Andorra entry requirements from the UK: passports, Schengen rules and children

Getting into Andorra on a British passport is simple on paper and slightly fiddly in practice. You don’t need a visa for Andorra itself. The catch is geography. There’s no airport and no way in except through France or Spain, so the rules that really decide whether you get there are the Schengen ones, not Andorra’s.

No visa, but Schengen rules apply

gov.uk says it in two sentences. You do not need a visa to enter Andorra, and you must follow the Schengen passport requirements because you’ll travel through a Schengen country to reach it. Andorra itself isn’t in Schengen, but France and Spain are, and they check you first.

That means your passport has to pass two tests. The issue date has to fall inside the decade before you arrive, and the expiry date has to sit 3 months or more after the day you expect to exit Schengen. gov.uk flags a common trap. For a passport renewed before 1 October 2018, the issue date printed in it may be older than 10 years, and it can fail the first test while still looking in date. You’ll also be refused if you use a passport that has been reported lost or stolen.

The border checks, and the EES

The Andorran frontier is open to travellers 24 hours a day, all year, with customs posts on both sides. The border that matters for your passport, though, is the Schengen one. Spain’s Foreign Ministry explains that leaving Andorra means entering Schengen again, so non-EU travellers who don’t live in Schengen must meet its entry rules at that point, including the Entry/Exit System. In other words, expect Schengen formalities when you fly into Barcelona or Toulouse and again when you come back down from Andorra. Why Andorra sits outside all this is explained in Andorra and the EU.

Travelling with children

Children need their own passport, meeting the same rules. gov.uk adds that single parents, or other adults travelling alone with children, should bring a copy of any custody documents or written authorisation from the other parent. It’s the sort of thing nobody asks for until someone does, and I’d rather have it in the folder than explain its absence at a border post.

Dual nationals and non-British passports

If you hold another nationality as well, gov.uk reminds British citizens that you’ll need a certificate of entitlement or an in-date British passport to get back into the UK. If companions on your trip hold non-EU passports that need a Schengen visa, Andorra Turisme says theirs must be valid for two or more entries, because going up to Andorra means leaving Schengen and coming back down means entering it again. A single-entry visa would leave them stuck on the wrong side of the border.

Bringing a dog from Great Britain

Pets need their own paperwork. gov.uk’s pet travel guidance says a dog, cat or ferret going from Great Britain to the EU needs a microchip, a rabies vaccination and an animal health certificate from an official vet, since an EU pet passport isn’t valid if you live in Great Britain. Details for Andorra are on Andorra with a dog.

Driving, hotels and longer stays

You can drive in Andorra on a UK photocard licence, according to gov.uk. Holders of the old paper licence might have to renew it or carry the correct international driving permit, and hire firms often set stricter rules of their own. Between 1 November and 15 May, a car without winter tyres or chains on board risks a fine. Routes and road tips are in how to get to Andorra.

When you check in, expect to hand over your passport. gov.uk notes that hotels and tourist apartments must register the names of all overnight guests with the police. And if you’re thinking of staying beyond three months, you’ll need a work or residence permit, applied for in person at the Andorran immigration department.

What isn’t an entry rule but matters as much

Two things won’t be checked at the border, but I wouldn’t travel without them. The first is insurance, because gov.uk confirms that a GHIC or EHIC won’t cover you there; the detail is in healthcare in Andorra. The second is a phone plan that actually covers Andorra, since it sits outside the EU’s roaming rules.

gov.uk’s advice for Andorra was last updated on 10 December 2025. Rules for crossing into Schengen have been changing, so I’d reread it, along with the France or Spain advice, in the week before you travel.