Passive residency in Andorra: investment, conditions and process

The quota announced in March 2026 includes 163 permits falling precisely under this category — this figure doesn't necessarily reflect the places still available at the time of application.

This permit allows a foreign individual to establish permanent, genuine residency in Andorra for at least 90 days a year, without carrying out employed or professional activity there. The holder can nonetheless carry out the acts needed to manage their personal wealth, and the law allows them to hold an unpaid director's position in a company in which they hold at least 50% of the capital or equity.

This possibility shouldn't be read as a general authorisation to work for that company: a distinction needs to be drawn between overseeing and managing a shareholding, an unpaid director's role, day-to-day operational management, providing services, and receiving a salary or fees — the latter two situations may require a permit that expressly allows an activity to be carried out.

Is remote work compatible with this permit? No: this status isn't designed for someone who works regularly from their Andorran home, even where their employer or clients are based abroad. Professional activity genuinely carried out from the Principality should instead be considered under active residency or an internationally-focused professional status — the law penalises work carried out in Andorra under a residency permit without work.

Passive residency can suit a retiree living mainly off their pensions and assets, an investor who doesn't want to run a local operating business, a family with regular income, someone living off rent, dividends or investments, a shareholder overseeing their assets without receiving pay for a local activity, or a director who has sold their business and no longer wishes to work actively.

A different permit will generally be more suitable for an entrepreneur running an Andorran company day to day, a consultant working from Andorra, an employee of a local company, a self-employed person invoicing clients from the Principality, a liberal professional, or someone wanting to set up an operating business — see our active residency guide. The status should be selected before organising the investment, accommodation and tax position.

The main permit holder must invest, on a permanent and genuine basis, at least €600,000 across one or more categories of Andorran assets provided for by law, with the possibility of splitting the amount across several categories.

The chosen combination must be documented and maintained for the whole duration of the permit. The investment must be made within a maximum of six months from the application, extendable by six months where it could not be formalised through force majeure or the fault of a third party. Failing that, the residency authorisation without gainful activity is annulled.

Debt or financial instruments issued by Andorran entities, as well as collective investment funds, can only be held as an eligible asset for a maximum of 36 months: at the end of this period, the amount must be reallocated to another category provided for by law to continue counting — a reallocation that needs to be planned for from the outset.

Yes. Property located in Andorra is among the eligible asset categories, subject to an important constraint: where all or part of the investment relies on real estate, an amount strictly above €600,000 must be committed to each individual property acquired.

Compliant example — a flat worth €650,000: the general threshold of €600,000 is met, and the unit itself also exceeds €600,000. Non-compliant example — two studios worth €320,000 each: the total reaches €640,000, but neither unit exceeds €600,000. The per-property condition isn't met.

A home located in Andorra can, in principle, form part of the assets considered — acquiring the property and proving accommodation nonetheless remain two separate administrative checks. A non-resident, or someone resident for less than three of the previous ten years, generally falls under the foreign real estate investment tax regime: since February 2026, this tax is set at 6% for a first unit within the legal limits, and 10% above that — a cost to budget separately, without assuming it increases the value counted towards the permit threshold. See our taxation in Andorra guide.

Yes. Article 96.2 of the immigration law provides that the main holder deposits €50,000 non-remunerated with the Autoritat Financera Andorrana, plus €12,000 for each dependant obtaining residency. These amounts are deducted from the investment to be made, and the deposit is returned if the authorisation is cancelled, annulled or not renewed, less the fees applied by the AFA and any withholdings for failure to meet obligations entered into in Andorra.

These amounts are not added to the investment: they are part of it. The holder deposits €50,000 non-remunerated with the AFA, plus €12,000 per dependant, and these sums are deducted from the €600,000 to be invested. They are returned if the authorisation ends — cancellation, annulment or non-renewal — less the fees applied by the AFA and any withholdings for failure to meet obligations in Andorra.

The main holder must have annual means above 300% of the annual Andorran minimum wage, increased by 100% of the annual minimum wage per dependant. Since 1 July 2026, the monthly minimum wage stands at €1,568.67.

These amounts, indicative as of 24 August 2026, will change with each revision of the minimum wage. The file can include a pension certificate, the tax return from the previous country of residence, bank certificates, evidence of rent, dividends or other documented recurring income. The mandatory investment and proof of means are two cumulative conditions: holding €600,000 in assets doesn't automatically exempt you from demonstrating sufficient annual means.

The applicant and their dependants must hold private insurance valid in Andorra for the entire duration of the permit, covering 100% of medical or health costs in Andorra as well as disability and old-age risks depending on the insured person's situation — a minimum suitable level of cover is required for minors and those over 60. Before taking out a policy, it's worth checking the territory covered, exclusions, deductibles, caps, hospitalisation, and coverage of pre-existing conditions; travel insurance or limited foreign cover may be insufficient.

The applicant must also prove they have accommodation meeting minimum habitability requirements — a title deed, a rental agreement, or evidence that a purchase is under way, to be finalised within one year of the application. Once granted, registration with the Comú of the parish of residence must take place within one month; at renewal, the authorities may request the Comú certificate and electricity, water or telephone bills to demonstrate genuine occupancy.

Yes. Those who can obtain dependant residency status include a spouse, registered partner, non-emancipated minor children, certain dependent adult children with a disability or otherwise legally dependent, children under 25 in education, certain dependent ascendants, and certain people under the holder's legal guardianship — economic or personal dependence must be demonstrated.

For each household member, you need to budget for the final €12,000 deposit, the annual means top-up, suitable insurance, appropriate accommodation, civil status documents, and apostilled or legalised paperwork. The dependant's permit relies on the main holder's permit remaining valid and family and economic conditions continuing to be met.

Yes. For 2026, a quota of 200 permits for residency without work was opened, comprising 163 for residency without gainful activity, 10 for internationally-focused professionals, 17 for scientific, cultural or sporting reasons, and 10 linked to certain medical or geriatric centres. The number of places still available needs to be checked before buying a property, taking out an investment, or beginning your tax departure: meeting a financial condition doesn't allow you to obtain a permit once the quota is exhausted.

The application follows ten steps: check the right status, check the quota, build the investment scenario, prepare the origin and availability of funds, arrange accommodation and insurance, gather personal documents, submit the immigration file with a medical examination, obtain the permit and register with the Comú, then finalise the investment within a maximum of six months — extendable by six months in the event of force majeure or fault by a third party — before providing the corresponding evidence. Failing to provide evidence by the deadline can lead to the permit being cancelled.

The Immigration Service may request further documents. Criminal record certificates generally need to come from the country of origin, the country of nationality, and any relevant countries of residence.

For a single person: €600,000 placed in Andorran assets, of which €50,000 is tied up as a deposit with the AFA. All of it stays part of your wealth — the deposit is returned when the authorisation ends, and only the AFA's fees are definitively spent. With one dependant, the deposit rises to €62,000, still deducted from the €600,000 and still refundable.

There's no overall guaranteed timeframe: duration depends on quota availability, nationality, the countries where criminal record checks need to be obtained, apostilles, bank preparation, the choice of investment, insurance, accommodation and the medical examination. The six-month period allowed to make the investment isn't a guaranteed timeframe for obtaining the permit — it's a maximum period to follow through on the commitment made. It's sensible to plan for a project spanning several months.

The initial permit is granted for two years; under the published general regime, the first renewal is granted for two years, the second for three years, and subsequent ones can be granted for ten years — different rules may apply under agreements with certain states. Renewal must be submitted within the six months before expiry, before the permit's end date, while continuing to demonstrate genuine residency, the minimum 90-day presence, maintaining the investment, annual means, insurance and accommodation.

A change to the investment can be considered, but the amount and eligible categories must still be respected: before selling a property, a shareholding or a financial product, the value of the replacement asset, its eligibility and the timing of the substitution all need to be validated — the portfolio should never fall temporarily below the legal threshold without an organised, documented replacement.

No. The 90 days relate to the minimum presence required by the immigration permit; Andorran tax residency follows different criteria. An individual is generally a tax resident when they spend more than 183 days in Andorra during the calendar year, or have the main centre of their economic activities or interests in the Principality — the residency of a spouse and minor children can also be a factor considered. Someone spending only 90 or 100 days can therefore remain a tax resident of their home country; conversely, presence of less than 183 days can, in certain circumstances, be enough for Andorran residency where the centre of economic interests is located there. Where two states both claim residency, the criteria of the applicable treaty need to be applied.

An Andorran tax resident is generally subject to personal income tax on their worldwide income, subject to applicable exemptions, tax credits and treaties — preparation needs to cover pensions, dividends, interest, foreign rental income, capital gains, and filing obligations in the country of departure. See our taxation in Andorra guide and the comparison relevant to your country of origin.

Someone who genuinely wants to run a business day to day should look at active residency rather than trying to use a no-work permit. Residency without gainful activity is, in any case, only one of several "residency without work" categories: other permits cover internationally-focused professionals and scientific, cultural or sporting profiles, digital nomads, or certain entrepreneurial programmes, each with its own conditions, deposits and quotas. The older figures of €47,500 and €9,500 still visible in some content relate to other categories and shouldn't be applied to residency without gainful activity.

• aiming at €1,000,000 or looking for a "Housing Fund route" — the general threshold is €600,000 and no mechanism by that name exists in the law
• confusing the general threshold with the per-property one — the €600,000 is the overall minimum, but each property unit counted must exceed that same amount
• presenting the €50,000 as money definitively spent, when it is deducted from the €600,000 and returned once the authorisation ends
• buying two €320,000 homes thinking this meets the property condition, when neither unit exceeds €600,000
• confusing the 90-day rule with tax residency, which follows its own criteria (183 days or centre of interests);
• working remotely under a no-activity status;
• ignoring the 36-month limit on financial instruments without planning a reallocation;
• treating the investment as the only condition, when means, insurance, accommodation and quota are all examined separately;
• buying before checking quota availability;
• overlooking the 6% or 10% property tax in the acquisition budget;
• selling an asset without arranging a documented replacement;
• choosing passive residency purely for tax reasons, without the status matching your actual way of life.