Living in Monaco as a French National: Residence Permit, Tax, Housing, Schools and Daily Life

Monaco is a city-state of a few districts (Monaco-Ville, Monte-Carlo, La Condamine, Fontvieille, Larvotto) enclaved in the Alpes-Maritimes. IMSEE counts nearly 39,000 residents, and the table in the annual edition of “Monaco in figures” indicates that residents of French nationality represent about 21% of them. Proximity to France, the customs union between the two states, very low ordinary crime and a social protection system coordinated with France by the 1952 agreement are among the advantages of settling.

The limits lie in the scarcity of space, the obligation to show housing in the Principality before any residence permit, and the particular tax situation of French nationals, detailed below. France Diplomatie places the whole territory at normal vigilance: frequent road checks at the entrances to the Principality mean you should always carry an identity document.

The population changes little, and the IMSEE census shows that the number of French residents has fallen slightly from one census to the next. France and Monaco form a customs union, and the Principality’s customs rules follow French customs policy (France Diplomatie), which simplifies removals and purchases of goods between the two states.

Entering Monaco requires no visa for a stay of less than three months. Beyond that, anyone aged 16 or over must apply for a residence permit from the residents department of the Direction de la Sûreté Publique. A national of the European Economic Area, including French nationals, needs only an identity document or a valid passport; non-nationals must obtain a long-stay visa issued by the French authorities (MonServicePublic).

• Housing: show housing sufficient for the household, owned, rented, through a company that owns the property or with a relative (accommodation certificate issued by the Sûreté Publique).
• Resources: salary, professional income, savings or support, assessed by the reference Monegasque bank, which provides a certificate less than one month old.
• Good character: criminal record extract or equivalent less than three months old, issued by the previous states of residence.

On the French side, your departure is reported to the CPAM (the French health insurance fund), the CAF (family allowances fund) and France Travail (the employment agency). A certificate of domicile for tax purposes is requested from the Monegasque authorities and remains valid three years, renewable (MonServicePublic).

Renewing the residence permit follows a similar procedure: a valid identity document or passport, the latest electricity bill for the accommodation, the latest rent receipt for a tenant and proof of means of subsistence (latest payslip, activity authorisation or bank certificate issued by an establishment in Monaco). The lists of documents change: they should be confirmed on MonServicePublic or with the Residents Section before filing. A minor under 16 does not receive a residence permit; a travel document for foreign minors may be issued for travel.

The Principality levies no income tax on people domiciled there, but article 7-1 of the Franco-Monegasque tax agreement of 18 May 1963 subjects to income tax in France, on all their income, French nationals who transfer their domicile or residence to Monaco, or who cannot show five years of habitual residence in Monaco at 13 October 1962 (BOFiP). These taxpayers are taxed as if they were domiciled in France; they are not regarded as residents of France for the application of the tax agreements concluded by France with other states.

Outside the scope of article 7-1 are French nationals permanently settled in Monaco before 13 October 1957, French nationals born in Monaco who have constantly resided there (Conseil d’État, 11 April 2014) and members of the sovereign household. The certificate of domicile does not by itself guarantee exclusion: the situation should be checked with the tax authorities before settling.

The cross-sector minimum growth wage is of the order of €12 an hour, i.e. about €2,080 a month on the basis of 39 hours a week, according to a circular published in the Journal de Monaco; it is revised regularly (Legimonaco). Labour market details are in the page working in Monaco.

Housing conditions the residence permit and weighs on every household’s budget. Rents and prices are not reproduced here for lack of an official publication read; IMSEE publishes data on population and employment, and the Princely Government runs a national housing aid scheme and an allocation of state-owned housing for eligible people. Current health spending represents about 3% of GDP according to the World Bank, with about 8% borne directly by households.

Education is compulsory for every child aged 6 to 16 completed, Monegasque or established in Monaco. It is free in the public sector and fee-paying in the private sector (Princely Government). The Lycée Albert Ier, a state establishment, prepares for the general baccalauréat, the STMG and STI2D technological baccalauréats, the international option of the baccalauréat (American section) and the European section in English. Pupils residing in the Principality can enrol there subject to the decision of the end-of-year class council; in other cases, a request for a derogation is sent to the Direction de l’Éducation nationale, de la Jeunesse et des Sports.

For families domiciled in Monaco, a certificate of residence less than six months old and a copy of the legal representatives’ residence permit are required. A level test is organised if French is not the child’s mother tongue. Enrolment dates vary from year to year and should be checked with the lycée (4 place de la Visitation).

Ordinary crime is very low and the Sûreté Publique relies on a large video surveillance network. Monaco and the Alpes-Maritimes lie in a zone of medium seismicity (level II), earthquake-resistant building rules have applied since 1966 and a high-magnitude earthquake is considered unlikely. Swimming is considered safe at the Larvotto beach, protected by anti-jellyfish nets, and cycling is discouraged because of dense traffic and winding roads (France Diplomatie).

Rescue services are reached on 18 or 112, the police on 17, and 141 gives the on-call doctors and pharmacies at night, at weekends and on public holidays (MonServicePublic). The French embassy is located at Le Roc Fleuri, 1 rue du Ténao. The Princely Government’s official procedures are published on MonServicePublic, in French and English.

On the health side, France Diplomatie invites travellers to check that the vaccinations of the French schedule are up to date (diphtheria, tetanus, polio, whooping cough, measles) and recalls that hospital costs abroad can be very high. French visitors are asked to request the European health insurance card from their fund at least 15 days before departure, so that Social Security can step in. For a lasting stay, professional status determines the competent fund, as the page on the healthcare system explains.

A private-sector employee is affiliated to the Caisse de Compensation des Services Sociaux (CCSS) from their first day of activity; the self-employed person comes under CAMTI for sickness and CARTI for old age. The seconded employee keeps their French scheme under conditions. The pages healthcare system in Monaco, healthcare reimbursement and retiring in Monaco detail each situation. France Diplomatie recalls that a contract covering care, hospitalisation and medical repatriation is recommended, the embassy being unable to pay these costs.