Andorra duty-free allowance: what you can bring back per person
From Andorra into Spain or France you can take 300 cigarettes, a litre and a half of spirits, 5 litres of wine and up to €900 of other purchases without paying duty. These allowances apply to every person in the car. Only people aged 17 or over can bring tobacco and alcohol.
How much you can bring back per person
Andorra has its own customs allowances, and they're different from the ones inside the EU.
| What you're bringing | Allowance |
|---|---|
| Cigarettes, cigars, tobacco | 300 cigarettes, or 150 cigarillos (small cigars), or 75 cigars, or 400 g of tobacco |
| Spirits: whisky, vodka, rum and anything over 22% | 1.5 litres |
| Sparkling and fortified wine (up to 22%) | 3 litres instead of the 1.5 litres of spirits |
| Wine | 5 litres |
| Beer | 16 litres into Spain, not listed in the French rules |
| Coffee | 1 kg |
| Perfume | 75 g into Spain, 75 ml into France |
| Eau de toilette | 375 ml |
| Food | up to €300 |
| Other purchases | up to €900 |
The allowances come from the websites of Spanish customs and French customs. We checked them in October 2026.
Plenty of travellers look up Andorra allowances online and find the wrong figures. The first results usually say 800 cigarettes and 10 litres of spirits, and they turn up on sites that look perfectly official. Those are the limits for travel between EU countries. They apply, for example, when you take your shopping from France into Spain. But Andorra isn't in the EU. Its border has its own allowances, and they're noticeably stricter.
What counts towards the €900 for other purchases?
The €900 covers everything that doesn't have its own row in the table: electronics, clothes, shoes, souvenirs. Tobacco, alcohol, coffee, perfume and food don't count towards it, because they have their own allowances. So you won't have to choose between a bottle of rum and a pair of trainers.
Let's be honest, though. At the shop door, €900 sounds like plenty. Then headphones, a handbag and a new iPhone somehow end up in your basket, and you're surprised to find you've hit the allowance a lot sooner than you planned.
The good news is that every adult gets their own allowance. So does a child under 15, though a smaller one: €450 for purchases and €150 for food. What you can't do is split, say, a €1,200 laptop between two people. Customs will still count it against one person, and that puts you over the allowance.
Two more things. Some foods have weight limits, which you can check on the customs website. And phones, walkie-talkies and bikes need a marking showing they can be sold in the EU. It's worth checking the box for it before you buy.
If you cross the French border so often that the customs officers know you by sight, get a free circulation card (carte de libre circulation) from French customs. Getting one costs nothing, and the card is valid for 10 years. With the card, you no longer have to carry receipts for electronics you bought earlier.
Travel documents and customs at the border
On a map, Andorra looks like just another Pyrenean valley between Spain and France. Maps like that don't show a Schengen border, but there is one.
Andorra is in neither the EU nor the Schengen Area. The only way in is through Spain or France. So every trip to Andorra means leaving Schengen.
EU citizens only need a passport or a national ID card. If you're travelling on a Schengen visa, it has to be at least double-entry (valid for two entries). For several trips you'll need a multiple-entry visa.
The Spanish customs post is at La Farga de Moles, on the way out of Andorra. Get all your receipts together in one place before you even get in the car.
A shopping day trip
The last stretch of the road into Andorra runs through a mountain valley, and when it snows that part takes longer.
From Barcelona to Andorra la Vella it's 198 km, and the drive takes about 2 hours 41 minutes each way. To fit the round trip into one day, you need to leave early in the morning and come back in the evening.
The easiest option is to book a transfer from Barcelona to Andorra. For the return journey you need to make a second booking. If you're planning to visit several shops, a car with a driver by the hour is more convenient. It has to be booked for at least three hours.
A transfer gets you to Andorra. With a car by the hour, the driver also waits for you outside the shop. By the third shopping bag, you'll feel the difference.
Coming into Barcelona by train? You can book a car from Sants station. Flying in and heading straight up to Andorra? Then book a car from Barcelona airport. We've covered the other airports near Andorra in a separate article.
Pas de la Casa, right on the French border, has lots of low-tax shops. In winter the ski slopes next to it are open. A transfer to Pas de la Casa takes ~2 hr 41 min.
Before you set off, count the adults in the car. That's how many tobacco and alcohol allowances you'll have.
Frequently asked questions
How many cartons of cigarettes can I bring back from Andorra?
Each adult can bring back a carton and a half from Andorra. The allowance is 300 cigarettes per person aged 17 or over, and a carton holds 200. It's the same for Spain and France.
Are Andorra allowances per person or per car?
Allowances are per person; the car makes no difference. Every adult has their own allowance, and a child under 15 has a smaller one. Only people aged 17 or over can bring tobacco and alcohol. You can't split an expensive item, such as a laptop, between two people: customs will count it against one of you.
How much shopping can I bring back from Andorra duty-free?
You can bring back €900 of purchases per adult and €450 per child under 15 without paying duty. That covers electronics, clothes, shoes and souvenirs. Tobacco, alcohol, coffee, perfume and food are counted separately, as shown in the table above.
Do I need a passport to go from Barcelona to Andorra?
You need a passport or an EU national ID card for the trip. Andorra is outside Schengen. If you're travelling on a Schengen visa, it has to be at least double-entry.
Are Andorra allowances different for France and Spain?
They're almost the same. Tobacco, alcohol, wine, coffee and the €900 allowance all match. Only the Spanish rules include the 16-litre beer allowance.
You can book a car to Andorra in the Let's GO app or on the website. Enter your pick-up and drop-off addresses, and the price appears straight away, before you confirm.
Photo: Mick Hoey, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0