Do you need to speak Catalan to live or work in Andorra?

In daily life

In shops, restaurants and services, French and Castilian Spanish are widely understood.

At work

In the private sector, the language required depends on the post. For retail or tourism, French and Castilian Spanish count for a lot. See working in Andorra.

For the administration and school

Official documents are in Catalan. At school, the Andorran system teaches in Catalan. See schools.

Learning

Courses are available. Getting started makes integration easier and opens access to certain jobs.

Where Catalan becomes required

Catalan is the only official language of the State (Article 2 of the Constitution). For a residence and work authorisation, the quota regulation makes renewals conditional on Catalan levels: level A1 at the first renewal, level A2 at the secondverified on 12/10/2026. A good command of the language, institutions, culture and history makes it possible to obtain the longer renewal period. See durations and renewals.

Where it is not

A residency without gainful activity carries no equivalent Catalan requirement in law for renewal: this is the profile of the retiree or the independent person living on foreign income. In daily life, French and Castilian Spanish are enough in most shops.

How to learn

Adult courses are offered in the country; the Andorran school teaches in Catalan, with Castilian Spanish and French as languages of instruction: see schools.

For a lasting life project

Even without any obligation, a few words of Catalan make for a warmer welcome and easier integration, and they count in a renewal application when integration is examined: see working in Andorra.