Andorra tightens tobacco controls, limits sales hours in Pas de la Casa

The Council of Ministers has approved and published a new regulation on sensitive goods that tightens controls on tobacco sales and transport as part of a government “shock plan” to curb illicit trafficking. The text, published in the Official Bulletin (BOPA) and announced by government communiqué after its approval was briefly postponed, imposes strict time limits, expanded record‑keeping and traceability obligations, and maintains a moratorium on new tobacco‑sales licences in Pas de la Casa.

Retail sales of tobacco in the urban core of Pas de la Casa are restricted to 07:00–20:00; sales outside that window or on legally mandated shop‑closure days are prohibited. Transport of sensitive goods anywhere in Andorra is limited to 06:00–20:00. The regulation notes these geographic and temporal restrictions are authorised by a recent amendment to the sensitive‑goods law intended to protect public order and prevent diversion to the illegal market. Previously, ordinary commercial rules allowed sales until 22:00 and up to 84 hours weekly.

New transparency and reporting duties target high‑volume sellers and non‑retail operations. Operators must record the brand and a description of tobacco products in register books and on retail invoices (or simplified invoices). Establishments that sell more than 600,000 cigarettes in a month (equivalent to about 30,000 packs of 20) — and those carrying out non‑retail operations who are already required to keep registers — must submit monthly cigarette‑sales reports specifying date, time, invoice number, brand and description, and quantity. Single sales exceeding 2,000 cigarettes (100 packs) must include the buyer’s tax identification number (NRT) and name. Operators above the 600,000‑cigarette threshold must also maintain books of issued invoices, received invoices and stock.

All operators of sensitive goods are required to ensure staff receive appropriate training and to implement mechanisms that guarantee correct application of the law. The government says the regulation was drafted in coordination with the Union of Andorran Tobacco Retailers (UCAT) and shared with the Association of Tobacco Product Manufacturers of Andorra (AFPTA), though it acknowledges consensus was not unanimous.

The measures have prompted strong opposition from many retailers in Pas de la Casa, who say the rules create different categories of traders and amount to discriminatory treatment of the border town. Shopkeepers and UCAT leaders have voiced “strong discontent” and warned the differentiated regime could be described as unequal treatment compared with the rest of the country. Several merchants have said they will pursue administrative appeals and may take the matter to court.

UCAT president Raül Calvo acknowledged restrictive measures are unpopular but argued time limits alone will not stop smuggling and called for stronger punitive measures against contraband. He described the time restrictions as a temporary step and said the union has maintained broad dialogue with the administration despite disagreeing with the new hours.

The government frames the regulation as a necessary legal implementation of the amended law’s powers to impose prohibitions or geographically limit activities for public‑order reasons and to strengthen traceability to prevent diversion to the illegal market. As part of stepped‑up enforcement, the executive has announced a new recruitment round for 15 police officers to bolster security in Pas de la Casa; these posts add to nine officers already selected, creating 24 new recruits who are due to begin training in March–April 2026.