Andorra: visa and entry rules

Andorra's borders: every crossing point

Andorra has two neighbours — France and Spain, and there is no other way in.

With Spain: La Farga de Moles — Sant Julia de Loria in the south, the main route, the road from Barcelona.

With France: Pas de la Casa in the north-east, over the Envalira pass at more than two thousand metres.

The Envalira pass is closed in winter during snowfalls, and the French route becomes impassable — the Envalira tunnel only partly solves this.

There is no passport control, but there is customs control: Andorra is outside the EU customs union, and purchases are checked on the way out — the duty-free allowances here are real and they are counted.

There is no airport, the nearest ones are Barcelona, Toulouse and Girona.

Driving to Andorra

There is no other way of reaching the country — only overland from France or Spain.

Winter tyres or chains are mandatory in the cold season: the roads are mountain roads and the passes get buried in snow.

Fuel and goods are cheaper than in the neighbouring countries, and that is the main reason for the flow of cars here.

On the way out customs check your purchases — anything above the duty-free allowance is charged duty.

A Green Card is mandatory for foreign-registered cars.

Travelling to Andorra with a pet

EU rules apply, since the only way to get here is through EU countries.

An ISO-standard microchip is mandatory, implanted BEFORE the rabies vaccination.

Rabies vaccination — and a 21-day wait before entry.

A rabies antibody titre test is required only for pets from a country not on the EU's approved list. The US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the UK are on the list, so this does not apply to pets travelling from those countries; Russia is one of the countries it does apply to. A three-month wait then applies before entry.

An EU veterinary certificate is required.

Overstaying your visa in Andorra

Andorra keeps no separate record of your stay, so an overstay in the local sense does not exist.

What counts is the Schengen clock: the days spent here go into the area's overall total when you return to France or Spain.

The real risk is a single-entry visa. By leaving for Andorra you have left the area, and you will not get back in on a single-entry visa that has already been used.

The consequences arrive at the Schengen border, not at the Andorran one.