Every way into Monaco.

Students aged 16 or over who come to Monaco to study (for example at the International University of Monaco) for more than three months apply for the standard residence card with proof of enrolment. Non-EEA students must first obtain the French long-stay 'Monaco' visa from the competent French consulate, then file the Monégasque carte de séjour with their student documents, proof of accommodation in Monaco, evidence of sufficient resources to cover their studies and stay, and a clean criminal record. The temporary card is valid one year (EUR 80; EUR 40 to renew) and renewable for the duration of the programme. Children under 16 are not issued residence cards but may receive a travel document valid up to five years.

• Study: Full enrolment at the Monaco institution.
• Residency after 10 years

Government fee

€80

Validity

365 days

Setting up and running any professional activity independently in Monaco requires prior ministerial authorisation from the Prince's Government. Foreign nationals must apply for a business permit (autorisation d'exercer) — whereas Monégasque nationals only file a declaration of intent. The applicant must hold or apply for a Monaco residence card and open a business bank account with a Monaco-based lending institution, maintained for the life of the business. The statutory review period is 45 days from the application being declared eligible. Activity may begin only once authorisation is granted, and the business must then be registered with the Department of Tax Services. Self-employment in Monaco is therefore the residence basis for independent professionals, who establish financial means through their authorised activity rather than a passive deposit.

• Work: Authorises only the declared independent professional activity.
• Study: As a Monaco resident, may also study.
• Residency after 10 years
• Family: Family members obtain residence cards on the standard resident track.

Processing time

45 days

No foreign national may hold a private-sector job in Monaco without a work permit, and may not work in any profession other than the one named on the permit. The process is employer-driven: the employer submits the job offer to the Employment Department (Direction du Travail), which within four clear days proposes any priority candidates, since hiring follows a statutory order of priority (Monégasques first, then their children/spouses/partners, parents of Monégasque children, Monaco residents, then residents of neighbouring French communes). Once the candidate is validated, the employer and employee complete the 'demande d'autorisation d'embauchage et de permis de travail', returned to the Employment Office with EUR 5 in stamp duty (EUR 3 borne by the employer). Any change of employer, post or profession requires a new permit. Non-European nationals without an existing French work-authorisation residence permit must have their residence handled in parallel via the Employment Department; the work permit and Monaco residence card together legalise living and working in the Principality.

• Work: Authorises only the specific job and employer named; any change needs a new permit.
• Residency after 10 years

Government fee

€5

The temporary residence card (carte de séjour temporaire) is the standard first residence permit for anyone aged 16 or over who wishes to live in Monaco for more than three months per year. It is issued without any prior length-of-residence requirement and is valid for one year, renewable. There is no formal passive 'golden visa'; instead applicants must prove suitable accommodation in Monaco (owned, rented, company-provided or hosted), sufficient financial resources, and a clean criminal record (extract less than 3 months old from each country of residence in the last 5 years). For wealthy self-sufficient residents, financial means are typically shown via a bank reference letter in the approved format from a Monaco bank (less than 1 month old); Monaco banks in practice request a deposit commonly cited at around EUR 500,000, although no published text has fixed this figure since 2017. The card fee is EUR 80 (EUR 40 to renew). Non-EEA nationals must first hold a French long-stay 'Monaco' visa.

• Study: Resident card holders and their children may study in Monaco.
• Residency after 10 years
• Family: Spouse and children over 16 obtain their own cards; under-16s are covered by parents and receive a travel document.

Government fee

€80

Validity

365 days

Entrepreneurs who want to base a company in Monaco and reside there incorporate a Monégasque company — most commonly a société à responsabilité limitée (SARL), which requires a minimum share capital of EUR 15,000 fully paid into a Monaco bank account and at least two partners (the SURL is the single-partner variant). Forming and operating a company is subject to ministerial authorisation from the Prince's Government via the Direction de l'Expansion Economique, with a statutory review period of 45 days from eligibility; foreign partners and directors must also obtain a business permit. There is no passive investor visa: residence flows from genuinely running the authorised business. A company director or partner who lives in Monaco applies for the residence card on the strength of the company and their income. Financial means for the residence card are typically evidenced through the business and a Monaco bank reference.

• Work: Authorises managing/working in the authorised company; employees still need work permits.
• Study: As a Monaco resident, may also study.
• Residency after 10 years
• Family: Family members obtain residence cards on the standard resident track.

Processing time

45 days

Min. investment

€15,000

Monaco has no separate retirement visa; retirees use the standard residence card (carte de séjour) and satisfy the financial-means condition with pension or investment income, or with a Monaco bank reference. Retired applicants prove sufficient resources via a pension certificate or, like other self-sufficient residents, via a bank reference letter in the approved format from a Monaco bank (less than 1 month old); banks in practice commonly request a deposit cited at around EUR 500,000, although no published rule fixes the figure. The usual accommodation (owned or rented in Monaco) and clean-criminal-record conditions apply, and non-EEA retirees must first obtain the French long-stay 'Monaco' visa. The temporary card is valid one year (EUR 80; EUR 40 to renew), progressing to the ordinary and privileged cards over time. Monaco levies no personal income tax, a key draw for retirees.

• Study: Residents may study in Monaco.
• Residency after 10 years
• Family: Spouse and children obtain their own cards; under-16s are covered by parents.

Government fee

€80

Validity

365 days

Family members of a Monaco resident may obtain their own residence card by joining the resident. The spouse and any children aged 16 or over apply for their own carte de séjour, evidencing the family relationship, shared accommodation in Monaco and the household's sufficient financial resources; children under 16 are not issued cards but receive a travel document valid up to five years. Non-EEA family members must first obtain the French long-stay 'Monaco' visa. Accommodation can be justified by living with the resident relative or spouse. The temporary card is valid one year (EUR 80; EUR 40 to renew).

• Study: Family members may study in Monaco.
• Residency after 10 years
• Family: Covers the spouse and children; under-16s receive a travel document rather than a card.

Government fee

€80

Validity

365 days

The foreign spouse of a Monégasque national holds a dedicated residence card category ('conjoint de Monégasque'). It requires a minimum of one year of residence and is valid for five years, renewable (EUR 80; EUR 40 to renew), giving more favourable terms than the standard track. The couple must live together and the family relationship must be evidenced. Since 1 July 2022, a foreign spouse may also acquire Monégasque nationality by declaration after twenty years of marriage while still living together (ten years for marriages predating that reform), provided the Monégasque spouse keeps their nationality.

• Study: May study in Monaco.
• Residency after 20 years
• Family: Dedicated card for the spouse; children apply on their own family basis.

Government fee

€80

Validity

1,825 days

Any person ordinarily resident in Monaco for at least ten years after reaching the age of eighteen may apply to the Sovereign Prince for naturalisation; the Prince may grant a dispensation from the residence requirement. Naturalisation is entirely discretionary and granted personally by the Sovereign Prince — there is no right to it even when conditions are met, and only a small number are granted each year. Applicants must demonstrate proficiency in French, hold a clean criminal record, and at the final stage be exempt from military service in their country of origin and renounce their previous nationality (Monaco does not allow dual nationality through naturalisation). The government weighs family ties to Monaco and integration into its economic, social and cultural life.

• Work: Naturalised citizens have full rights, including unrestricted work and hiring priority.
• Study: Full access to education as a citizen.
• Residency: This is acquisition of citizenship itself; granted discretionarily by the Sovereign Prince.
• Family: Children may acquire nationality by filiation; a spouse acquires it by separate declaration after the required marriage years.

Monaco is inside the Schengen area de facto: France issues short-stay Schengen visas on Monaco's behalf, and any non-EEA/Swiss national who wants to live in Monaco for more than three months must first obtain a French long-stay visa (Type D, 'établissement') from the French consulate covering their place of residence. This visa does not itself grant residence in Monaco; it allows entry to the Principality so the holder can then file the Monégasque residence-permit (carte de séjour) application. Applicants who plan to live on private means must provide a CV stating their reasons for settling in Monaco, the detailed and quantified origin of their financial and property resources, and certified bank statements proving they can support themselves without gainful employment. The visa is generally valid for three months for the single entry needed to lodge the residence-card file. EEA, Swiss and French nationals are exempt and apply for the Monaco card directly.

• Residency after 10 years
• Family: Each family member files an individual Type D application; the principal's resources support the household.

Government fee

€99

Processing time

42 days

Max stay

90 days

Validity

90 days

The privileged residence card (carte de séjour privilégié) is Monaco's long-term residence permit, granted to foreigners with ten years of continuous residence in the Principality (the requirement can be reduced to one year in special cases at the authorities' discretion). It is valid for ten years and renewable, and represents the most stable residence status short of Monégasque nationality. Applicants must continue to meet the accommodation, financial-resources and good-character conditions. The card fee is EUR 160 (EUR 80 to renew). Ten years of ordinary residence is also the baseline for applying, entirely at the Sovereign Prince's discretion, for naturalisation.

• Study: Residents may study in Monaco.
• Residency: This is Monaco's long-term residence card; naturalisation is possible after 10 years' residence but is fully discretionary.
• Family: Family members hold their own cards on the same residence basis.

Government fee

€160

Validity

3,650 days

The ordinary residence card (carte de séjour ordinaire) is the second-tier Monégasque residence permit, issued to foreign residents who have accumulated three years of residence in the Principality on a temporary card. It is valid for three years and renewable, and continues to require proof of suitable accommodation, sufficient financial resources and a clean criminal record at each renewal. The card fee is EUR 100 (EUR 50 to renew; late renewals EUR 50). Holding the ordinary card is a step toward the privileged (10-year) card, granted after ten years of continuous residence.

• Study: Residents may study in Monaco.
• Residency after 10 years
• Family: Family members hold their own residence cards on the same basis.

Government fee

€100

Validity

1,095 days