New immigration quota of 900 authorizations until April 2027

The Government has approved Decree 388/2026, of October 7, 2026, which sets the quota for residence and work authorizations and cross-border work authorizations at 900 until April 30, 2027. The regulation is published in the Official Bulletin of the Principality of Andorra (BOPA) number 115, of October 8, 2026, within the Regulations section, and replaces decrees 159/2026 and 231/2026.

The text is approved in application of Article 32 of the Constitution and under the authority of Articles 5 and 23 of Law 9/2012, of May 31, amending the Qualified Law on Immigration, which empowers the Government to periodically determine immigration authorization quotas by regulatory means according to the social and economic needs of the country. The Regulation consists of ten articles and an annex with the Immigration Salary Classification (CSI) table. It was approved in the Government session of October 7, 2026, at the proposal of the Minister of Justice and Interior and after submitting it for the consideration of the Economic and Social Council, and is signed by the Head of Government, Xavier Espot Zamora.

Distribution of the quota and conditions for companies

The distribution of the 900 authorizations is fixed as follows:

• 702 residence and work authorizations.
• 198 cross-border work authorizations.
• 900 authorizations in total, from which those already agreed upon under Decree 231/2026 are deducted.
• Deadline for submitting applications: from the entry into force of the Regulation until April 30, 2027.

Each company can receive a maximum of 10% of the average number of employees registered with the Andorran Social Security Fund between November 1, 2025, and April 30, 2026, with the figure rounded up to the nearest unit. To prove this, the responsible person must sign an authorization for the Immigration Service so that it can request the data from the Andorran Social Security Fund.

The company or the applicant must prove to the Employment Service that the demand has not been met by the internal labor market and that the registered offer matches the stipulated occupation and salary. The requested occupation must correspond to an activity in the Trade Register that the company effectively carries out; temporary employment or personnel supply agencies may only hire for their own executive and administrative positions.

Closed occupations and worker requirements

Occupations in the main subgroups 40, 41, 42, 43, and 44 of the National Classification of Occupations (CNO) are closed, for which no immigration authorization can be requested, as well as primary subgroups 3545001 to 3545010, both inclusive, which have a specific quota.

The main requirements for applicants are:

• Receive at least the salary indicated in Table I of Annex 1 (CSI), equivalent to the fixed salary for the legal ordinary working day of 40 hours per week.
• Provide proof of a state-recognized qualification related to the occupation or a minimum experience of 365 days worked and contributed.
• For nationals of other states, provide proof of high specialization with a short-cycle degree of two years or 120 ECTS credits, or a long-cycle degree of three years or 180 ECTS credits.
• Provide proof of a minimum professional experience of six years in the same activity for positions that require it.
• Possess the necessary visas to enter and circulate legally through France or Spain when the worker is not a national of a European Union member state or the European Economic Area.

The Immigration Service processes the application at the Employment Service within a maximum period of two business days, and the latter issues a binding report on the suitability of the profile within five business days. For companies with fewer than twenty employees on average, a suitability interview is required; for those with twenty or more, a report from a human resources professional.

Renewals, extensions, and the Catalan language

To renew authorizations, the same factual conditions and prerequisites that motivated their granting must be maintained. The Regulation also establishes:

• Catalan level A1 for the first renewal and level A2 for the second, proven by an official diploma from the Government of Andorra or an equivalent recognized qualification.
• Exceptional extension of the number of authorizations for a company if justified and if it has no outstanding debts due to non-compliance with immigration regulations.
• Extension of the overall number of authorizations up to a maximum limit of 30%.
• The possibility for the Government to close and reopen quotas for occupations based on the evolution of people registered with the Employment Service seeking work.

The repealing provision nullifies Decree 159/2026, of April 29, 2026, and Decree 231/2026, of June 19, 2026, regarding the extension of the general quota.

The new quota conditions the hiring of foreign workers in Andorra over the coming months and obliges companies to justify the lack of domestic candidates before resorting to immigration. The continued closure of occupations in subgroups 40 to 44 and the Catalan language requirement for renewals are the elements that will have the greatest impact on the labor market and on sectors that depend on foreign labor.

Source: Official Bulletin of the Principality of Andorra, no. 115, October 8, 2026, Regulations, pp. 1-7 (official reference: Decree 388/2026).