Living in Andorra as a French National: Residence, Cost of Living, Schools and Daily Life

Andorra is a mountain principality wedged between France and Spain. A French national finds concrete advantages there: a monthly minimum wage set by the government, its own social security system (the Caixa Andorrana de Seguretat Social, CASS) coordinated with France by a bilateral agreement, and a public French school network. Crime is essentially limited to petty crime (theft of documents, objects or means of payment), according to France Diplomatie.

Several constraints deserve to be weighed before departure. Settling requires an immigration authorisation and not a simple residence declaration, authorisations with activity are subject to a quota, and as Andorra has no unemployment insurance scheme, protection in case of job loss relies on a means-tested allowance paid by the Ministry of Social Affairs (CLEISS, the French centre for European and international social security liaison). The mountains also impose their own rhythm: avalanches, landslides and mountain roads in winter are among the risks recalled by France Diplomatie, as is the personal responsibility of anyone practising mountaineering, snowmobiling or hiking.

The country is divided into seven parishes. Andorra la Vella and Escaldes-Engordany form the main urban area: administrations, shops, the French embassy (38 Carrer les Canals, by appointment) and the Nostra Senyora de Meritxell hospital, the country’s only hospital. Sant Julià de Lòria, in the south, is the parish closest to the Spanish border. Encamp, Canillo, Ordino and La Massana make up the mountain area, geared towards outdoor activities. Pas de la Case, on the French border, is the place where French is most commonly spoken (France Diplomatie).

The choice of parish depends on the children’s schooling, the place of work and the distance to care: the French schools are spread across the parishes, the lycée is in Andorra la Vella and the hospital in Escaldes-Engordany. Travel times, longer in winter on mountain roads, therefore enter into the housing calculation.

The Govern d’Andorra distinguishes several residence routes, processed by the Departament d’Immigració. The most common route is residence and work: it requires an employment contract or a self-employed activity and depends on an annual quota (a reserve of 125 self-employed residence and work authorisations was, for example, approved by the Govern). Residence without work requires, according to the official page, an annual income above 300% of the annual minimum wage (increased by 100% per dependant), housing meeting habitability conditions, a commitment to actual residence of at least 90 days a year and a commitment to invest in Andorran assets. The amount of this investment is the subject of a recent legislative reform: the value in force should be confirmed with the Departament d’Immigració before any application.

The Govern has also opened a residence for digital nomads (actual presence of 90 days a year, favourable opinion from the ministry in charge of the economy, quota) and a residence for internationally oriented professionals, which requires in particular an unremunerated deposit of €47,500 with the Autoritat Financera Andorrana (€9,500 per dependant), an activity of which at least 85% of the services are used outside Andorra and at most one employee. In these categories, the initial authorisation lasts two years, the first renewal two years, the second three years, and subsequent ones ten years.

After the authorisation is granted, registration with the Comú of the parish of residence must take place within a month. On the French side, you should report your departure to the CPAM (the French health insurance fund), the CAF (family allowances fund) and France Travail (the employment agency) to avoid undue payments, then register on the register of French nationals established outside France with the embassy (CLEISS, French embassy).

The cross-sector minimum wage is set by the government and revised each year, for 8 hours a day and 40 hours a week, with 30 calendar days or 22 working days of leave (Servei d’Inspecció de Treball). An employee contributes to CASS at 6.5% of gross salary (3% for the general branch, 3.5% for retirement), the employer bearing 15.5%; personal income tax (IRPF) is at a rate of 10%, with a tax-free personal minimum of €24,000 (Govern d’Andorra). Tax details are presented in the page working in Andorra.

Housing is the first expense item and the precondition of any residence authorisation: you must have housing meeting the minimum habitability conditions, owned or rented. Rent levels can be consulted in the publications of the Govern’s Departament d’Estadística, as they vary widely by parish, season and type of property. Current health spending represents about 8% of GDP, of which a little over 11% remains a direct charge on households (World Bank).

French families can enrol their children in the public French education system present in the Principality, placed under the responsibility of the Ministry of National Education. It comprises eleven schools spread across the parishes (about 2,200 primary pupils) and one secondary establishment, the Comte-de-Foix lycée, in Andorra la Vella. It brings together a collège with an adapted general and vocational education section, a general and technological lycée, a vocational lycée and post-baccalaureate courses, for a roll of around 1,500 pupils according to official publications: the enrolment figures for the school year should be requested from the French education delegation.

The lycée also takes boarders from Monday to Thursday evening. Baccalauréat pass rates, which are high, vary from one year to the next: they can be consulted in the indicators published by the ministry.

France Diplomatie places the whole territory at normal vigilance. The recommendations concern identity documents to be protected, traffic conditions in the mountains in bad weather and the practice of risky activities, which engages personal responsibility. The emergency health numbers are presented in the page healthcare system in Andorra.

The climate is that of a high Pyrenean valley, with snowy winters that make traffic subject to weather conditions. The official language is Catalan; French is spoken mainly in Pas de la Case, and Spanish, English and Portuguese are also spoken (France Diplomatie). In shops, hotels and restaurants, cheques are generally not accepted. Entry is made through a border post, identity cards issued to adults between 1 January 2004 and 31 December 2013 remaining accepted five years after the expiry date printed on them, with a recommendation to travel preferably with a valid passport.

On the health side, France Diplomatie invites travellers to check that the French vaccination schedule is up to date (diphtheria, tetanus, polio, whooping cough, measles) and publishes one-off alerts, for example on measles. Medicines taken along must remain in their original packaging, with a prescription stating the international nonproprietary names, and their authorisation in Andorra should be checked before departure. These precautions apply to the whole family, children included, before enrolment in a school.

An employee hired locally is affiliated to CASS from the start of their activity; a seconded employee may remain in the French scheme under conditions, through the secondment certificate SE 130-01 and form SE 130-08 (CLEISS). Health cover for a resident without activity is prepared before departure, since residence without work requires proof of cover: the pages healthcare reimbursement and retiring in Andorra detail each situation. Medical transport costs outside Andorra, which the Servei Andorrà d’Atenció Sanitària (SAAS) organises for certain patients, fall under the insurance or assistance contract chosen.