Speaking to Radio SER Principat d’Andorra on 6 November, Spain’s delegate to Catalonia, Carlos Prieto, defended a gradual introduction of the European Entry/Exit System (EES) at the two road crossings between Catalonia and Andorra. Pilot testing is set for February 2026 with full operation scheduled for April, in line with Schengen-wide deadlines.
Prieto stressed that Andorran nationals and EU residents will be exempt from biometric enrolment, while third-country travellers need register only once every three years. The official acknowledged that initial queues are “inevitable” but predicted the smart-gate technology would quickly streamline flows.
![Spanish Delegate Backs Phased Roll-Out of EU Entry/Exit System at Andorra Border]()
The EES replaces passport stamps with facial-image and four-finger scans recorded in a central database. Although Andorra is outside the EU, Spain is responsible for external-border functions under a 2003 bilateral agreement. The delegate praised Andorra’s decision to require employment contracts from seasonal workers ahead of winter, saying the measure would dovetail with EES risk-profiling and combat the problem of “false cross-border commuters” who reside illegally in Spain while claiming Andorran status.
For companies whose staff commute daily to Andorra for banking, retail or ski-resort projects, the advice is to budget extra time during the February-April transition and to brief non-EU employees on biometric capture procedures. Transport firms running coach excursions should also update privacy notices to cover new data-sharing obligations.
Analysts note that Spain’s assurance of a ‘soft start’ contrasts with France’s decision to activate EES at the Cerdanya crossing in a single-day switch-over, raising the prospect of asymmetric traffic patterns along the Pyrenean corridor.
Prieto stressed that Andorran nationals and EU residents will be exempt from biometric enrolment, while third-country travellers need register only once every three years. The official acknowledged that initial queues are “inevitable” but predicted the smart-gate technology would quickly streamline flows.
The EES replaces passport stamps with facial-image and four-finger scans recorded in a central database. Although Andorra is outside the EU, Spain is responsible for external-border functions under a 2003 bilateral agreement. The delegate praised Andorra’s decision to require employment contracts from seasonal workers ahead of winter, saying the measure would dovetail with EES risk-profiling and combat the problem of “false cross-border commuters” who reside illegally in Spain while claiming Andorran status.
For companies whose staff commute daily to Andorra for banking, retail or ski-resort projects, the advice is to budget extra time during the February-April transition and to brief non-EU employees on biometric capture procedures. Transport firms running coach excursions should also update privacy notices to cover new data-sharing obligations.
Analysts note that Spain’s assurance of a ‘soft start’ contrasts with France’s decision to activate EES at the Cerdanya crossing in a single-day switch-over, raising the prospect of asymmetric traffic patterns along the Pyrenean corridor.
