School in Andorra: three free school systems, compulsory Andorran studies, and registering through the ministry
Andorra has three school systems side by side, all three free: the Andorran, the French and the Spanish. Compulsory education runs to age 16. In the French and Spanish schools your child receives compulsory Formació Andorrana from age 4, with Catalan and the history and institutions of the country. You register through the Ministry of Education. There are also two private schools. Dutch child benefit stops.
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A Dutch child living in Andorra goes to school for free, and you choose from three systems: the Andorran, the French and the Spanish. All three are public and free of charge, with schools in most parishes. Compulsory education runs to age 16. In the French and Spanish schools your child also receives compulsory Formació Andorrana: lessons in Catalan and in the history, geography and institutions of Andorra. You register with the Ministry of Education, with a form and a pre-registration from the school. There are also two private schools, in English.
Which three systems are there?
France and Spain have long had their own schools in Andorra, and the Escola Andorrana, the country's own system, has been added to them. The three systems exist side by side, and your child may attend any of them.
| System | Language | Diploma | What you should know |
|---|---|---|---|
| Andorran (Escola Andorrana) | Catalan | the Andorran diploma | the country's own system; full immersion in Catalan |
| French (École, Collège, Lycée Comte de Foix) | French | French baccalauréat | primary schools in most parishes, one lycée |
| Spanish (Escuela española, Instituto español, and three denominational colleges) | Spanish | Spanish bachillerato | schools of the Spanish state plus the colleges Maria Janer, Sagrada Família and Sant Ermengol |
The government shows the whole system in one table, from 2 to 17 years: nursery school (maternal) from age 2, then primary school, secondary school and after that the baccalaureate or vocational education. According to the Spanish embassy in Andorra, compulsory education runs to age 16. A child who was in group 3 in the Netherlands therefore enters a system in Andorra that started two years earlier. For a five-year-old that is no problem; for a twelve-year-old it calls for a good handover.
What is Formació Andorrana?
A French or Spanish school in Andorra is not a school in France or Spain. The government wants every child in the country to learn Catalan and to know how Andorra works. That is why the ministry teaches Formació Andorrana in all French and Spanish schools: lessons in Catalan, and lessons in the history, geography and institutions of Andorra, from age 4. The lessons are given by Andorran teachers, in the school itself, within the timetable. The programme thus reaches about 5,800 pupils in 21 schools.
For you that means: even if you choose the French or Spanish system, your child learns Catalan. That is welcome, because Catalan is the only official language, and the residence permit for employees now carries a language requirement at renewal. Read learning Catalan for Andorra.
How do you register?
Registration goes through the Ministry of Education, with form J4T001, Sol·licitud d'inscripció escolar. On it you choose the system and the school. You attach the pre-registration (pre-inscripció) from the school itself; the ministry then sends the registration certificate to the school. Which attachments the form requires exactly is stated on the form itself; in any case count on your child's birth certificate with an apostille, and on proof that you live in Andorra.
Children under 16 go through the same medical examination as you when applying for the residence permit, and Immigració then asks for the vaccination record and a medical certificate. So bring the Dutch vaccination record from the RIVM, and have it translated if necessary.
Public or private?
Besides the three free systems, Andorra has two private schools that teach in English: the British College of Andorra in Andorra la Vella, with the British curriculum and the International Baccalaureate, and the Agora International School. We have not researched the school fees; ask each school. These schools also fall under the Andorran education rules.
If you want your child to keep reading and writing Dutch, look in the school finder of Stichting NOB. There is no Dutch school in Andorra; organisations affiliated with NOB do offer distance learning.
What changes for your family?
Child benefit stops. Under article 7b of the Algemene Kinderbijslagwet you receive no child benefit for a child who does not live in the Netherlands on the first day of a quarter. The exception applies only within the EU rules, and Andorra falls outside them. Read AOW, pension and tax in Andorra.
Your child counts in the income requirement. If your child comes through family reunification, then besides 100 percent of the minimum wage for yourself you must earn another 70 percent per minor child. With the minimum wage of €1,568.66 that is €1,098 per child per month. With two children and a partner without a job you thus reach over €5,300 per month. Who may come along on your route is explained in residence routes in Andorra.
Your child's health care runs through the CASS. If you work in Andorra, your child is co-insured up to and including age 24 with the CASS, the Andorran social security, as an "assegurat indirecte". If you come on passive residence or as a remote worker, you need a private policy for your child. Read health care in Andorra. If a partner comes along without a job of their own, also read emigrating with your partner.
In Vertrekklaar this is phase 5 of 5 of the journey, step 5.6: the same steps, but for your situation — in your order, tickable, and with the deadlines watched. See the whole journey to Andorra or go straight to step 5.6 in the open plan.
What this rests on
The facts in this article come from these official pages. Rules change. When in doubt, go by the source, not this article.
- Govern d'Andorra — the education structure, with the three systems and the ages from 2 to 17 — govern.ad
- Govern d'Andorra — Formació Andorrana, compulsory in the French and Spanish schools, with the list of schools — govern.ad
- Govern d'Andorra — form J4T001, Sol·licitud d'inscripció escolar, the application for school registration — govern.ad
- Decret 447/2025, regulation of the Servei d'Immigració, article 15 — the income requirement for family reunification, with 70 percent of the minimum wage per child — documents.bopa.ad
- Algemene Kinderbijslagwet, article 7b — no child benefit for a child living outside the Netherlands, outside the EU rules — wetten.overheid.nl
- Stichting NOB — the school finder for Dutch language and culture abroad — stichtingnob.nl
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