If you are a foreigner and have recently moved your tax residency to Andorra, it is mandatory to homologate your driver’s license in order to use your vehicle in the Principality of Andorra.
Driving in Andorra with a foreign license while being a resident is strictly prohibited. According to Andorran regulations (Decree 545/2022, dated December 22, 2022, approving the Regulation of permits and complementary administrative authorizations for driving and the Register of Driving Permits), once residency is obtained in Andorra, there is a period of up to 6 months to homologate the driver’s license held for an Andorran one.
Depending on the country of origin of the driver’s license, the process may vary:
- Homologation will be automatic for driver’s licenses issued in a European Union country or countries with bilateral agreements with Andorra.
- For other countries, additional documents will be required, which must be accompanied by the Hague Apostille and sworn translations of the documentation based on the language of the document. Additionally, a practical exam (closed circuit and open road) must be taken in Andorra.
- There are some countries where it’s not possible to homologate the license, and individuals will be required to take the driving test at a driving school as if obtaining a new license.
Furthermore, the driver’s license must be valid and fully effective at the time of submitting the homologation application and must have been obtained before acquiring residency in Andorra. This means that the license holder must not be deprived by a judicial or administrative decision of the right to drive motor vehicles or be suspended, administratively intervened, or have lost the validity of the license. Otherwise, the license will not be homologated.
If the necessary documentation cannot be obtained, the individual must complete the entire process of obtaining a driver’s license within a period of 2 years from obtaining the Andorran residency permit, and this process will be conducted in Catalan.
In all cases, a medical examination and a passport-sized photo are required for homologating the license.
Do I lose my driver’s license from my country of origin when I do the homologation?
To obtain the Andorran driver’s license, it is necessary to surrender the original foreign license to the Andorran administration for exchange. Keeping the original alongside the Andorran one is not permitted. There’s no need to request a duplicate of your driver’s license before undergoing homologation since upon surrendering your original license, information is shared with your country of origin, and it is deregistered.