Just Landed in Andorra? Your First 7 Days

Andorra Telecom (STA) holds a legal monopoly on all fixed and mobile telecoms, so there is only one provider and no competitor to shop around. Coverage is strong across the inhabited valleys and fibre reaches most homes and even mid-mountain villages, but expect dead zones in the high passes and on remote hiking trails. Because the country is outside the EU, EU roaming rules do not apply, so a Spanish or French SIM will roam at extra cost until you buy a local Mobiland number.

Typical cost: Prepaid tourist/resident bundles from around EUR 15-30; resident mobile plans roughly EUR 20-40 per month; home fibre broadband around EUR 40-60 per month depending on speed.

Andorra uses the euro under a monetary agreement with the EU but sits outside the eurozone and the EU banking union, so it has its own small set of local banks with their own rules. The cost of living is moderate for a wealthy microstate, and the local sales tax (IGI) is just 4.5% — far lower than Spanish or French VAT — which is why cross-border shoppers pour in. There is no capital-controls hassle for residents, but banking due diligence is notably stricter than in the EU.

Opening an account: Andbank, MoraBanc and Crèdit Andorrà are the three main resident-facing banks. Opening an account requires your passport, your residence permit or proof of the application, and proof of address; expect thorough source-of-funds questions and a wait of one to three weeks, and non-residents face heavier checks and higher minimum balances.

Cash: Broadly card-friendly for a small country, and contactless is normal in shops and restaurants, but cash is still expected at markets, taxis, some cafés, parking meters and mountain huts. Keep small notes and coins on you, especially outside the capital.

Tipping: Tipping is not expected and service is never added automatically. Rounding up a restaurant bill or leaving a euro or two for good service is appreciated but entirely optional; there is no percentage convention as in the US or UK.

Living in Andorra legally requires an immigration residence permit (residència), and once granted you register your address with your parish comú and enrol in the CASS social-security system. There is no simple free 'address registration' as in EU countries — residence is tied to the permit itself, which is capped by annual quotas and split into active (employed or self-employed) and passive (non-working, deposit-based) categories. Passive residents must place a deposit with the AFA financial authority and prove private health cover and sufficient income, while active residents rely on a job or a registered Andorran business. Because quotas are limited and paperwork is bureaucratic, most newcomers use a licensed local gestor to shepherd the file.

Deadline: You must hold a residence permit before settling in; there is no post-arrival grace period. Register with the comú and enrol in CASS promptly once the permit is issued, typically within its first weeks, and renew the permit before it expires on its fixed cycle.

Where: Servei d'Immigració (Immigration Service) in Andorra la Vella for the permit itself, then your local comú (parish town hall) for the address, and CASS for social-security and healthcare enrolment.

There is no airport or railway; the whole country is served by roads and a decent national bus network run by the Cooperativa Interurbana Andorrana, with fares of only a couple of euros per hop. Winter snow, steep gradients and the daily crush on the CG-1 and CG-2 through Andorra la Vella make driving demanding, and a short distance can take far longer than the map suggests. Many residents drive, but the buses cover the main valley well enough that you can manage your first weeks without a car.

From the airport: The nearest airports are Barcelona-El Prat (roughly 3 to 3.5 hours by road) and Toulouse-Blagnac (about 3 hours). Direct coaches run by Andbus and Direcbus connect both airports to Andorra la Vella; book online in advance, especially in ski season, and expect a passport check at the border since Andorra is outside Schengen. A tiny regional airport at La Seu d'Urgell over the Spanish border handles very limited seasonal flights only.

Housing is tight and expensive relative to the country's size, driven by resident demand, seasonal workers and wealthy second-home buyers who have pushed prices up sharply. Most newcomers rent flats in Andorra la Vella, Escaldes-Engordany or Encamp; furnished short-lets are common but long-term stock is genuinely scarce, and good listings move fast. Estate agents (immobiliàries) handle most of the market, and searching in person or via local agency sites beats waiting for online listings.

Typical rent: A one-bedroom flat runs roughly EUR 700-1,200 per month in the centre and EUR 600-900 further out; two-bedrooms EUR 1,000-1,700, higher for new-build or ski-adjacent properties.

Deposit norm: Expect one to two months' rent as a deposit plus the first month upfront, and agencies typically charge a commission of around one month's rent. Get a written contract, since proof of accommodation is needed for your residence permit, and confirm which bills are included before signing.

Andorra has a well-regarded mixed public-private system funded through the CASS social-security fund rather than free-at-the-point-of-use state care. Patients typically pay the provider upfront and are reimbursed a large share afterwards — commonly around 75% for ordinary care and higher for hospital and serious treatment — once they are enrolled in CASS. Standards are high and waiting times short, but you must be a resident or worker to join the system.

How to access it: Register with CASS once you are a legal resident or employed, choose a primary doctor (metge referent), and pay at the point of service to claim your reimbursement afterwards. The main hospital is Hospital Nostra Senyora de Meritxell in Escaldes-Engordany, reachable on (+376) 871 000, and pharmacies (farmàcies) are widespread in every town.

Insurance: CASS enrolment is mandatory for residents and workers, and many people add private complementary insurance to cover the reimbursement gap so they are not out of pocket. Passive (non-working) residents must show private health cover as an explicit condition of the permit, and everyone should keep private cover running until CASS membership starts.

• Learn a few words of Catalan even though Spanish and French work everywhere — it is the sole official language and locals genuinely appreciate the effort.
• Greet with a handshake in formal settings or two cheek kisses among friends and family, and expect a relaxed, unhurried social pace.
• Respect the long midday break; turning up at a shop or office at 14:00 usually means a locked door, so schedule around it.
• Sort your rubbish carefully — Andorra runs strict recycling with separated containers in every town and fines for getting it wrong.
• Dress for the mountains and the weather rather than to impress; practical outdoor clothing is normal and the climate is genuinely alpine.
• Be patient and courteous with bureaucracy and queues at the comú, immigration and banks — pushiness gets you nowhere and paperwork simply takes time.
• Support local traditions like the summer festes majors and Meritxell day (8 September), the national holiday, which matter deeply to Andorrans.

• Andorra is outside Schengen and the EU customs union, so there are duty limits when crossing into Spain or France, and random checks at the border are routine — do not over-buy tobacco or alcohol.
• Winter driving is serious: winter tyres or snow chains are legally required on many roads in the cold months, and mountain passes such as the CG-3 towards France can close in bad weather.
• Do not assume EU rules apply; mobile roaming, banking passporting and some EU consumer protections stop at the border, so a Spanish contract or SIM behaves differently here.
• Residency quotas are limited and the rules change, so verify current requirements with the Servei d'Immigració or a licensed gestor rather than relying on old blog posts.
• Altitude and rapid weather changes are real hazards for newcomers heading into the mountains unprepared, even on short walks near town.