Andorra Self-employed Residency Permit | A Complete Guide

Overview:

The Andorra Self-Employed Residency Permit, known as “Compte Propi“, is a category within the country’s “Active Residency” system. In simple terms, this permit is issued to overseas entrepreneurs, digital nomads, and freelancers who are willing to establish a company, work independently, and engage in genuine business operations in Andorra.

Currently, the Andorra Self-Employed Residency Permit has the following main requirements for applicants:

1. Age and Background: The applicant must be at least 18 years old, in good health, and have no criminal record.

2. Financial Requirement: The applicant must purchase €50,000 worth of interest-free government bonds from the Andorran Central Bank (AFA) in their personal name. These bonds will cause your Andorran residence permit to be immediately invalidated once you redeem them.

In addition to the bond, you are also required to deposit €3,000 in an Andorran local bank under your company’s name.

3. Company Establishment: The applicant must establish a company in Andorra or hold more than 20% of the shares in an Andorran company and serve in a management position. While this self-employed residency permit program does not require a sophisticated business plan, you must genuinely operate a business in Andorra and make a living from it.

3. Income Requirement: The main applicant’s annual income must be at least three times the local minimum wage. In 2024, the annual minimum wage in Andorra is €13,457.64, so if you want to apply for the self-employed residency permit program, your annual income must be at least €40,372.92.

4. Residency Requirement: According to the requirements of the Andorra Active Residency program, you need to reside in the country for no less than 183 days each year.

Application Process:

Compared to the Passive Residency Program, the application process for Andorra’s Active Residency Program, such as the Self-Employed Residency Permit, is much more complex, involving the following steps:

1. Establishing a Company in Andorra: To establish a company in Andorra, foreigners need to first apply for a Foreign Investment Authorization, then obtain a shareholder visa to enter Andorra, register the company, apply for a business license, register the company’s business activities, and register with Andorra’s health system (CASS).

2. Submitting the Visa Application: After establishing the company, you can prepare all the required documents and submit the application for the self-employed residency permit to the local immigration department in Andorra.

Required documents for this program include:

• Applicant Identification Documents: This includes valid passports for all primary and secondary applicants, passport copies, passport-sized photos (35x45mm), birth certificates, marriage certificates, and other documents proving the relationship between primary and secondary applicants.

• Employment Proof: You need to provide information about the company, your position within the company, self-employment proof, and salary proof.

• Completed Application Forms.

• Proof of Purchase of Interest-Free Bonds: You need to purchase interest-free bonds worth at least €50,000 from AFA.

• Resume of the Primary Applicant: The primary applicant must provide a resume detailing their educational background and work history.

• Criminal Record Check: All adult primary and secondary applicants must provide a criminal record check issued by law enforcement agencies in their current place of residence within three months prior to submitting the application.

• Proof of Health Insurance Purchase: You need to purchase valid and sufficient health insurance in Andorra for each primary and secondary applicant annually.

• Proof of Genuine Residential Address in Andorra: You need to provide an actual residential address in Andorra where you can receive mail and related documents. This property can be either purchased or rented, but generally, the living space must not be less than 20 square meters.

All documents from outside Andorra must be notarized, and all non-Catalan documents must be translated into Catalan.

3. Visa Application Submission and Interview: After submitting the visa application, an immigration officer from the Andorran immigration department will conduct a brief interview with you. Following this, the review process for the self-employed residency permit may take up to three months. During this period, the immigration department may require the primary and secondary applicants to undergo a medical examination at a designated location.

Once the application is approved, you will be free to work and live in Andorra.

Dependents:

For the Andorra Self-Employed Residency Permit, the main applicant’s spouse or long-term partner, children under 18 years old, and financially dependent children between 18 and 25 can obtain the permit as secondary applicants.

However, generally speaking, your family members will only be approved for the permit and able to join you three months after you have obtained your Andorran residency permit.

Visa Validity:

The Andorra Self-Employed Residency Permit is initially valid for one year. After it expires, it can be renewed continuously for two-year periods under the same conditions. After the third renewal, which means after residing in Andorra with the self-employed permit for seven years, you can apply for a ten-year Andorran long-term residency permit, which can be renewed continuously.

Andorra does not issue permanent residency permits; this ten-year long-term residency permit is the final form of visa that foreigners can obtain.

Foreigners can only apply for Andorran citizenship after legally residing in Andorra for more than 20 years, or after completing their studies in the Andorran education system and residing in the country for more than 10 years.

Frequently Asked Questions:

How to Obtain an Andorra Active Residency Permit?

To obtain an Andorra Active Residency Permit, you need to be at least 18 years old, have no criminal record, deposit €50,000 in the Andorran Central Bank (AFA), and either establish a company or find a job in Andorra that cannot be filled by a local and qualifies for a work permit.

Can My Family Accompany Me with the Andorra Active Residency Permit?

Previously, except for citizens of Spain and France, all participants in Andorra’s Active Residency Program could only apply for family reunification one year after obtaining the residency permit.

This situation continued until 2021, when the Andorran government amended the law. Now, as long as you have lived in the country for three months with the active residency permit, you can apply for family reunification for your spouse or long-term partner, children under 18 years old, and financially dependent children between the ages of 18 and 25.