TOURIST CAR REGISTRATION IN ANDORRA
 

If you have bought a tax free car and are looking around for registration options, why not consider the Principality of Andorra? Andorra offers non-resident tourist plates which can be renewed indefinitely by mail, an attractive option especially considering Andorra does not charge VAT.

 

 

Legal Basis of Tourist Car Registration

The law governing non-resident (so-called "tourist" plates) is the Llei del Codi de la Circulació dated 10.06.1999 of the Consell General - specifically articles 153 through 159.


Criteria for Andorran Car Registration

 

• You must not be resident in Andorra or any country of the European Union. (Citizens of EU countries will be required to prove residence elsewhere).
• The vehicle must be under three years old.
• If the vehicle has previously been registered (for example on tourist, export or transit plates of the country of manufacture) the previous plates must either have expired, or have no more than 30 days to run.

      

Registration by a Foreign Company

The Andorran law does not specifically state whether foreign companies are allowed to take advantage of the tourist plate registration. However, the general legal opinion is that this is possible, since the local registration regime allows for both legal and physical persons to register vehicles. In practice, our local contacts recommend registering in a personal/individual name.


Cost

A 7% duty on the value of the car must be paid on original registration. If a vehicle is less than six months old the invoice price is normally used for valuation purposes. For any other vehicle, the authorities use the French equivalent of Glass's Second Hand Car Guide and (notionally) deduct the original tax payable in France in order to arrive at a tax-free valuation.

In addition there is a logbook fee for the carta groga or yellow registration document and a fee for your plates.


Process for Andorra Vehicle Registration

The vehicle will be required to be physically present for an inspection of the chassis number at Aixovall, (the Andorran government's vehicle inspection facility) before completion of the formalities. Normally the owner should attend as well, but it is possible to send someone else with a power of attorney.


T2 form

It is important to note that the 1991 Customs Union with the Common Market (which does not imply membership) binds Andorra to the EEC regulations concerning the import of cars into the Community. You must therefore make sure that when buying a non-EEC manufactured export car that you obtain a T2 form from the supplier.

Renewal

It is to be noted that tourist plates last for one year and must be renewed every year. Traditionally people take their cars back every year to replate them, but under the law of July 1999 it is possible to arrange for this to be done by post provided there has been no change in the vehicle or its ownership.

Insurance and Annual Green Card

Andorran insurance is obligatory for all Andorran-registered vehicles. Fortunately, Andorra has a wide range of reputable insurance companies. Andorran car insurance is typically more expensive when compared to other countries (for example the UK) but the good news is that the coverage is better. An annual green card is automatically included.


This article was kindly contributed by Easy Car Registration in Andorra

 

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