Monaco Residency (Financial Means)

The residence permit (carte de séjour) is Monaco's standard permit for anyone aged 16 or older who wants to live in Monaco for more than three months a year. It is not a digital nomad or investor program: financial means is one of three conditions, alongside accommodation and good character (MonServicePublic). The route is active.

First-time residents receive a temporary card valid for 1 year, issued with no minimum period of prior residence (card types).

It suits people who can secure housing in Monaco and show income or savings a Monaco bank will vouch for.

Means test: No fixed official minimum; for savings the Monaco bank issuing the reference decides what is sufficient.

Stays of up to three months follow Schengen rules instead; the Monaco guide covers visits, taxes and daily life.

• Age: every person aged 16 or older needs a permit. Children under 16 receive no permit; a travel document may be issued to them instead.
• Accommodation: housing in Monaco large enough for the household, whether owned, owned through a company, rented or shared with a close relative, spouse or partner.
• Financial means: a salary, professional income, savings assessed by a Monaco bank or support from a relative, spouse or partner. No fixed official minimum; for savings the Monaco bank issuing the reference decides what is sufficient.
• Good character: a criminal record extract less than 3 months old from the last country of residence in the five years before arrival.
• Visa: EEA nationals need no visa step. Other nationals must hold a visa before applying, usually a long-stay (type D) visa from the French consulate nearest their last residence. UK nationals count as third-country nationals.

Source: MonServicePublic, how to apply for a residence permit.

The government checklist asks for:

• Passport with the long-stay visa, where one is needed.
• Birth certificate less than 3 months old.
• Accommodation proof: an electricity bill or contract plus a notarized deed, a tenancy agreement registered with the Department of Tax Services or a certificate of free accommodation.
• Funds: for most applicants, a reference from a Monaco bank less than 1 month old. Alternatives are a trade or company register extract less than 3 months old, an employment certificate, proof of a pension or a sponsor's declaration of financial support.
• Criminal record extract less than 3 months old, or the national equivalent.
• Signed declaration on honor.
• Family documents where relevant: a marriage certificate and a passport or ID for each child under 16, with custody or schooling proof.

Documents not in French, English or Italian need a translation by a sworn translator.

• First permit: €80, paid when the card is collected (MonServicePublic). Each person aged 16 or older needs a permit.
• Temporary card renewal: €40 (card types).
• Later cards: the ordinary and privileged cards carry their own issue and renewal fees, listed on the same card-types page.

Other costs are set elsewhere: the French long-stay visa fee, sworn translations, civil records and criminal record extracts from the issuing countries, and housing in Monaco, which the permit requires before it is granted.

Where to apply: Online through the government's residence permit service, then an interview, or in person or by post at the Residents Section, 9 rue Suffren-Reymond, Monaco; most non-EEA nationals first need a long-stay (type D) visa for Monaco from a French consulate (MonServicePublic).

1. Non-EEA nationals obtain the long-stay visa first.
2. Submit the application through the online residence permit service with scanned documents, or on paper at the Residents Section.
3. An admissible file leads to an invitation to book an individual interview. Applicants bring the original documents.
4. If the permit is granted, a second appointment registers the applicant and issues the card. The fee is paid on collection.

The Maison du Numérique helps with the online service by appointment. No official processing time is published.

The temporary card is valid for 1 year (card types).

Renewal: Renewable while the accommodation, financial means and good character conditions are still met; after 3 years of residence an ordinary card valid 3 years, after 10 years of effective residence a privileged card valid 10 years. Every foreign resident must renew the card by its expiry date at the latest, online or on paper (renewal service).

Long-term status: Yes: 3 years of residence qualifies for the 3-year ordinary card and 10 years of effective residence for the 10-year privileged card. Anyone who leaves Monaco must surrender the permit.

Residents are not liable for personal income tax, except French nationals, who fall under the 1963 France-Monaco convention; the exemption applies only to people genuinely established in Monaco and does not change other countries' rules (tax in Monaco).

The residence permit is an immigration status, not a tax ruling. The government publishes no day-count test for tax residency, and the permit does not settle how a home country taxes someone who moves. Anyone leaving another tax system should check that country's exit and residency rules before the move.