VisaAndorra general work quota keeps nationality-based experience and Catalan checks
The October general quota runs to 30 April 2027, with earlier allocations deducted. Applicants must distinguish it from seasonal employment and prepare the evidence for the appropriate residence route.
Official source date: 2026-10-07
Edited and checked by the VisaWand editorial team
The general quota is separate from winter-season recruitment
Andorra’s government approved its new general work quota on 7 October 2026 for the period ending 30 April 2027. The announced ceiling is 900 authorisations: 702 for residence and work and 198 for frontier work. It is not a statement that 900 unallocated places remain. The government says 250 authorisations already granted under the June expansion are deducted from that total. This follow-up explains the general route rather than repeating the separately announced winter-season quota.
The announcement maintains different experience rules. Spanish, French and Portuguese nationals may apply without proving previous professional experience; other EU nationals must demonstrate relevant sector experience or an employer-guaranteed training plan. Non-EU applicants must establish six years’ experience or the specified sector qualification. Employers and applicants should identify the applicable rule before presenting a file. The announcement also allows exceptional quota expansion and changes to occupations, so its ceiling is neither individual approval nor a guarantee that every occupation remains open throughout the period.
The resident-worker route requires an actual residence plan
The government’s A.1 initial residence-and-work procedure concerns people taking up effective residence in Andorra with an indefinite contract from a legally established local employer and a place within the applicable quota. That differs from retaining a home abroad and applying as a frontier worker, or undertaking a fixed seasonal position. Choose the procedure reflecting the actual contract and living arrangement rather than a category selected solely for an apparently available place.
The A.1 document list includes identification, criminal-record evidence from the relevant countries, a recent photograph, accommodation and civil-status documents, professional qualifications and the contract. It also includes medical-review material and evidence connected with previous Andorran employment where relevant. Foreign official documents require apostille or the appropriate legalisation. After permission is granted, the page requires registration with the parish commune and proof of that registration within three months. An illustrative newly hired worker should therefore prepare both the initial employment file and the later local-registration step; a signed contract does not complete either administrative task.
Plan the Catalan evidence before the first renewal
The government’s language-law guidance explains that the quota rules introduced from October 2025 require A1 Catalan for the first residence-and-work renewal and A2 for the second. The October 2026 general-quota announcement reiterates progressive language proof. New workers should therefore consider language preparation part of their residence plan rather than wait until the first card is close to expiry.
The language resource distinguishes these requirements from the earlier basic-learning itinerary and from later changes affecting other permission categories. It also describes how a certificate of exemption from the basic itinerary is requested. An exemption from following a particular itinerary should not be assumed to be a blanket exemption from every later language requirement. Check which rule applies to the permit category and original grant date. Use the government’s language-law page to identify the relevant level and official certification route, retaining the resulting evidence for the renewal file rather than relying on an informal statement that workplace conversation is sufficient.
Separate published charges from medical and document preparation
The official immigration tariff page currently lists EUR 190.96 for issuance of an initial residence-and-work authorisation and the same amount for an initial frontier-worker authorisation. It separately lists EUR 5.73 for an application receipt and EUR 22.61 for the specified work-authorisation renewals. Those are labelled administrative items, not an all-inclusive recruitment price covering housing, translations or every document needed abroad. Use the tariff corresponding to the actual procedure and stage.
The immigration FAQ explains that the service schedules the immigration medical review after the necessary documents have been presented. Its short indicative issue timing is expressly conditional on meeting all requirements; it should not be read as a guaranteed end-to-end processing period from first contact. Before travel, coordinate the application, document authentication, accommodation and employer’s intended start. The 30 April quota endpoint does not remove the need for individual permission or establish a right to begin work while the case remains unresolved. Keep the authority’s appointment and decision instructions as the operational reference for the next step.
