Andorra: Coins Issued and Used

The Andorran Diner (unofficial code ADD), called Diner andorrà in Catalan, is a commemorative currency issued in form of coins intended for collectors and without a legal tender value. A diner is divided into 100 cèntims. The name diner (money in Catalan) is derived from the Roman currency denarius.

The Servei d'Emissions de la Vegueria Episcopal has issued from 1977 onwards various series of diner denominated coins. Previously there were minor privately issued diner coinage (with no legal value). There have been silver, golder and bimetallic issues. The most commemorated topic is Charlemagne.

The exchange rate was defined (informally) as 100 ESP (0.60 EUR) or 5 FRF (~125 ESP or 0.75 EUR) to one diner. However, there is no bank or other authority where visitors to Andorra can change diners for euros, it is only an informal relation. It is not possible to buy anything with diners in Andorra - this is only an artificial currency to produce commemorative coins.

An agreement was negotiated between the Eurozone and Andorra and came into force on 1 April 2012. Andorra did not previously have an official currency. Prior to 2002, it used both the French franc and Spanish peseta as de facto legal tender currencies, though they never had an official monetary arrangement with either country, and switched to the euro (without any monetary agreement) when it was introduced on 1 January 2002.

After years of negotiations, partially over concerns with banking secrecy, the EU and Andorra signed a monetary agreement on 30 June 2011 which made the euro the official currency in Andorra and allowed them to mint their own euro coins as early as 1 July 2013, provided they comply with the agreement's terms.

However, the first Andorran euro coins did not enter into circulation until January 2015.