Taking the decision to move to Monaco involves a number of administrative formalities.
The first step is to obtain an Establishment Visa for Monaco (the D type). Nationals of the European Economic Area are exempt from obtaining said visa.
The application must be submitted to the closest Consulate of France from the applicant's place of residence.
The D Visa is valid for 3 months.
The application for the first resident card must be submitted to the Monaco Resident Service within this three-month validity period.
This application will be reviewed by Monaco authorities and will give rise to a personal interview with Monaco Public Security Department.
The various investigations and checks carried out by Monaco authorities might take a relatively long time. On average, it takes around six months for the card to be issued.
The first residence permit (from the « temporary » category) is issued for a period of one year as from the date of arrival in Monaco.
This temporary card must be renewed twice at the end of its validity period.
After three years of residence in Monaco, a resident card from the « ordinary » category will be issued. Said card is valid for a three-year periodand renewable twice.
After ten years of residing in Monaco, the resident will be provided with a resident card from the "privileged" category, which has a ten-year validity period, and which may be renewed.
While residing in Monaco, any change of marital status, address, nationality or profession must be declared.
For foreign tax authorities, a Monaco resident card is not a proof of Monaco tax residence.
After having resided six months in Monaco, the resident will be able to obtain, in addition of the resident card:
- a certificate of residence for administrative
purposes, which will be required when completing various
Monaco administrative formalities.
This certificate will allow the Monaco resident to prove that he/she resides in Monaco for more than 6 months in a year (said certificate can also be obtained if the resident's main centre of activity is located in Monaco).
The application has to be made to the Public Security Department.
- a certificate of residence for tax purposes,
which will be required to complete some tax formalities, in
particular as part of tax declaration obligations.
The issuing of such certificate will require a more detailed examination by the Public Security Department, which will check, among other criteria, that the resident has actually lived in the Principality for at least 183 days in a year.
The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.