Catalan in Andorra: level A1 required at the first permit renewal

What the law provides

Catalan is the official language of Andorra. Llei 6/2024 of 25 April 2024, “on Andorra’s own and official language”, added to the qualified law on immigration an Article 54 bis under which knowledge of Catalan is necessary to work in the country. The quota regulation must set the conditions for obtaining level A1 at the first renewal and level A2 at the second.

Article 58 of the immigration law draws the consequence: the Immigration Service refuses the first two renewals if the required levels of Catalan are not proven.

Why 26 April 2026?

26 April 2026 marks the end of the transition period provided for by the law (second transitional provision). Until that date, a person applying for their first renewal only had to prove that they had attended the Catalan training provided for by the quota regulation: they were exempt from proving level A1. If they had been unable to attend this training for justified reasons, the renewal could be granted, but level A2 became required before the second renewal.

Since 26 April 2026, this leniency has ended: the first renewal requires an A1 level qualification. The 2026 general quota regulations repeat this: holders of an authorisation granted under them must present an official Catalan diploma issued by the Govern, or a recognised equivalent qualification, at level A1 at the first renewal and A2 at the second.

Who is affected?

The requirement currently applies to holders of a residence and work permit, in other words foreign employees settled in Andorra, whatever their nationality (see our guide to the work permit in Andorra). It applies at the first two renewals: the initial one-year authorisation is then renewed for two-year periods.

It does not yet apply to other statuses: the March 2026 quota regulations for residence without work and for the self-employed do not impose Catalan on renewal. But the law requires the Govern to adopt, within a maximum of five years of its entry into force, the regulations that will require levels A1 and A2 to renew authorisations under the other statuses:

Catalan A1 exam: which diploma should you present?

An official Catalan language diploma issued by the Govern d’Andorra, or an equivalent qualification, diploma or certificate recognised by the Govern. The Govern issues six diplomas, from level A1 to level C2, aligned with the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: A1 and A2 are its first two levels, B1 the third. The law also provides that the Govern and the comuns inform people over 18 who come to settle in Andorra and refer them to language courses.

The official level A1 exam lasts 1 hour 20 minutes and is taken in two parts: listening comprehension, reading comprehension and written expression on the same day, then a 15-minute oral at a time set for each candidate.

To pass, you need at least 40 points out of 60 in the oral part (comprehension and expression) and 20 points out of 40 in the written part. A sample exam, with the recording and the answer key, is published by the Govern.

Where can you study and take the exam in Andorra?

Courses and exams are organised by the Govern. The Catalan courses of the Àrea de Llengua Catalana are free for people over 16 and for companies, from level A1 to level C2, and prepare for the official exams.

• Courses: in person in Encamp, La Massana, Sant Julià de Lòria and Escaldes-Engordany, starting in early September or late January; extensive (3 hours a week, from September to June) or intensive (4 hours a week, from September to January or from February to June).
• Course registration: online, through a link opened in early September and mid-January, or in person at the Catalan centres in Canillo, Encamp, Pas de la Casa, La Massana and Escaldes-Engordany.
• Exam registration: online only, on e-tràmits, during the period set for each session, with a fee of €17.15; a non-resident attaches a copy of their passport or identity card.
• Diploma: after the results are published, a successful candidate applies for it to be issued on e-tràmits.

The Govern also organised an extraordinary session of the A1 exam on 4 September 2026, reserved for residents and cross-border workers who had to prove their Catalan to renew their permit, with 150 places allocated in order of registration. For the dates of the next sessions, check the Govern’s announcements. Other ways to make progress, at work or in everyday life, are presented in our guide to learning Catalan in Andorra.

What this changes in practice

For a newly arrived employee, it is best to obtain the A1 qualification during the first year, before applying for renewal, then A2 before the second: a refusal of renewal calls into question the right to stay and work in Andorra. For the other statuses, the requirement is not yet in force, but the law announces it. More broadly, Catalan is the language of the administration, and knowledge of it counts for nationality. See our guide to the language spoken in Andorra in everyday life.

Passive residents and the self-employed: when will Catalan become compulsory?

No date so far: the self-employed, cross-border workers and residents without work, including passive residents, will be affected only once the regulations that Llei 6/2024 requires of the Govern within a maximum of five years have been adopted. Also still uncertain are:

• the exact timetable for this extension, which the law does not set beyond the maximum period of five years;
• any exemptions: the law exempts from the training people who can show the knowledge set by regulation, without further detail;
• the treatment of authorisations issued before the quota regulations concerned, to be checked case by case.