The border between Andorra and Spain is in the

Pyrenees The Pyrenees (; es, Pirineos ; french: Pyrénées ; ca, Pirineu ; eu, Pirinioak ; oc, Pirenèus ; an, Pirineus) is a mountain range straddling the border of France and Spain. It extends nearly from its union with the Cantabrian Mountains to C ...

between northern

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

and southern

Andorra , image_flag = Flag of Andorra.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Andorra.svg , symbol_type = Coat of arms , national_motto = la, Virtus Unita Fortior, label=none (Latin)"United virtue is stro ...

. It is long. It is an external border of the EU, as well as an external border of the Schengen area, as Andorra is neither part of the EU nor a party to the Schengen agreement.

Specifications

The Spanish-Andorran border runs 64 km between the south of Andorra and northern Spain (by the

autonomous community eu, autonomia erkidegoa ca, comunitat autònoma gl, comunidade autónoma oc, comunautat autonòma an, comunidat autonoma ast, comunidá autónoma , alt_name = , map = , category = Autonomous administra ...

Catalonia Catalonia (; ca, Catalunya ; Aranese Occitan: ''Catalonha'' ; es, Cataluña ) is an autonomous community of Spain, designated as a ''nationality'' by its Statute of Autonomy. Most of the territory (except the Val d'Aran) lies on the north ...

) in the Pyrenees Mountains. Because both Spain and Andorra are situated in the same watershed, travel is easier (roads are better) than travel between Andorra and France. The sole official language of Andorra is

Catalan Catalan may refer to: Catalonia From, or related to Catalonia: * Catalan language, a Romance language * Catalans, an ethnic group formed by the people from, or with origins in, Northern or southern Catalonia Places * 13178 Catalan, asteroid #1 ...

. The border begins in the west at the Andorra-France-Spain

tripoint A tripoint, trijunction, triple point, or tri-border area is a geographical point at which the boundaries of three countries or subnational entities meet. There are 175 international tripoints as of 2020. Nearly half are situated in rivers, l ...

(). It then follows a generally south-eastern direction, later turning northeast to the eastern Andorra-Spain-France tripoint (). The dividing line between the two countries goes through high mountain areas, often over 2000 m, and passes close to the highest point of Andorra, the peak of

Coma Pedrosa Coma Pedrosa (; ) is the highest mountain in the principality of Andorra. It is popular with mountain climbers, its ascent being technically straightforward, although strenuous. From Arinsal to Camp de Refuge (650 m climb) is considered moder ...

. It also borders the

Madriu-Perafita-Claror Valley The Madriu-Perafita-Claror Valley ( ca, Vall del Madriu-Perafita-Claror) is a glacial valley in the southeast of Andorra. It covers an area of 42.47 km², approximately 9% of the total area of Andorra, and is part of the second largest water ...

, the only

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...

in Andorra. In May 2015 the European commission adopted a cooperation program to improve the protection of the environment at the Spain-Andorra and Andorra-France borders. The border point at

Os de Civís Os de Civís () is a village in the central Pyrenees mountains, in the municipality of Les Valls de Valira in Catalonia, Spain, and is located to the west of Andorra, near the villages of Aixàs and Bixessarri. Civís is the nearest Spanish villa ...

(

) can only be accessed by

Sant Julià de Lòria Sant Julià de Lòria () is one of the parishes of Andorra, in the far south of that country. It is also the name of the main town of the parish, which at 908 m is the lowest settlement in Andorra. Other settlements in the parish include Bixes ...

Border controls

SpainExitPermit-Andorra multiple90days 1957

The main channel of communication between the two countries is through the Valira Valley between

La Seu d'Urgell La Seu d'Urgell (; es, Seo de Urgel, formerly in ca, Urgell}) is a town located in the Catalan Pyrenees in Spain. La Seu d'Urgell is also the capital of the comarca Alt Urgell, head of the judicial district of la Seu d'Urgell and the seat of Bi ...

and the

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or m ...

of Sant Julia de Loria. The only border control at the Andorra–Spain border is located along this road. There is no rail crossing point. In addition, helicopters are allowed to go to airports with border control in other countries, but not to anywhere else outside Andorra. Flights usually go to the airports of

Barcelona Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...

Toulouse Toulouse ( , ; oc, Tolosa ) is the prefecture of the French department of Haute-Garonne and of the larger region of Occitania. The city is on the banks of the River Garonne, from the Mediterranean Sea, from the Atlantic Ocean and from Par ...

. An agreement signed in 2003 between France, Spain and Andorra governs the movement and residence in Andorra of citizens of third states. It says that the three countries will coordinate their visa requirements, although in reality today Andorra follows the

Schengen Agreement The Schengen Agreement ( , ) is a treaty which led to the creation of Europe's Schengen Area, in which internal border checks have largely been abolished. It was signed on 14 June 1985, near the town of Schengen, Luxembourg, by five of the t ...

visa requirements, and that Andorra will only allow entry of those who have right of entry to Spain or France. Andorra is allowed to permit residency to any person and such persons will be treated as long-term residents of France or Spain.

Contraband

Due to the low tax on tobacco in Andorra there is significant

cigarette smuggling The illicit cigarette trade is defined as “the production, import, export, purchase, sale, or possession of tobacco goods which fail to comply with legislation” (FATF 2012). Illicit cigarette trade activities fall under 3 categories: # Cont ...

between the two countries; it takes place through the border post of La Farga de Molas but also often through the mountain passes. The

Guardia Civil The Civil Guard ( es, Guardia Civil, link=no; ) is the oldest law enforcement agency in Spain and is one of two national police forces. As a national gendarmerie force, it is military in nature and is responsible for civil policing under the a ...

is responsible for surveillance at the border and arrests smugglers on the Spanish side.La guardia civil acaba con el contrabando en la frontera con Andorra
http://elmundo.es

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Andorra-Spain border European Union external borders Borders of Andorra Borders of Spain International borders

Specifications

Border controls

Contraband

See also

References