Russians in Andorra: language, Schengen, prices, life

Russians in Andorra: how many, and who lives there

Andorra is a country of its own in the Pyrenees, between France and Spain, and part of neither. According to the official estimate for 30 April 2024, it was home to 861 Russian citizens and 290 Ukrainian citizens out of 86,280 residents, so the idea that “there are lots of Russians there” doesn’t hold up against the figures: together they make about 1.3% of residents. The counting is done by the Departament d’Estadística, the government’s statistics office, and it counts by passport, not by language.

The series is only roughly comparable: the 2019 figure is an annual estimate, not an April one. Source: Departament d’Estadística.

The office puts the overall population growth down mainly to people moving from temporary permits to a residence and work permit.

Why are there no more recent figures? Russia and Ukraine get a row of their own in the note only when their number has changed by 50 people or more over the year. The February 2025 note no longer has these rows. Belarusians, Kazakhstanis and other CIS nationals are not shown separately: they all sit inside the “Altres” group, meaning “others”.

These are the five groups the department uses in the main table of its press note. Foreign nationals outnumber Andorrans: 55.3% at the end of 2025. By 30 September 2026 “Altres” had grown to 16,169 (17.9%), 632 more than a year earlier, mostly thanks to Colombians, Peruvians and Argentinians. Russians and Ukrainians are again missing from that note.

One more figure that explains the country: in 2024 Andorra had 9,646,656 visitors. By our own calculation that is about 110 visitors for every resident (the 2024 population estimate was 87,097, Departament d’Estadística).

Is Andorra part of Spain? The state, language, currency and the EU

No, Andorra is part of neither Spain nor France: it is an independent state (Article 1 of the 1993 constitution). Below are short answers taken from the constitution, the government’s website and EU documents.

• The state. Andorra is an independent state and a parliamentary co-principality (Article 1 of the 1993 constitution). The heads of state are two co-princes by virtue of office, the Bishop of Urgell and the President of France, acting “jointly and indivisibly” (Article 43). Their role is that of arbiters; the country is run by the parliament and the government. Andorra has no president.
• Capital and parishes. The capital is Andorra la Vella (Article 2.3). The country is divided into seven parishes, or parròquies: Canillo, Encamp, Ordino, La Massana, Andorra la Vella, Sant Julià de Lòria and Escaldes-Engordany (Article 1.5).
• Language. Andorra has one official language, Catalan (Article 2.1).
• Currency. The euro, under a monetary agreement with the EU signed on 30 June 2011 and in force since 1 April 2012. Before the agreement Andorra had no official currency: Spanish and French money circulated, and from 2002 the euro. The country has minted its own coins since 2014 and issues no banknotes.
• The EU. Andorra is not an EU member. On 19 October 2026 it signed an association agreement with the EU, but the agreement isn’t in force yet: it needs the consent of the European Parliament and ratification.
• Schengen. No, Andorra is not in the Schengen area, and you can only enter through France or Spain (govern.ad); more on this in the visa section below.
• Time. Same as France and Spain: UTC+1 in winter, UTC+2 in summer (according to the IANA time zone database; we found no government text on the time zone).

Do you need a visa for Andorra? Schengen and entry

Andorra is not in Schengen and requires no visa of its own, but you can only get there through France or Spain. So if your nationality needs a Schengen visa, you need a double-entry or multiple-entry one: one entry into Schengen on the way to Andorra, the second on the way back. In the words of Andorra’s government: “The Principality of Andorra does not require any type of visa”.

Russia and Andorra have a convention abolishing visas (BOPA No. 73 of 27 May 2020): 90 days in 365 without a visa, with the period counted under Schengen rules. Work and long stays require a visa. The convention doesn’t cancel the parties’ other obligations (Article 12), and the only way into Andorra is through Spain or France (govern.ad), so Russians still need a Schengen visa to get there.

Since 10 April 2026 the EES system has been running at all of Schengen’s external borders. The European Commission writes that, without a separate agreement, it will record Andorra’s third-country residents as overstayers. As of 7 September 2026 that agreement was still only a proposal for signature. Until it exists, keep count of your Schengen days yourself.

What language is spoken in Andorra, and where to learn Catalan

Andorra has one official language, Catalan (Article 2.1 of the constitution). If you’re moving there, this is more than a formality: the first renewal of a residence and work permit requires an A1 diploma, and the second an A2. The transition period, when a 30-hour course without a diploma was enough, ended on 26 April 2026, and the diploma now has to be an official one. From 2029 the requirement will extend to other permits as well (VilaWeb, 2 September 2026).

You can learn the language for free: the state runs courses for everyone over 16. The catch is that the places on the in-person A1 and A2 courses were all taken on the first day of enrolment, and classes started on 9 September 2026 (VilaWeb, 02.09.2026). The intensive course runs 4 hours a week from September to January, the standard one 3 hours a week until June, and there is a waiting list. Miss the first 15 days and you lose your place.

Schools follow three systems: Andorran (mainly in Catalan), French and Spanish (the 2019 guide from the comú of Andorra la Vella). Schooling is free and compulsory from 6 to 16. You enrol a child through e-tramits.ad (address below).

Andorra la Vella and the seven parishes: where people live

Andorra la Vella, the capital, has the most people: 24,836 at the end of 2025, and together with neighbouring Escaldes-Engordany that is almost half the country. Look at the share of “Altres”, though, and the picture changes. It is highest in Canillo: 32.2%, 2,080 people out of 6,457, where 72.2% of residents are foreign nationals. Next come La Massana (22.8%) and Ordino (18.7%). The statistics don’t publish how many Russians live in each parish.

Residents, the share of foreign nationals and the share of “Altres” for each parish come from the Departament d’Estadística note for December 2025.

• Andorra la VellaThe capital under the constitution (Article 2.3) and the largest parish: 24,836 residents at the end of 2025, 54.2% of them foreign nationals; the “Altres” group, which includes Russians, makes up 15.7%.
• Escaldes-EngordanyThe second parish by population: 16,162 residents, 54.3% foreign nationals, “Altres” 16.4%.
• Encamp13,520 residents, 56.2% foreign nationals, “Altres” 17.1%.
• La Massana12,148 residents, 59.0% foreign nationals, “Altres” 22.8%, second only to Canillo.
• Sant Julià de Lòria10,256 residents. The most “Andorran” parish: 44.4% foreign nationals and only 8.7% “Altres”.
• CanilloOnly 6,457 residents, yet 72.2% are foreign nationals and “Altres” reach 32.2% (2,080 people), the highest share in the country.
• OrdinoThe smallest parish: 5,679 residents, 53.2% foreign nationals, “Altres” 18.7%.

How much a flat costs in Andorra

The average price of a flat in Andorra in the first quarter of 2026 was €4,415.9 per square metre, 3% more than a year earlier. These are official statistics as reported by alto.ad, which doesn’t name the agency behind them. By our own calculation, a 50 m² flat comes to about €221,000. In Monaco the average price for 2025, according to IMSEE, was €57,569 a metre, roughly 13 times higher (our Monaco guide), but the methods differ.

Renting. According to official statistics (Departament d’Estadística, note A048 of 28.08.2026), in 2025 rent averaged €9.9 per square metre a month across all agreements and €12.1 for agreements under a year old, and 62.8% of residents rent their home. By our own calculation, 50 m² at the price of recent agreements comes to about €605 a month. Old agreements, extended by law since 2019, are to be released in stages from 2027 to 2030 under the Govern bill (passed on 4 June 2026, according to alto.ad); what that means for tenants is on our page healthcare, schools and housing in Andorra.

Prices and salaries in Andorra

We took the IGI rates from the 2014 text of the law and haven’t checked the current version. A foreign national can only work in Andorra with a permit issued within the quota. At the end of 2024 there were 58,754 residence permits in force, a third of them (19,641, or 33.4%) held by citizens of “other” countries.

How much you need to invest for passive residence

If you’re thinking of living there rather than visiting, bear in mind Llei 2/2026, in force since 13 February 2026. Under it, passive residence (without working) requires:

• an investment in Andorran assets of at least €1,000,000;
• or, through the Fons d’Habitatge housing fund, €400,000;
• for a home purchase, more than €800,000 per property;
• a deposit with the Autoritat Financera Andorrana of €50,000 plus €12,000 for each dependant, non-refundable unless the initial permit is refused.

Search results still show the old figure of €600,000.

A foreign national buying a home also pays a tax: 6% on a first home and 10% on any further ones; a resident pays it too unless they have lived in Andorra for 3 of the last 10 years.

How to get to Andorra: coaches from Toulouse and Barcelona, the Envalira tunnel

The easiest way from Toulouse to Andorra la Vella is by coach. The Andorran company Andbus runs four departures a day from Matabiau station (platform 15) and, 30 minutes later, from Toulouse airport (hall B, by door B). The journey takes about 4 hours from the station and about 3 hours 30 minutes from the airport, all according to the Andbus timetable; the operator warns that times depend on the roads.

Coming back, coaches leave Andorra at 4:00, 8:00, 12:00 and 16:00. A one-way ticket costs €36 and a return €64, or €20 and €40 with an annual Andbus Prime subscription (€90 a year, valid for the holder only). These prices apply only when you buy on the operator’s website; we checked them on the Andbus website on 29 October 2026. The site gives no date for the fares, so check before you travel.

FlixBus also runs from Toulouse: about 4 hours, 203 km, tickets from €36.99, at least four departures a day (the first at 9:45, the last at 21:45), leaving from the Pierre Sémard coach station or from Matabiau railway station (the operator’s page on 26 October 2026).

From Barcelona, Andbus runs more often: 10 departures a day from the airport (terminal T1, platforms 7-12 on the lower level, and terminal T2, arrivals area T2B) and from the Barcelona Diagonal stop (Av. Diagonal / Dr. Marañón). The journey takes about 3 hours: the 7:15 from Diagonal, for example, reaches Andorra at 10:00. Coming back, every two hours from 2:00 to 20:00. A ticket costs €33 one way and €56 return, or €15 and €30 with Andbus Prime (Andbus website, 29 October 2026). From Lleida, Andbus charges €25 (same website).

By car, the Envalira pass has a toll tunnel: €8.10 for a car in 2026 (it was €7.90 in 2025), and when the pass is closed by bad weather the tunnel is free (alto.ad, 15 December 2025). We don’t yet have a driving route from Toulouse, Perpignan or Montpellier backed by an official source: no distances, no rules on winter chains. If you’ve driven it, tell us in the chat, and that will become our own data.

On the way back into France, French customs allowances apply (douane.gouv.fr):

• non-food goods: up to €900 per person aged 15 or over, up to €450 for younger travellers;
• food: up to €300 and €150;
• perfume: 75 ml, eau de toilette: 37.5 cl;
• travellers can’t pool their allowances for a single purchase, and above the allowance duty is charged on the full value, with nothing deducted.

Fuel: you may bring a full tank and one sealed jerrycan of up to 10 litres (AFP, citing French customs). On 15 September 2026 a large filling station in Pas de la Casa was selling diesel at €1.677 and petrol at €1.685 a litre, but those prices reflected a temporary tax cut.

Grandvalira ski resort, Caldea and shopping

The Grandvalira ski resort has 215 km of runs, and its ski pass price is dynamic, changing through the season (the resort’s website). Night skiing costs €28.50. Children under 5 and anyone aged 75 or over ski free; for ages 65-69 the guide price is €43.50 (the resort’s website).

The 2026/27 season. Grandvalira and Pal Arinsal open on 4 December 2026 and close on 4 April 2027, both dates weather permitting (the resorts’ websites). Day pass prices at both resorts are dynamic: they depend on demand and on how far ahead you buy, so check the current price on the resort’s official website. The 2026/27 Andorra Pass covers Grandvalira, Pal Arinsal and Ordino Arcalís, and since 1 July 2026 it costs €1,019 for non-residents and €539 for Andorran residents (Ordino Arcalís website, news item of 25.06.2026). We found no separate rate for people living in France: season prices are split only into Andorran residents and everyone else. If you are insured in France, ask your CPAM for form SE 130-04 before you go (CLEISS).

Caldea. The thermal spa is there, but we found no official admission price on the Caldea website, so we don’t give a figure. Under the 2014 law, ski lifts, transport and thermal spas pay IGI at a reduced rate of 2.5%.

Shopping. The general rate of IGI, Andorra’s tax on purchases, is 4.5% (the 2014 law). But you can only bring things back into France duty-free within the allowances above: for electronics, clothes and other non-food goods the overall limit is €900, and for perfume 75 ml. At the filling stations in the AFP report (16 September 2026), a driver says a litre costs about 70 cents less there than in France.

Andorra’s government offices: residence permit, criminal record certificate, apostille

These are the Andorran offices newcomers need. The addresses and fees come from the official pages and the Hague Conference website, opened on 25 October 2026; check them again before you go.

• Servei d'Immigració (immigration service, Govern d'Andorra)

  Residence and work permits. They are issued within a quota; on 7 October 2026 the Govern adopted a new regulation on the general quota (Decret 388/2026), and we haven’t read its figures. A seasonal permit for nationals of non-EU countries is procedure G1 on immigracio.ad. On 25 October 2026 some govern.ad pages still showed the amounts in force before Llei 2/2026, so check against the text of the law.

  Official site - Servei d'Immigració (immigration service, Govern d'Andorra) →

• CASS (Caixa Andorrana de Seguretat Social, social security and healthcare)

  The employer registers the employee within the 7 days before work starts, and no later than the first day. Contributions on a salary: the employee pays 6.5%, the employer 15.5%. A doctor’s visit is reimbursed at 75% if you go through your family doctor (via preferent), and at 33% if you go direct.

  Official site - CASS (Caixa Andorrana de Seguretat Social, social security and healthcare) →

• School enrolment (e-tramits.ad)

  First enrolment is free (€0.00) and open all year round; the decision comes within 60 working days at most. The condition: the child genuinely lives in Andorra.

  Official site - School enrolment (e-tramits.ad) →

• La Batllia (criminal record certificate)Seu de la Justícia, Baixada del Molí 2-4, Andorra la Vella · certificatspenals@justicia.ad

  La Batllia issues the Andorran criminal record certificate. If you live outside Andorra, you can only request it by e-mail (according to a page of Canada’s immigration service, 27 March 2024).

• Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Andorra (apostille)C/ Prat de la Creu 62-64, AD500 Andorra la Vella

  Apostilles for Andorran documents, fee €8.58 (Hague Conference, HCCH). The form is on tramits.ad if you search for “postil”, and it is in Catalan only.

  Official site - Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Andorra (apostille) →

The Russian consulate. Russia has no embassy in Andorra: the Russian Embassy in Spain is responsible for it, and Andorra itself has an honorary consulate (La Veu Lliure, 12 August 2026). We don’t give an address or hours, because the Russian Foreign Ministry pages listing Andorra’s consular district wouldn’t open on 25 October 2026. Which missions of Ukraine, Belarus and Kazakhstan cover Andorra, we couldn’t confirm from official pages.

Church, shops, schools. We have no checked entries for Andorra: in open sources we found no Russian shops, no associations and no current Orthodox service schedule with an address. If you know a place, tell us in the chat and we’ll check it and add it.

Is there a Russian chat for Andorra?

For people who live in Andorra and those who travel there from Toulouse, we have one shared chat, Vibe South of France: 700+ people. It deals with housing, paperwork, jobs and travel, and it’s also where you can find people to share a ride for a weekend in the mountains. If you live in Andorra or work a season there, say so: our people will find you, and we’ll add your information to this guide.

To be honest, our chat has never discussed Andorra, either as a place to visit or as a place to move to. Almost all our meet-ups have taken place in and around Montpellier. For the two-city Mafia at the end of August 2026, a team from Toulouse came to a villa near Montpellier, and the closest we have come to Andorra was the Slavic Weekend near Toulouse, 30 October - 1 November 2026, with a banya for 26 people and Mafia for about 25 players.

Vibe South of France community chat on Telegram - Andorra, Toulouse, Perpignan and the whole South of France

See also: Toulouse · Perpignan · Carcassonne · Narbonne · Prades · Moving to Andorra · Work and taxes in Andorra 2026 · Andorra healthcare, schools and housing 2026 · Monaco · Community events · Moving to France