Living in Andorra
A small sovereign country in the Pyrenees. The working week is the test, not a Saturday on the slopes.
Scale
Andorra is a co-principality between France and Spain. You can drive the main valley in well under an hour. A working capital, ski parishes and high villages share one set of institutions.
It is not a suburb of Barcelona or Toulouse. Catalan is the official language. Spanish and French are widely used. English is common in professional rooms and less so in the village shop. Current Government notes expect new residents to move towards Catalan at renewal. Confirm the level then required on Govern.ad.
A year in the mountains
Winter is the public season: Grandvalira on the eastern side, Pal-Arinsal and Arcalís in the west. The slopes sit next to the villages. That is why it feels different from a long-transfer Alpine resort.
Summer is quieter and, for many people who stay, better. High trails, the Madriu-Perafita-Claror landscape, Sorteny and Comapedrosa are the outdoor map. Autumn is short and clear. Spring is the melt.
Where to live
The seven parishes are the real map. Andorra la Vella and Escaldes-Engordany hold most appointments and the public hospital. Ordino and Canillo are higher. La Massana and Encamp sit on ski roads. Sant Julià de Lòria is the southern gate, closer to Spain and the university.
Read the parish notes before you ask an agent to search. Housing that works for a residence file is not the same as a holiday chalet. See properties for how we will list homes, and the directory for AGIA-registered agents.
Schools and health
Education is plural. Govern.ad publishes three systems: Andorran, Spanish and French. Non-Andorran schools also teach Formació Andorrana, so Catalan and Andorran institutions are on the timetable. The public university sits in Sant Julià de Lòria. The official links are on education.
Public healthcare is organised by SAAS, which describes Hospital Nostra Senyora de Meritxell as the country’s only hospital and runs primary-care centres in the parishes. Social security is CASS. Coverage depends on affiliation. Read healthcare.
Money and paper
Daily banking is local. The Association of Andorran Banks lists three groups: Andbank, MoraBanc and Creand. Opening an account is a compliance meeting, not a form. The supervisor is the AFA.
Driving-licence photographs and signatures are taken at Government premises, by appointment, on the official e-tramits pages. Border conditions under the European Entry/Exit System are on the practitioner map, using the Govern.ad dates.
If you are moving, start with become a resident and the official immigration pages: D.1, B.1, tax residence. The registers themselves are on official sources. For an introduction, use the form on the residency page or write to hello@privateandorra.com.