non-EU nationals

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Non-EU applicants must first obtain a long duration visa or a visa for residence in the Principality of Monaco from the nearest French Consulate to their current residence before coming to Monaco. The applicant must file the forms required for residency in France plus one additional copy that is forwarded to Monaco. In addition to the official French residency application form, the primary documents (which must be in French or accompanied by a suitable French translation) required are:

• proof of civil status (i.e., single, married, divorced, widowed, number of children, if any, names of parents, and so on),
• a medical certificate showing good health,
• a casier judiciaire, or a declaration that the applicant has never been convicted of a serious crime and is not currently charged with committing one, and
• provide documentation the proposed living accommodations in the Principality of Monaco (contract for the purchase of an apartment, lease, certificate of accommodation) (Normally, it is not necessary to have the accommodations at the time of the application, but the accommodations must be secured before the carte de sejour will issue.);
• a draft work contract signed and stamped by the Employment Department of the Principality of Monaco, or an application for authorization to set up business, or, if applicable, a bank certificate proving sufficient means of subsistence to eliminate the need to work in Monaco. (If this latter method is used, the residence permit will not allow employment.)

The use of a bank letter is a very common means for persons of retirement age or of sufficient means that they no longer wish to work. Most banks in Monaco will provide such a letter to their better customers. The requirements for the letter vary considerably from bank to bank. Some require relatively modest balances while others require balances well in excess of Frs. 1,000,000. Often the bank in Monaco will depend on a guarantee or other support from another bank outside of Monaco, if the customer is not willing to commit that much an account in Monaco. Click here to see a list of the principal banks in Monaco and their addresses.

The residency process can take four to six months or more. Normally, the file is reviewed first by the French authorities who submit it to the Monaco authorities to see if they have any preliminary concerns. If not, the French authorities review the file, and, if they decide to act favorably, the Monaco authorities then review the file more thoroughly. During this phase, the prospective resident will normally be interviewed at least once by an Inspector from the Surete Publique. If the review is favorable, there is a final interview at the time the carte de sejour is issued.

Once the applicant receives authority to reside in France, the procedure is substantially the same as for an EU national, which is described in the following section.