Languages in Andorra

The Department of Language Policy (Departament de Política Lingüística) coordinates many government offerings through the Catalan Language Area (Area de Llengua Catalana). Annual courses range from A1 to C2; extensive courses usually comprise three hours per week, while intensive courses comprise four hours per week. Government Catalan courses are free for people over 16 and for companies. In-person offerings are available, among other places, in Encamp, La Massana, Sant Julià de Lòria and Escaldes-Engordany. The Catalan Centres (Centres de Català) in Canillo, Encamp, El Pas de la Casa, La Massana and Escaldes-Engordany also offer supported self-study, individual language advice, speaking practice, conversation groups, and support with grammar and writing. The government also offers Catalan courses at A1, A2 and B1 level digitally through Google Classroom. The asynchronous courses each consist of six three-week units; two sets of materials are provided per week, along with an optional video discussion. Additional digital offers include an online Catalan-learning platform (PARLA.CAT), a further learning resource (GALi), a language-learning programme (VINCLES), an Andorra-based language resource (Veus d’Andorra) and another digital resource (A Punt Andorra). For the workplace, free company modules offer 20 hours of spoken Catalan and industry-specific vocabulary. Employers allow participation during working hours or provide time off later. These offerings are particularly relevant to hospitality, hotels, retail and transport. In public-facing customer contact, especially in administration, health and social-care facilities, tourism, retail and transport, Catalan is intended to be guaranteed for Catalan-speaking users. Depending on the case, violations may be punished with fines of 600 to 1,200 euros, 1,201 to 6,000 euros or 6,001 to 60,000 euros. For certain residence and work permits, the quota regulation has required Catalan at A1 level for the first renewal and A2 level for the second renewal since October 2025. Proof may consist of a government-issued certificate or a recognized equivalent document. From 2029, the rule is intended to be extended to additional residence permits. The requirements in force at the time should therefore be checked with the responsible authority before applying. The government examinations lead to six diplomas under the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: A1, A2, B1, B2, C1 and C2. Each examination includes written and oral parts; duration ranges from 1 hour 20 minutes for A1 to 4 hours 30 minutes for C2. Everyone over 16 can register; a particular nationality or residence in Andorra is not required. Registration takes place through the electronic procedures portal (e-Tramits). Preparation is offered by the Catalan Language Area and the Catalan Centres. The diplomas are mutually recognized with Catalonia and the Valencian Community (Comunitat Valenciana), but not automatically with the Balearic Islands. Children and young people learn languages in one of four education systems: Andorran, Spanish, French or British. Education is compulsory from ages six to 16. In the Andorran School (Escola Andorrana), Catalan, Spanish, French and English are part of multilingual instruction; first languages are also taken into account. In the French and Spanish systems, the Andorran education programme (Formació Andorrana) supplements instruction with Catalan and knowledge of the country from around age four through secondary or further education. An external digital English assessment by the Andorran School recorded a total of 628 pupils in 2025–2026, but did not issue a qualification certificate. The provision for additional languages is more distributed. The CFLV schedule for 2026–2027 lists courses in French, Spanish and English. The University of Andorra offers courses open to the public on Portuguese and Chinese language and culture, as well as official Chinese examinations; its English and French courses are aimed mainly at university staff. Private language schools supplement the provision, for example with preparation for DELF/DALF, DELE, Goethe, Cambridge, TOEFL-iBT, Oxford or TOEIC examinations. For private offerings, costs, dates and recognition depend on the provider and the examination. In everyday life, Catalan remains the institutional standard language. Spanish, French, Portuguese and English serve as practical languages of communication depending on the situation when Catalan is not sufficient. The Language Volunteering programme (Voluntariat per la Llengua) enables informal speaking practice. Course places, locations and times are regularly set again; government Catalan courses and company modules are free, while private courses and examinations usually involve fees.