Driving in Andorra with a Michigan Driving Licence: IDP Requirements and Rules
A Michigan licence holder can drive in Andorra when the licence is valid and accompanied by the correct International Driving Permit (IDP). Current U.S. Department of State guidance says U.S. travellers must obtain an IDP before arrival. For a Michigan licence, the relevant permit is the 1949 Geneva Convention IDP. No separate certified translation was verified for a visitor carrying both documents.
Quick answer
Bring the physical Michigan licence and a valid U.S.-issued 1949 Geneva IDP. The IDP supplements the licence and does not replace it. No fixed maximum driving period was verified for a nonresident visitor in the current Andorran permit regulation, but different rules begin once a person obtains residence.
How Andorra treats a Michigan licence
Andorra is a separate sovereign country, so this is an international licence-recognition question rather than domestic U.S. recognition. Article 14 of the current Andorran driving-permit regulation recognizes national permits that meet specified Geneva or Vienna models and also recognizes international permits issued under the 1949 Geneva or 1968 Vienna models when the international permit is carried with the national licence. For a Michigan holder, the current U.S. country guidance supplies the practical legal answer: obtain an IDP before driving in Andorra.
The licence and IDP only support the vehicle categories for which the holder is actually authorized. No Michigan-specific exemption or broader category equivalence was verified.
IDP requirement and the applicable model
The U.S. Department of State currently states that a traveller planning to drive in Andorra must obtain an IDP before arrival. U.S. IDPs are issued under the 1949 Geneva Convention framework, and the Department of State identifies AAA and the American Automobile Touring Alliance (AATA) as the active authorized U.S. issuers. Michigan Secretary of State guidance likewise directs residents seeking an IDP to AAA or AATA.
Andorran law expressly recognizes a 1949 Geneva Convention international permit when it is accompanied by the holder's national licence. The IDP is therefore the relevant translation document for this pair, but it has no validity on its own.
Visitor and resident rules
The current Andorran regulation does not state a separate fixed maximum driving period for an ordinary nonresident visitor in Article 14. The six-month rule applies after a holder obtains habitual or temporary residence in Andorra, so max_visitor_days is not stored as a fixed number for this page.
After habitual residence is obtained, the foreign permit is valid for driving for a maximum of six months. Article 15 separately requires the holder to change the foreign permit for an Andorran equivalent before one year has elapsed. That one-year exchange deadline should not be read as permission to keep driving on the foreign permit after the six-month validity limit. For permits handled through the non-EU routes in Article 15, practical testing may be required, subject to the regulation's reciprocity provisions.
Renting a car in Andorra
Rental policy is separate from driving law. Europcar's Andorra la Vella page states that an international driving licence is mandatory when the national licence is written in a language different from that of the renting country or in characters that cannot be read there, and that the international document is valid only with the normal licence. For a Michigan holder, this reinforces carrying both the original licence and the IDP. Other booking conditions such as minimum age, how long the licence must have been held, deposits and vehicle-class restrictions are company specific.
Documents, police checks and insurance
Andorra's Road Traffic Code requires drivers to carry a valid driving licence, the vehicle registration certificate, proof that vehicle insurance is in force and, where applicable, the vehicle technical-inspection certificate, and to show these documents to traffic-enforcement agents when requested. For this pair, the driving-permit documents are the Michigan licence and the accompanying IDP.
Foreign vehicles circulating in Andorra must have insurance covering at least the liabilities required for Andorran-registered vehicles. This legal insurance rule is separate from optional rental damage waivers or other rental protection products.
Relevant exceptions and category limits
The IDP does not create new driving privileges. It supports only the categories authorized by the underlying Michigan licence and reflected by the permit. A resident is also subject to Andorran age, licence-validity and category conditions. No bilateral Michigan-Andorra licence agreement or Michigan-specific visitor exemption was relied on for this page.
Official sources used
- Government of Andorra Legal Portal, Regulation of 2 July 2025 on driving permits and the driving-permit register, especially Articles 14 to 16: https://portaljuridicandorra.ad/R20250702B, checked 2026-10-03.
- Government of Andorra Legal Portal, Law 12/2021 Road Traffic Code, especially Articles 87, 89, 90 and 98: https://portaljuridicandorra.ad/L2021012, checked 2026-10-03.
- U.S. Department of State, Andorra Travel Guidance, transportation and traffic laws: https://travel.state.gov/en/international-travel/travel-advisories/destination.and.html, checked 2026-10-03.
- U.S. Department of State, International Driving Permit scam guidance identifying authorized U.S. issuers under the 1949 Convention: https://travel.state.gov/en/international-travel/travel-advisories/scams.html, checked 2026-10-03.
- Michigan Secretary of State, licence and ID FAQ on International Driving Permits: https://www.michigan.gov/sos/faqs/license-and-id/licenses-and-id, checked 2026-10-03.
- Europcar, Andorra la Vella rental page and licence-document requirements: https://www.europcar.com/en-us/places/car-rental-andorra/andorra-la-vella, checked 2026-10-03.
Practical recommendation
Obtain the 1949 Geneva IDP before leaving the United States and carry it with the original valid Michigan licence whenever driving. Confirm the exact rental booking terms before pickup. If you obtain residence in Andorra, begin the Andorran licence-change process well before the six-month point because the foreign permit stops being valid for driving after that limit.
Last verified date
This information was checked against the sources listed above on 2026-10-03. Driving-permit, residency, rental and insurance rules can change, so recheck the responsible authorities before travel or before changing residence status.