The Principality of Andorra has struck a tailored border-management agreement with the European Union that will allow it to maintain its existing, light-touch controls with neighbouring France and Spain even after the EU’s Entry/Exit System becomes mandatory on 10 April. Prime Minister Xavier Espot and Foreign Minister Imma Tor unveiled the deal yesterday in Andorra la Vella. Because Andorra is outside Schengen, travellers technically enter the EU when driving into France via the Pas de la Casa or the Port d’Envalira tunnel. Under the new accord, Andorran citizens and legal residents will continue to cross without systematic biometric registration, avoiding what officials called a “probable collapse” of mountain road infrastructure during ski and summer peaks. For French authorities, the carve-out removes the need to install additional kiosks at remote Pyrenean posts and prevents traffic jams that could spill back into Occitanie. Third-country tourists, however, will still have to complete EES procedures when they first enter the Schengen Area elsewhere—typically at Toulouse or Barcelona airports—before driving into Andorra. The agreement is pending signature by the EU Council but is expected to take effect “within months,” according to Andorran negotiators. French cross-border workers employed in Andorran retail and hospitality sectors should see no change to commute times, while logistics firms moving goods between Toulouse and Andorra can retain current delivery schedules. Travel managers booking incentive trips to Andorran ski resorts are nonetheless advised to remind non-EU participants that time spent in Andorra counts as part of their Schengen 90/180-day allowance once they cross back into France.
Source: Cadena SER
