The Principality of Monaco does not require any visa.
The Principality of Monaco is not a member of the Schengen Area. Access to the Principality is via France. Consequently, any third-country national intending to travel to Monaco must obtain information from the Embassies or Consulates of France whether they are required to hold a visa to Schengen Area and, if necessary, carry out the necessary procedures to obtain this Schengen visa.
Monaco is not a part of the Schengen Agreement or European Union, but according to its Customs Union with France, Monaco’s territory is known as a part of the Schengen area.
The person concerned will have to apply for a double-entry or multiple-entry Schengen visa to be able to exit and enter the Schengen Area without any problem.
If Monaco embassy/consulate doesn’t exist in your country, you can apply for this visa in the French embassy/consulate/visa application center in most cases. Check and verify this information with the French embassy/consulate/visa application center before applying for a visa.
Monaco has no specific short-term visa policy; its visa policy is identical with France Short-term (Schengen) visa process. You can apply for France Schengen Visa in order to realize your short-term trip to Monaco.
Reasons to apply for this type of visa can be tourism, visiting family or friends, business trips, short-term education, exchange programs, short-term work, and many other non-permanent nuances. You can check all the required documents for each type of visa application, visa fees, processing time, where to apply for a visa below, detailed information about the short-term (Schengen) visa on the France Schengen Visa policy page.
Monaco has no specific long-term visa policy either; its visa policy is identical with France Long-term (National) visa process. You can apply for France Long-term (National) Visa in order to realize your long-term trip to Monaco.
A long-stay visa can be issued for the following reasons:
In any of the above situations, you will be required to attach supporting documents specific to your case to your application package and follow the respective procedures.
You can get detailed information about the long-term visa on France Long-term (National) Visa policy page.
After you arrive in Monaco, you can apply for a Monaco Residence Permit in some cases.
The residency allows the applicant to live as long as desired in Monaco. You can also apply for citizenship after ten years of permanent residency status.
The first Monaco residency card will be issued for a period of 12 months, after this period, the card must be renewed. The card is referred to as a Monaco Carte de Resident, Temporaire, and is renewed for the first 3 years each year. The holder will then be issued with a three-year card known as the Monaco Carte de Resident, Ordinaire, in the fourth year of continuous Monaco residency. Such cards are valid for a period of three years and must be renewed upon expiry. In year 10, the holder of a residence in Monaco may apply for a Carte Privilege, which is granted at the discretion of the authorities of Monaco. This is not automatically granted, and the applicant will continue to receive a three-year Monaco Resident Card if it has not been granted.
Yes. Once you have entered the Schengen territory, a single-entry visa allows the holder to circulate within the Schengen territory multiple times. However, if the holder of this visa leaves the Schengen territory, he/she cannot re-enter again without a new valid visa.
You must meet certain requirements to enter France/Monaco, even if you are not required a visa:
This visa gives permission to its holder to enter the Schengen Area (all 26 member States) as many times as they wish, within a period of 1, 3, 5 years. However, even in this case, the visa holder is limited to remaining in the Schengen Area no longer than 90 days within a 180-day period.
If your visa application is rejected, you will be notified by your mission that your application has been unsuccessful. You will be informed of the grounds on which it was rejected and have one month to appeal the decision by writing to the France mission. Your application will then be reconsidered. You can also apply for a visa again if your circumstances have changed.
All applicants must appear in person in the Embassy/Consulate or Visa Application Center for the submission of the documents since the identity needs to be verified and biometric data must be collected. Please contact local France representatives for more precise information.
All fees are non-refundable and will not be refunded if your visa application is not successful.
No, you generally cannot work in Monaco with a Schengen Visa. If you come to Monaco as a temporary foreign worker, you need to apply for a national visa in advance.
It is possible to extend the validity of visas only in exceptional cases, such as a natural disaster. This must be done at the Foreigners’ Office covering your area of residence.
A Schengen visa is issued for a maximum period of stay of three months and cannot be extended. The visa must be applied for, by the traveler personally, at the France/Monaco Foreign Mission abroad, which is responsible for the place of residence and cannot be extended in Monaco, nor converted into a residence permit.
You may only submit your visa application within 180 days before your date of departure. We recommend that you apply at least 15 working days before the date you intend to travel to Monaco or Schengen Area.
The embassy may request you to provide additional documents or information, according to your personal situation, even after you have submitted all the required documents mentioned on the official website of the Embassy/Consulate/Visa Application Center.