Working in Monaco as a French National: Hiring Authorisation, Minimum Wage, Contributions and Tax

Law no. 629 of 17 July 1957 sets the principle: no foreigner may take a private-sector job in Monaco without holding a work permit, and any employer wishing to hire an employee of foreign nationality must first obtain written authorisation from the administration. French nationality does not exempt from this formality. The text applies to any hiring on the territory, including by an employer of foreign status (Legimonaco).

The procedure begins with a job offer filed with the Employment Service of the Direction du Travail. Within four clear days it presents candidates who enjoy a legal employment priority: foreigners married to a Monegasque or born to a Monegasque parent, then those living in a civil partnership with a Monegasque, parents of a Monegasque child, foreigners domiciled in Monaco and those domiciled in neighbouring communes who are already employed in Monaco (article 5 of the law, consolidated version to be checked on Legimonaco). If the selected candidate complies with the priority rules, the request for hiring authorisation and registration is made online on Monguichet.mc; the work permit and the registration numbers with the Caisses Sociales follow (MonEntreprise, Caisses Sociales de Monaco).

The cross-sector minimum growth wage is of the order of €12 an hour for those over 18, i.e. about €2,080 a month on the basis of 39 hours a week; the age-band scales are reduced from 17 to 18 and from 16 to 17 (Journal de Monaco). The rate is revised regularly (Legimonaco). Ministerial order no. 63-131 of 21 May 1963 sets the minimum wage rates and provides for an exceptional allowance of 5% on top of minimum remuneration.

Salary levels above the minimum vary by collective agreement and sector: IMSEE publishes labour statistics, but gives no single scale. The IMSEE page devoted to labour statistics indicates more than 65,000 employees in the Monegasque economy. The employment contract is governed by Monegasque law; an employee seconded by a French employer remains governed by their original contract during the assignment.

The Principality levies no income tax on people domiciled there. Article 7-1 of the Franco-Monegasque tax agreement of 18 May 1963 nevertheless subjects to income tax in France French nationals who transfer their domicile to Monaco (or who cannot show five years of habitual residence in Monaco at 13 October 1962), as if they were domiciled in France, on all their income, whether of French, foreign or Monegasque source. The differential contribution on high incomes applies to them (BOFiP). Exceptions exist for French nationals settled in Monaco before 13 October 1957, those who were born there and have always resided there, and members of the sovereign household.

An employee who lives in France and works in Monaco, often called a cross-border worker, has their tax situation determined by their tax home; their social protection comes under the CCSS on the basis of employment in Monaco, including for their dependants who live in France. The certificate of tax domicile is requested from the Monegasque authorities and remains valid three years (MonServicePublic).

A private-sector employee is affiliated to the Caisse de Compensation des Services Sociaux (CCSS) from the first day of activity; registration is part of the hiring authorisation request. The CCSS covers sickness, maternity, disability, death and family benefits for the insured person and their dependants. Contribution rates and ceilings are set by order and regularly revised: CLEISS (the French centre for European and international social security liaison) publishes a table of rates and the Caisses Sociales de Monaco give the values in force.

• Locally hired employee: automatic affiliation, with no personal procedure with the Monegasque fund; report your departure to the CPAM (the French health insurance fund), the CAF (family allowances fund) and France Travail (the employment agency) to avoid undue payments.
• Seconded employee: retention of the French scheme under conditions, according to CLEISS for an initial period of one year, with a possible extension of one year, the exceptional derogation being examined case by case. The extension request is made two months before the end of the assignment; the initial secondment of a general-scheme employee goes through the employer area of the Urssaf (the French social contributions collector), section “Working abroad” (CLEISS).
• Cross-border worker: affiliated to the CCSS on the basis of employment in Monaco (principle of the state of employment).

See the glossary entry on the seconded employee and the guide seconded or expatriate.

People duly authorised to carry out a craft, industrial or commercial activity or a liberal profession in Monaco must affiliate to CAMTI (sickness, maternity, accidents, family benefits) and to CARTI (old age). The CAMTI contribution is a fixed quarterly amount set for each financial year. The CARTI contribution depends on the class chosen between 1 October and 15 November (four classes), class 1 being reserved subject to means conditions. Payment is by direct debit, compulsory since 12 December 2024, in the first ten days of January, April, July and October; a delay incurs a 10% surcharge and 1% interest per month (Caisses Sociales de Monaco).

CARTI works by points: a class 1 contribution gives one point per month, a class 4 contribution gives four, and the point value is revised regularly. Affiliation concerns any individual carrying out a non-salaried activity in Monaco, with a few exceptions, including non-salaried directors of Monegasque public limited companies and author-artists (Caisses Sociales de Monaco). Starting a self-employed activity also requires an authorisation to practise from the Princely Government, to be requested before any registration.

A remote worker employed by a French company who settles in Monaco remains subject to the rules of the social security agreement and to the French tax described above: the conditions for retaining the original scheme should be checked before departure with the Urssaf and CLEISS.

The Franco-Monegasque agreement of 28 February 1952 (in force since 1 April 1954) covers sickness-maternity, disability, old age, industrial accidents, family benefits and death, but not unemployment insurance, which is the subject of a separate contribution (CLEISS). Insurance periods completed in France and Monaco are aggregated for opening rights.

Retirement is presented in the page retiring in Monaco and healthcare reimbursements in the page healthcare reimbursement in Monaco.

Economic indicators are displayed in real time in the “Economic indicators” block above. A candidate usefully compares the gross salary offered, the status of the hiring authorisation, the affiliation fund and the protection of their dependants before accepting an offer. Official employment statistics (number of employees, breakdown by sector, employees’ place of residence) are published by IMSEE, the Monegasque institute of statistics and economic studies. Minimum wage and contribution amounts are expressed in euros, which removes any currency risk for an employee coming from France. Current health spending represents about 3% of GDP (World Bank), a ratio to be read in light of the Principality’s very high GDP per capita.