Family in Monaco

The Mairie and Etat Civil-Nationalité record births, marriages and deaths, issue family booklets and register births outside marriage. Civil-status records from 2005 onward can be issued immediately. A name-choice declaration may be available when a child is registered. Archive copies cost €1 for a birth or death record and €1.50 for a marriage record, plus postage. In 2024, Monaco recorded 721 births, 176 marriages and 66 divorces; these figures describe activity and do not measure how common a family situation is. Marriage in Monaco generally requires at least one future spouse to be Monégasque, or at least one Monégasque person at the publication of the marriage notices, or a continuous Monaco domicile or stay of more than one month at that stage. A PACS or contrat de vie commune concerns civil status and civil-law arrangements rather than replacing every family procedure. Pregnancy and parenthood support is divided between the CCSS, CAMTI and other institutions. The Caisse de Compensation des Services Sociaux (CCSS) pays prenatal allowances when the head of household is registered with the fund and the household resides in Monaco; a Monégasque or French resident in France may qualify when no French entitlement applies. The activity threshold is at least 75 hours per month. Pregnancy normally has to be declared within three months after the presumed conception, with medical examinations in the third, sixth and eighth months and a postnatal examination within eight weeks. The allowance is paid in three instalments of €171 per month for each full instalment from 1 October 2025. The maternity booklet and maternity coverage also require registration more than one month before the presumed conception, uninterrupted coverage and a first prenatal examination by the end of the third month. For self-employed workers, compensated maternity leave can last up to 18, 26, 34 or 46 weeks depending on parity, multiple births and the number of children in the household. An affiliated employee may receive paternity leave when the activity and wage-loss conditions are met. It lasts 21 working days, or 28 working days for a multiple birth or a household with at least two dependent children. Leave must begin between the birth and the child's fourth birthday month, cannot be split, and normally requires employer notice two weeks in advance. The claim is generally due within three months, and the payment is 90% of the average gross daily wage during the preceding 12 months. Adoption is legally possible through the Justice authorities and the central authority. CCSS adoption leave lasts eight weeks for one child, or ten weeks for a household with at least two dependent children or for a multiple adoption; parents may share it. It begins when the child arrives, or at most seven working days before, and the claim is generally due within three months. The payment is also 90% of the average gross daily wage during the preceding 12 months. Family allowances are paid by the CCSS for dependent children. The 75-hour monthly threshold applies, with prorated payment between 75 and 144 hours and full payment from 145 hours. The monthly amounts from the stated age bands are €171 for ages 0 to 3, €256.50 for ages 3 to 6, €307.80 for ages 6 to 10 and €359.10 after age 10. Payment usually follows in the next month. School attendance evidence is required from ages 6 to 20. When a child lives alternately with separated parents, the allowance can be divided equally; this applies to separations after 4 July 2017 or to older cases covered by a written agreement. The Mairie's Service Petite Enfance et Familles (SPEF) provides crèches, micro-crèches, a mini-club and parent spaces. The CCSS can contribute to crèche costs up to age three and to garderie costs up to age six; the institution receives the subsidy and deducts it from the parent's invoice. Resident families can use Espaces Parents and free parent-child workshops. Massage and baby-carrying activities have more restricted access for crèche families. Municipal admission rules and tariffs for 2026 are published through the portail famille. The Centre de Loisirs Prince Albert II accepts children aged 3 to 12 who attend school in Monaco during school holidays and Wednesday afternoons, usually with proof that a parent is working. Parents generally retain joint parental authority after separation. The Juge tutélaire may assign sole exercise when the child's interests require it and can decide the child's residence, contact and hosting arrangements, and the parents' maintenance contributions. A child may be heard on request when sufficiently capable of forming an opinion. Parents owe maintenance and education, and reciprocal maintenance duties can also apply between ascendants and descendants. International families require a separate assessment of Monaco's conflict-of-law and jurisdiction rules. The Division enfance et famille within the Direction de l'Action Sociale receives reports, provides guidance, investigates situations and administers social assistance. It can arrange emergency housing for families and support child-protection proceedings involving the Foyer de l'Enfance Princesse Charlène. Law 1.382 provides protections and rights in cases of family violence. AVIP offers free and confidential information through hotline 39 19, while emergencies should be reported to 17 or 112. Law 1.465 and Loi 799 provide mechanisms including support for a single parent, a parent at home, birth or adoption, compensatory family needs and health-related needs. These schemes are generally resource-tested, and the eligible child will normally need to be Monégasque or able to acquire Monegasque nationality. General social assistance can cover punctual food, housing or child-education needs after an individual assessment. A Monégasque applicant or a foreign resident generally needs stable and regular residence for at least five years, and the situation is reviewed annually. For dependency, the autonomy benefit can support a person over 60 who resides in Monaco or at Résidence du Cap Fleuri, has a physical or mental loss of autonomy and meets resource and dependency limits. The Centre de Coordination Gérontologique de Monaco (CCGM) prepares a personalised plan for care at home or in an institution. Mairie Seniors/Action Sociale offers telealarms, meals, home help, auxiliary care and appointments for family caregivers. The CCSS may subsidise home help for insured families or isolated people when an income ceiling and temporary physical inability of the household maintainer apply. Applications are made through the Mairie or CCSS according to residence and status. After a death, the Mairie records the event. CAR survivor provisions can pay an orphan's reversion through the surviving parent or legal guardian while the child is a minor, or directly to an adult. The payment is universal until age 18 and can continue for a student or apprentice until age 25. Claims are normally due within 12 months. The direct right is 25% when one parent has died and 50% of the highest direct right when both parents have died. A death allowance may go to a surviving spouse who was not divorced or separated, or otherwise to the children, with the same usual 12-month claim period. Inheritance and filial rights depend on legally established parentage. Formal claims commonly have deadlines of two weeks, three months or twelve months, while some duties are subject to a two-year limitation period. Exact eligibility, payment and parent costs depend on the household's residence, nationality, affiliation, resources, custody arrangement and the relevant institution.