Immigration law in Monaco

For stays of less than three months, entry and residence generally follow the arrangements applicable in France. A valid passport or other travel document is required, together with any visa or authorization required for France, particularly in the Alpes-Maritimes. A French or Schengen visa with the necessary territorial validity also covers Monaco. Many third-country nationals obtain the required Monaco visa from the territorially responsible Consul de France. The France–Monaco Convention de voisinage of 18 May 1963 is central to this connection. Long stays follow different rules depending on nationality and circumstances. Nationals of the European Union or European Economic Area, except French nationals, and Swiss nationals apply for a long-stay authorization through the Monegasque authorities, with notification to the French Ambassador to Monaco. Other nationals generally apply for a visa de long séjour, meaning a long-stay visa, at the territorially responsible French consulate. The visa is issued only after consultation with and agreement from Monaco. A person who has already lived in France for at least one year applies to the French Ambassador to Monaco. Temporary employment lasting more than three months but less than six months can require a visa for the employment period; an exceptional extension may reach three additional months, but this does not establish a right to settle. Foreign nationals over 16 who stay in Monaco for more than three months or establish themselves there need a carte de séjour. The application normally goes to the Direction de la Sûreté Publique within eight days of entry, or within eight days after the applicant reaches the age of 16 if already living in Monaco. The Service des Résidents handles the application. Typical evidence includes a passport and visa, proof of housing such as an acte de propriété, bail or certificat d’hébergement, civil-status and family documents, and evidence of work, income or other financial means. A complete dossier is needed. Until the card is issued, the applicant must hold a valid récépissé provisoire. No general published decision deadline has been identified. The residence basis must match the person’s situation. Employment normally requires a work contract and a permis de travail, meaning a work permit. Self-employment, commerce or a profession libérale requires prior authorization. A person relying on personal resources must show sufficient means and credible financial or property evidence; Monaco does not publish a single general statutory minimum wealth figure in the available material. A family relationship can affect the assessment and may require evidence such as a declaration of financial support, but each foreign national over 16 still needs an individual residence basis. Property ownership proves housing but does not automatically create a right to reside. The reviewed material does not identify a separate Monegasque student residence title, so study cases use the general residence-card process together with evidence of study and financing. A foreign national may not perform private work in Monaco without a permis de travail, regardless of the contract form, duration or pay. The authorization is tied to the named employer and occupation. A change of employer or occupation requires a new application, and the employer must obtain written prior authorization. Where applicants have equal qualifications and no Monegasque candidate is available, priority generally follows this order: a spouse or person of Monegasque descent, a person in a registered cohabitation relationship with a Monegasque national, a parent of a Monegasque child, a person residing in Monaco, a person from a border municipality with an employment authorization and previous Monaco employment, and then other foreign nationals. Residence cards have different durations. A carte de séjour de résident temporaire can last up to one year. After more than three years of residence, a carte de séjour de résident ordinaire may be available for three years. After more than one year of residence, a carte de séjour de conjoint de monégasque may be available for five years. After at least ten years of residence, a carte de séjour de résident privilégié may be available for ten years. A privileged card can also be available after one year to a parent of a Monegasque child or to a foreign woman who lost Monegasque nationality through marriage. These categories require an official assessment and are not automatic. A directly equivalent unlimited permanent-residence card has not been identified; the privileged card is a renewable ten-year card. The listed fees are EUR 80 for an initial temporary card and EUR 40 for renewal, EUR 100 for an initial ordinary card and EUR 50 for renewal, EUR 160 for an initial privileged card and EUR 80 for renewal, and EUR 80 for an initial spouse-of-Monegasque card and EUR 40 for renewal. A late renewal adds EUR 50 to the applicable card fee. A duplicate costs EUR 80, while a change of civil status, family details or address costs EUR 30. Visa fees follow the applicable French tariff. Residence documents must be shown when lawfully requested. A change of residence or activity must be reported within eight days. When leaving Monaco, the residence card must be returned eight days in advance. An expired card or a card whose conditions no longer exist loses its practical value. Late or missing documentation can create administrative or criminal risk. A refusal or withdrawal can require departure within the period set by the authorities; remaining after that refusal or withdrawal can be punishable. Forged documents or using another person’s card can lead to criminal liability and removal. Monaco is party to the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees and its 1967 Protocol. An asylum application is submitted to the Ministre d’État, meaning the Minister of State. OFPRA may be consulted, but its opinion does not bind Monaco, which makes the decision independently. Convention protection can provide protection and, where applicable, a travel document. A separate general statutory regime for subsidiary protection is not clearly established in the available legal material. In 2026, the Tribunal Suprême annulled a refusal of refugee status. Monaco also created a temporary arrangement for people from Ukraine in 2022 involving assistance, work, education and health care, but its current validity is not confirmed here and should not be treated as a current refugee or asylum status. Monegasque nationality is acquired mainly through descent, including specified cases involving a Monegasque father or mother, and by certain people born in Monaco to unknown parents. Birth in Monaco alone does not generally create nationality. A foreign spouse may acquire nationality by declaration after twenty years of marriage, provided the statutory conditions continue to exist; marriages concluded before 1 July 2022 can benefit from a transitional reduction to ten years. Naturalisation generally requires at least ten years of habitual residence after the applicant’s eighteenth birthday. The Prince Souverain decides naturalisation by ordonnance souveraine after examining the applicant’s situation and conduct, so residence alone does not create an entitlement. Naturalisation normally involves loss of the previous nationality and release from foreign military obligations, subject to the applicable proof rules. Enfant du Pays is a distinct status for certain people born in Monaco or adopted there as minors who have maintained uninterrupted residence; it is not Monegasque nationality. An applicant can file an administrative recours gracieux or recours hiérarchique with the decision-maker or the competent superior within two months. This generally preserves the period for judicial review. Silence for more than four months normally counts as an implied rejection, followed by two months to bring proceedings before the Tribunal Suprême. A recours en annulation for excès de pouvoir against an administrative decision normally must be filed within two months of notification, publication or reliable knowledge. Such proceedings do not automatically suspend the decision; a sursis may be ordered separately. A requête is generally prepared through an Avocat-Défenseur. The Haut Commissariat à la Protection des Droits, des Libertés et à la Médiation offers free and impartial mediation after direct contact with the administration, but it deals with Monegasque authorities and not French visa decisions. Family or private life can be relevant to a refusal or withdrawal but does not replace a required residence card.