Andorra Boosts Immigration Staff by Three to Cut Peak Waiting Times

The Andorran Immigration Service will reinforce its staff with three additional members compared to the previous winter season, a move the government expects to reduce waiting times during peak demand. Justice and Interior Minister Ester Molné detailed the plan in a written reply to Social Democrat deputy Pere Baró, who serves as acting president of his parliamentary group.

Molné noted that workloads fluctuate sharply, driven by quota regulations—particularly the special autumn quotas that attract over 5,000 immigration authorisation requests in a brief period. To address this, the service hires three extra collaborators each winter. Permanent staffing changes include a new role created and filled by the end of 2025. The 2026 budget introduced two more positions, with one now occupied and the other pending recruitment; a further existing vacancy is in the selection process. The 2027 draft budget proposes two additional roles, pending Consell General approval. Once all positions are filled, the department will operate with three more staff than last season.

Molné added that, since spring this year, the service has restored two public-facing counters to handle active residency users simultaneously. Work-free residency services have also relocated within the Obac administrative building to prevent overcrowding.

The government is also pursuing digitalisation of immigration procedures, contracted to Hiberus and Eqtic in collaboration with the Digital Transformation department. Implementation will proceed gradually, procedure by procedure, to ensure reliability and security. Procedures are already being reformulated to simplify steps, enable electronic document submission and limit in-person visits.

Molné anticipates noticeable improvements in peak-period waiting times from the staffing gains and new counters. However, the department still has no available data on current waiting times, average visits per case or user complaints.