Monaco Retirement Visa 2026: Carte de Séjour

The Monaco residence permit for people of independent means is residence by financial means. Nothing is invested, donated or paid to the state: you show where you will live and how you will support yourself, and your pension and savings stay yours.

What is the Monaco residence permit (carte de séjour)?

The carte de séjour is the residence card every foreigner aged 16 or over needs to settle in Monaco or to stay more than three months. It is the standing law, not a special programme: Ordonnance Souveraine n° 3.153 of 19 March 1964 (consolidated text on Legimonaco, version of 26 June 2021, read 11 October 2026), articles 1, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 14. Applications go to the Section des Résidents (Residency Section) of the Direction de la Sûreté Publique, Monaco's police department, as set out on the MonServicePublic application page (updated 25 September 2026, read 11 October 2026).

The first card is the temporary card, valid up to one year, and it lets non-EEA holders travel within the Schengen Area without a short-stay visa. The first grant is discretionary: in its decision of 2 December 2021 (TS 2020-10), the Tribunal Suprême recognised a large power of appreciation over a first card. Some guides list this permit under residence by investment, because some applicants evidence their means with a large bank balance; it is the same carte de séjour, and no investment is required. The card gives residence, not nationality; see residency versus citizenship.

Who qualifies, and how much money do you need?

The Monaco residence permit has no published income threshold, savings figure or pension minimum: whether your means suffice is judged on your file (Ordonnance 3.153, article 6). The conditions:

• Accommodation in Monaco, large enough for the household: as owner, through a company-owned property, as a tenant under a tenancy registered with the Direction des Services Fiscaux (Department of Tax Services), or staying with a close relative or partner. Renting is accepted.
• Sufficient means, shown by a proof of pension (the evidence named for retirees); savings judged sufficient by the Monaco bank that issues a reference in the approved format, less than one month old, where the sum depends on the bank; support from a relative or partner; or salary or professional income.
• A clean record: a criminal record extract less than three months old from your last country of residence in the previous five years, and a sworn declaration. No medical check is listed.
• A visa for non-EEA nationals: a long-stay visa (type D) from the French consulate nearest your last residence, before you apply. EEA and Swiss nationals need none.
• Family: no retirement age is set. Each person aged 16 or over applies for their own card; children under 16 receive a travel document. Married applicants show proof of marriage.
• No gainful activity is required; working in Monaco needs a separate work authorisation.

For retirees, note that the renewal pages list a payslip, an activity authorisation or a Monaco bank reference, not a pension proof, so whether you can renew on pension evidence alone is not yet officially confirmed.

The permit does not fit people who want a published threshold, those who want permanent status soon, French nationals expecting Monaco's income tax treatment, or anyone who will not keep a real home in Monaco.

Is Monaco's retirement visa a golden retirement visa?

Not fully: it is rated Partial, 53 out of 100, with confidence grade B, in the Mirabello Golden Retirement Index, scored on 11 October 2026 under methodology 1.1. Partial means the route meets most of the standard, with one gap. The gap the Index records is renewal: the first card lasts up to one year and is renewed every year, with no permanent status. The score also sits well below the Golden line of 70: processing costs points because no official time is published, and so does the path to permanence, because longer cards are discretionary and naturalisation requires giving up your nationality. The strongest pillar is tax: no personal income tax or wealth tax for residents other than French nationals. Its renewal category is "every year, no permanent status". The standard is Mirabello's own, scored from official sources: Golden means at least 70 out of 100, confidence grade A or B and no fail on tax of foreign income, physical presence or renewal.

Do you have to live in Monaco to keep the residence permit?

Monaco sets no minimum stay for the card: neither Ordonnance 3.153 nor the procedure pages state a number of days or a maximum absence. Genuine residence is still tested. The privileged card follows an inquiry into whether you really live in Monaco (article 8); renewal needs proof of accommodation, such as an electricity bill and a rent receipt; a card is void once its conditions lapse; and a foreigner who leaves must return the card eight days before departure (article 14).

Tax residence is evidenced separately by a residence certificate for tax purposes (updated 23 December 2024, read 11 October 2026): valid one year, EUR 600, for permit holders who live in Monaco more than 183 days, have their principal professional establishment there, or spend the majority of the year there. That test belongs to the certificate, not to the card. To compare lighter presence rules, see residency without relocating.

Does Monaco tax a foreign pension?

Monaco levies no personal income tax on residents, so a foreign pension, dividends and interest are not taxed there, with one exception: French nationals. The Government states there has been no personal income tax since the Ordinance of 1869 and that the only direct tax is on industrial and commercial profits, for commercial activities with more than 25% of turnover outside Monaco, not private investors (Tax in Monaco, read 11 October 2026). There is no wealth tax, annual property tax or council tax.

French nationals remain liable to French income tax under the 1963 Franco-Monegasque Bilateral Convention; our records apply this to French nationals resident in Monaco after 13 October 1957. They can hold the card, but not Monaco's income tax treatment.

Tax follows tax residence, not the permit: the treatment applies once you are genuinely established and tax-resident in Monaco. Monaco's pages say the exemption does not affect other States' rules, so the country that pays your pension may still tax it under the relevant treaty, and your home country may still tax you if you remain resident there. This is general information, not tax advice. See also countries that don't tax foreign pensions.

How long does it take, what does it cost, and what documents do you need?

No processing time is published for the Monaco residence permit, so we confirm the timeline for your case. You secure accommodation, gather proof of means, obtain the French visa if needed and file with the Section des Résidents; once the file is admissible, you are invited to an interview.

Official fees are modest: EUR 80 for the first temporary card (EUR 40 to renew), EUR 100 for the ordinary card (EUR 50) and EUR 160 for the privileged card (EUR 80); a late renewal costs EUR 50 and a duplicate EUR 80 (MonServicePublic, the residence permit, read 11 October 2026). The real cost is accommodation large enough for your household and, if savings are your evidence, the sum your Monaco bank requires before it issues a reference. No official figure exists for either; we work both out for your case.

The core documents are your passport, proof of accommodation, proof of means, the criminal record extract and the sworn declaration, with proof of marriage for a spouse. Health insurance is not on the official list we read.

Does the Monaco residence permit lead to permanent residence or citizenship?

Monaco has no permanent residence status. The temporary card is renewed every year while the means condition is met and can be withdrawn at any time (article 6). After more than three years of residence, an ordinary card valid three years may be granted; after at least ten years and an inquiry into the effectiveness of residence, a privileged card valid ten years (articles 5, 7 and 8). Both are on application, not as of right; see the renewal page (updated 30 September 2026, read 11 October 2026).

Naturalisation may be considered after 10 years of residence. It is discretionary and requires you to renounce your previous nationality (acquiring Monegasque nationality, read 11 October 2026). Plan for long-term residence, not a second passport.

What does the market get wrong about the Monaco residence permit?

• "You must place a fixed deposit in a Monaco bank." No official page sets a sum. The amount depends on the bank giving the reference, and a retiree can instead show a proof of pension for the first card.
• "You must spend a set number of days a year in Monaco." Neither the Ordonnance nor the procedure pages set any. Only the tax-purposes certificate uses a day test, of more than 183 days, with alternatives.
• "Every Monaco resident is exempt from income tax." French nationals are not, and the exemption does not affect other States' rules.

The Monaco residence permit or another route?

The Monaco carte de séjour suits retirees with substantial, documented means who will make Monaco their genuine home and accept a discretionary first grant with yearly renewals. If you want a published threshold or permanence sooner, compare:

• Cyprus Category F: permanent residence for non-EU nationals with a steady foreign income, rated Golden; Cyprus taxes some foreign income of residents, and employment is not allowed.
• San Marino pensioner residence: residence with no expiry date for pensioners who meet combined income and asset tests, with pension income taxed at a flat substitute rate.
• Gibraltar Category 2: a high-net-worth residence and tax status built on a net-worth test, with a certificate of no fixed term and a compulsory minimum tax.

See every route in the Mirabello Golden Retirement Index and side by side in our retirement and passive-income residency guide.

What is not yet officially confirmed

• Any amount of income, savings or pension: none is published, and each bank sets its own test.
• Whether a retiree can renew on pension evidence alone.
• Processing time.
• Capital gains: the absence of tax is inferred, not stated by name.
• A general ban on dual nationality: inferred from the renunciation condition.
• Health insurance and public healthcare access for card holders.
• What the card allows for work.

Ask Mira, by Mirabello

For a first answer at any hour, ask Mira, by Mirabello, the AI advisor of Mirabello Immigration Intelligence. It reads the same verified programme data as this page and can compare this route with the other options in our retirement and passive-income residency guide. A specialist then checks the details that decide your case.

How Mirabello Consultancy helps

Mirabello Consultancy reviews your proof of means and accommodation plan against the Section des Résidents' requirements, prepares the French visa file where needed, prepares you for the interview and plans the renewals towards the longer cards. French nationals hear about the 1963 Convention first, so they can take tax advice. To find out whether your means are likely to suffice, book a free, confidential consultation.

Information only, not legal or tax advice. Requirements were read from the official sources linked above on 11 October 2026 and can change; we confirm them for your case.