Being the second smallest country, Monaco attracts many tourists every year. Strangely, Monaco only has borders with France. When people think of Monaco, confusion often appears. Is Monaco an independent state? Yes, it is independent since 1297. Why do people make such mistakes about Monaco, then? Although the state is independent, the relations of Monaco, including Monaco visa policy with other countries, are regulated according to France. This article will mainly concentrate on visa for Monaco, visa requirements, how to get Monaco visa, etc.
Monaco visa policy
Monaco visa policy is similar or, to be more clear, identical to France visa policy. Having a visa to France will give you the right to travel to Monaco as well. So it is kind of a “kill two birds with one stone” situation if you also desire to see France. Another bizarre thing is that though Monaco is not a member state of the Schengen area, it complies with Schengen regulations.
So who needs a visa for Monaco? To answer that, you should check to see if your country is visa-exempt. Other than European countries, the following countries are Monaco visa free countries:
Australia, Antiga and Barbuda, Argentina, Bahamas, Barbados, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominica, El Salvador, Georgia, Grenada, Guatemala, Honduras, Hong Kong, Israel, Japan, Kiribati, Macao, Malaysia, Marshall Islands, Mauritius, Mexico, Micronesia, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Palau, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Samoa, Seychelles, Singapore, Solomon Islands, South Korea, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Taiwan, Timor-Leste (East Timor), Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tuvalu, United Arab Emirates, USA, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Ukraine, Brunei.
If this is not the case for you, you will need to apply for a visa for Monaco. In order to do that, first, you should check whether there is an embassy or consulate of Monaco in your country. If there is not, check for the embassy or consulate of France in your country.
Let's consider, you do not know how to get Monaco visa. Do not worry, because we will go through the procedure step by step.
Monaco visa types and requirements
We can categorize visas for Monaco as two groups:
- Monaco short-term visas
- Monaco long-term visas
Short-term visas are considered to be Schengen visas, and they are grouped according to purposes of visit. They are:
- Tourism
- Cultural
- Sports
- Official visit
- Medical reasons
- Visiting family or friends
- Business
- Study
- Transit
Those who are not from Monaco visa free countries might ask what are Monaco visa requirements? Almost for every type of visas, you have to present similar documents; only one or two additional documents can be required depending on your purpose of visit. These required documents are:
- Monaco visa application form – this is the same application that you fill for the France Schengen visa.
- Two photos – should meet the requirements of passport format, and it should include the full face. The background should be white or light-coloured. The size of the photo should be 3.5x4.5. Head coverage should not exceed 70-80% of the photo. The photo should cover your eyes clearly. The person must show no facial expression. The colour of the clothes is recommended to be different from the background.
- Passport and duplicate of the major page – your passport should have a validity of a minimum of three months after the date of returning. It should contain two empty pages.
- Former Schengen visas’ duplicates – the applicant should submit copies of previous Schengen visas.
- If the country you reside in and your citizenship is not different, you should present a passport copy. If not, then a resident permit or visa should be submitted. Bear in mind that your documents should be valid at least 3 months after the date of your travel.
- Copy of the ID Card
- Ticket booking – dates of entry and leaving Schengen area should be shown.
- Insurance for the travel – minimum coverage of insurance should not be less than 30 000 euro.
- The document that proves your accommodation for the travel – if you are going to stay in a hotel, it should be a hotel reservation. If you rent a house, a tenancy agreement should be presented. For those who own property in Monaco or France certificate of ownership should be submitted.
- A document for identifying the civil status of the applicant – a document that shows your marital status, birth certificate of your children, death certificate of your spouse.
- Financial prove that you have enough financial means during your stay in the country
- A document that shows your professional status – it can be a school certificate, employment contract, pension contract, or anything that shows you receive the pension
- In case a minor travel unaccompanied, he or she will need to present a letter that shows his/her parents or family guardians' consent. If a minor is accompanied by his/her family, then the birth certificate must be provided.
It should be noted that the process for evaluation of the visa applications takes between 5 and 25 days. But in some types of visas (depending on the case), it can take less than 5 days.
Monaco business visa
Those who plan to visit Monaco should know Monaco visa requirements for business purposes and meet additional visa requirements aside from the requirements indicated before:
- Documents that indicate your purpose of the visit
- Invitation letter
- If the applicant is self-employed, a certificate or document that proves a business is registered according to the requirements of laws should be presented
Monaco cultural visa and sport visa
For those who are going to participate in a cultural event or are invited, the only additional requirement for the cultural visa is to present a document or invitation letter that shows details of contact info of the organization, details of participants, details regarding who covers expenses, etc.
Similar to cultural visas, applicants of sports visas are required to submit documents provided by a national sports federation (on any sports field) that gives details regarding that event.
If you do not know how to get Monaco visa for sport or cultural purposes, it is the same with others. That is, you should submit documents to a consulate/embassy of Monaco or France. Note that for sports purposes, a visa can be acquired in less than 5 days in some cases.
Monaco official visit visa
After filling Monaco visa application and submitting standard Schengen documents, you will be asked to present one additional document:
- Signed and stamped letter of confirmation from the relevant state body or organization to prove that you are a member of the official delegation who will participate in official meetings and negotiations
Monaco medical visa
If you want to undergo a medical process (surgery, treatment), you will be asked to present an invitation letter, which is a document that gives details of the followings: contact details of medical institution and signing person, basic personal information such as name, date of birth, citizenship of the applicant, payment details, duration of treatment, etc. Other documents also can be requested.
Monaco visiting family visa
Monaco visa requirements for visiting families and friends:
- The applicant should indicate reasons for his/her visit with documents. In these documents, the applicant’s relationship with the inviting person should be explained clearly. Details of the applicant’s accommodation should be indicated in these documents. In case the applicant attends a funeral, a document verifying the death of that person and a document showing the relationship between the applicant and the deceased should be submitted
Monaco study visa
People who enrolled in short term courses in Monaco should present the following additional documents:
- A document/certificate that demonstrates the applicant is enrolled in a course, training with the details about fees, duration, payment etc.
Monaco visa fees
To present visa application, 80 euros of fee should be paid. For children 6-12 years old, this number is 40 euros. For children younger than 6, no fee is required. To boost tourism and some improvements had been done. Thanks to the agreement signed between the EU and Armenia, Azerbaijan, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Georgia, North Macedonia, Moldova, Russia, Serbia, Ukraine, Montenegro visa fee is down to 35 euros.
