Licensing & Authorisations · Andorra
Find a licensing lawyer in Andorra who knows the local rules
Authorisations, sector permits and regulated professional files in the Principality follow Andorran procedure and are conducted in Catalan. We connect you with advocates admitted to the Col·legi Oficial d’Advocats d’Andorra who work on these matters regularly. Tell us what you need and receive a matching proposal, free of charge.
- Advocates admitted to the Andorran bar (CADA)
- Experience with Catalan-language filings and procedure
- Free, no-obligation matching, first response in 24–48h
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Before you instruct anyone
Licensing work in Andorra is procedural, not just formal
Licensing work in Andorra rarely looks like a single form to complete. An authorisation, a sector permit or a professional accreditation normally sits inside a chain of administrative steps, each governed by Andorran legislation and Government regulations and each measured against its own procedural clock. Because the practice of law in the Principality is reserved to advocates admitted to the Col·legi Oficial d’Advocats d’Andorra, the person who prepares your file, speaks for you before the administration and defends the case if it reaches the administrative jurisdiction is usually the same professional. On this page you can see how the Andorran framework is organised, which periods apply, what proceedings cost and how free legal aid works — and then let us match you with a licensing lawyer in Andorra whose practice fits your matter.
Andorra in practice
How licensing and authorisation matters work in Andorra
Andorra is a parliamentary co-principality with a fully separated judicial power created by the 1993 Constitution, and its legal system mixes legislation, Government regulations and Andorran custom. Practical licensing files therefore depend on knowing both the written rules and how they are applied locally.
Who is entitled to act for you
The practice of law in Andorra is reserved to advocates admitted to the Col·legi Oficial d’Advocats d’Andorra under Law 48/2014, as amended by Law 10/2023. Admission as a practising member requires the required law degree, the Andorran aptitude certificate obtained after passing the exams, a practical traineeship, and full capacity to practise.
One lawyer, representation and defence
Andorra has no separate procurador profession. The lletrat admitted to the Andorran bar both represents and defends the client in judicial proceedings, so procedural representation is exercised by the same advocate who pleads the case. For a licensing file this means continuity: the lawyer who prepares the administrative stage can carry the matter onward if it is later challenged.
Where a dispute ends up
Government regulations sit alongside the Constitution, qualified laws and ordinary laws as sources of Andorran law, with custom and the case law of the Tribunal Superior de Justícia completing the system. Criminal, civil and administrative jurisdiction is exercised by the bodies listed in the Llei qualificada de la Justícia of 3 September 1993, so a refusal of an authorisation is litigated before the administrative jurisdiction.
Everything is filed in Catalan
Catalan is the sole official language of the State and of judicial activity in Andorra: proceedings, filings and judgments are in Catalan. For foreign clients, and for documents drafted abroad, this is a practical point rather than a formality, because material prepared in another language has to be adapted before it can be used before the Andorran administration or courts.
What the proceedings cost
Judicial fees (taxes judicials) exist in Andorra under the Llei de taxes judicials of 22 June 2000. Article 2.1 taxes civil and administrative proceedings, and civil liability claims brought within criminal proceedings, while the taxpayer is the claimant or applicant and the fee counts as procedural costs for all purposes. It is collected by stamped paper distributed through the Col·legi d’Advocats, and an advocate’s own fees are freely agreed with the client.
Free legal aid and judicial self-government
Free legal aid (benefici de justícia gratuïta) is granted by the judge by reasoned order to persons who prove insufficient economic resources, taking into account income, basic expenses, dependent family members and overall patrimonial situation. It covers duty-advocate assistance, defence and representation at every stage of the same criminal proceeding and authorised procedural expenses. The Consell Superior de la Justícia safeguards the independence and proper functioning of justice in Andorra.
All country-specific statements on this page come from official Andorran sources — the Consell General, the judicial portal (justicia.ad and portaljuridicandorra.ad) and the Col·legi Oficial d’Advocats d’Andorra — consulted in 2024.
- Constitution of Andorra and the Consell General
- Col·legi Oficial d’Advocats d’Andorra (CADA)
- Andorran judicial portal — organisation of justice
- Llei qualificada de la Justícia (consolidated text)
- Law 48/2014 on the practice of the legal profession (consolidated text)
- Codi de procediment civil — periods and notification
- Llei de taxes judicials of 22 June 2000
- Free legal aid regulation
- Llei 31/2018, de relacions laborals
Why it feels difficult
The obstacles clients meet before they instruct anyone
Licensing and authorisation files in the Principality reward preparation. Most frustration comes from three recurring points.
Rules spread across several layers
Andorran civil and administrative law is not gathered in one code: statutes, Government regulations, the usages and customs of the Principality and the case law of the Tribunal Superior de Justícia all shape the answer.
Everything runs in Catalan
Proceedings, filings and judgments are drafted in Catalan, the sole official language of the State and of judicial activity, so material prepared in another language has to be adapted before it can be used.
Deadlines are short and measured carefully
Many periods are counted in business days, and Saturdays, Sundays, public holidays, August and the Christmas period do not count — which makes the calendar easy to misjudge without local experience.
What you get here
A calmer way to find the right Andorran advocate
We do not give legal advice and we do not promise results. We match you with a lawyer who handles your type of matter.
Verified Andorran bar membership
Every advocate we propose for an Andorran file is admitted to the Col·legi Oficial d’Advocats d’Andorra, the body that regulates and orders the professional activity of advocates in the Principality.
Practice-area fit, not generalists
We match the subject of your matter — authorisations, administrative procedure or the litigation that follows a refusal — with lawyers who work in that area rather than with a general practice.
One lawyer from start to finish
Because Andorra has no separate procurador profession, the same lletrat represents and defends you, which keeps the file coherent from the administrative stage to any court stage.
Costs explained before you commit
You can ask the lawyer directly about fees, court fees (taxes judicials) and the possibility of free legal aid. Advocates’ fees in Andorra are freely agreed between client and lawyer.
Also relevant nearby
Matters that cross an Andorran border
Many licensing and authorisation files sit alongside a second jurisdiction, whether through nationality, company structure or property. We also work with specialist counsel in these countries.
Questions clients ask
Licensing and authorisation in Andorra: what to know first
Do I need a licensing lawyer in Andorra, or can I file an authorisation myself?
Not every procedure requires an advocate: the Codi de procediment civil and some special laws identify matters in which defence and technical assistance by an advocate are not mandatory, and the single simplified voluntary-jurisdiction procedure generally does not require one. Before the administrative jurisdiction and in contentious proceedings, however, representation by an advocate is the general rule, and a licensing lawyer in Andorra manages the filing, the language and the deadlines.
Who is allowed to practise as a lawyer in Andorra?
The practice of law in the Principality is reserved to advocates admitted to the Col·legi Oficial d’Advocats d’Andorra. Admission as a practising member requires the required law degree, the Andorran aptitude certificate obtained after passing the exams, the practical traineeship regulated by the Government, and full capacity to practise, under Law 48/2014 as amended by Law 10/2023.
In which language will my Andorran licensing file be handled?
Catalan is the sole official language of the State and of judicial activity in Andorra. Proceedings, filings and judgments are drafted in Catalan, so documents prepared in English, Spanish or French have to be adapted. This is worth planning at the outset, because it affects both the administration stage and any later court file.
How are legal costs and court fees handled in Andorra?
Judicial fees (taxes judicials) exist under the Llei de taxes judicials of 22 June 2000 and apply to civil and administrative proceedings, with the claimant or applicant as taxpayer and the fee treated as procedural costs. An advocate’s own fees are freely agreed between the client and the lawyer. The court deals with procedural costs when it closes the proceedings.
Can I obtain free legal aid for an Andorran procedure?
Free legal aid is granted by the judge by reasoned order to persons who prove insufficient economic resources, considering income, basic expenses, dependent family members and overall patrimonial situation. A decision is issued within a maximum of one month from the complete application. Beneficiaries must report any improvement in their economic situation during the proceedings.
How does matching through this platform work?
You describe the subject of your matter and the jurisdiction involved, and we compare it with the profiles of specialised advocates, including those admitted to the Andorran bar. You receive a shortlist, with an average first response of 24–48 hours, and decide yourself whether to instruct. Matching is free and creates no obligation.
Next step
Tell us about your Andorran licensing matter
Share a few details about the authorisation, permit or professional file you are dealing with, and we will match you with an advocate admitted to the Andorran bar whose practice fits it. No advice, no pressure, no cost to be matched.