “same overall quota of 900 authorisations”.

The regulation also provides for adjustments:

• a company that has used up its share can obtain an extension, by decision of the minister responsible;
• the overall quota can be increased by up to 30% if the volume of applications justifies it;
• the Govern can close or reopen certain occupations depending on changes in the number of jobseekers.

Work permit: on what conditions can you obtain a place?

The quota creates no right to an authorisation: each application is examined by the Immigration Service according to rules that the regulation carries over from the previous quota.

• a job offer registered with the employment service, and proof that it could not be filled on the local market, except for nationals of a state linked to Andorra by an agreement on immigration;
• a salary at least equal to the one set by the regulation’s pay scale for the occupation;
• a limit per company: at most 10% of its average number of employees;
• according to the Govern, experience that depends on nationality: none for Spanish, French and Portuguese nationals; experience in the sector or a training plan guaranteed by the employer for other EU citizens; 6 years of experience or a specific qualification for others;
• Catalan: level A1 at the first renewal, A2 at the second.

Some groups of occupations remain closed to this quota, and professional sportspeople come under a separate quota. The status is detailed in our guide to the work permit in Andorra, and the language requirement in our news item on Catalan at renewal.

2026: 800, then 250 more, then 900

In 2026, the general quota was first reduced, then topped up once used up, before being set again at 900 authorisations.

Sources: decrees published in the BOPA and Govern press releases.

What the quota means for an employee’s application is explained in our guide, in the section on the number of work authorisations available.

Passive residency and the self-employed: two quotas of 200 places in 2026

Authorisations that do not involve salaried work have their own quotas, set on 11 March 2026. Their figures, first reported by the press, appear in the decrees published in the BOPA:

For residence without work, an authorisation can still be granted in a category that is used up as long as the total of 200 has not been reached; for the self-employed, the breakdown is fixed. The previous quota for residence without work, approved on 1 March 2023, had 600 authorisations, including 490 for passive residency. According to the Andorran press, it was used up as early as 22 January 2025, and around sixty applications were then refused on that ground.

What this changes for your plans

• Employee: 650 authorisations remain to be issued until April 2027, excluding any increase. The company must show that it has searched locally, unless an exception linked to your nationality applies.
• Passive residency: 163 places, allocated in order of receipt of applications, with priority for nationals of states linked to Andorra by an agreement, then for those of the EU and the European Economic Area. See the conditions for passive residency.
• Self-employed: reserving the authorisation comes before the investment formalities. See our guide to active self-employed residency.

What these figures do not tell you

The decrees set ceilings, not availability: they publish neither the number of authorisations already granted nor the date on which a quota will be used up. Future quotas will depend on new decrees. Before filing an application or committing yourself (lease, resignation, sale of a property), ask the Immigration Service about the places remaining.