Self-employment / Freelance in Monaco

One documented route of this kind in Monaco, with its conditions, documents, official government fees and process.

Independent Means / Residence Permit for Self-Sufficient Persons

Residence on the basis of sufficient independent resources, evidenced by a Monaco bank reference, without local employment.

Processing time: Not published officially; practitioners report roughly several weeks to ~3 months once the file is complete.
Validity: Temporaire permit valid 1 year, renewable.
Language requirement: No formal language test for the permit.
Permanent residence: Ordinaire after 3 years; Privilégié (long-term, 10-year) after 10 years' residence.
Citizenship: Naturalisation possible after 10 years' ordinary residence after age 18, wholly discretionary.

Proof of sufficient independent resources (bank reference, pension, professional income, or declaration of support)
Secured accommodation in Monaco (deed, registered tenancy, or certificate of free accommodation)
Non-EEA nationals: French Type-D long-stay visa obtained beforehand
Clean criminal-record extract from each country of residence over the prior 5 years

Valid passport + (non-EEA only) French Type-D long-stay visa required
Proof of accommodation (property deed, registered tenancy agreement, or certificate of free accommodation) plus recent electricity bill/contract required
Proof of sufficient resources (Monaco bank reference < 1 month old, pension, professional income, or declaration of financial support) required
Birth certificate (less than 3 months old) required
Criminal-record extract (less than 3 months old) from each country of residence over the previous 5 years required
Signed 'Declaration of honour for initial residence permit application' required
Marriage certificate; children's passports/custody proof (if applicable)

1

Obtain French long-stay visa (non-EEA)

Non-EEA nationals obtain a French Type-D long-stay visa from the French consulate. EEA/Swiss/Norway/Iceland/Liechtenstein nationals skip this.
2

Secure accommodation and bank attestation

Secure accommodation and obtain a Monaco bank attestation of resources.
3

Collate documents

Collate the full document set.
4

Submit application

Submit online via teleservice, or in person/by post to the Residency Section.
5

Interview

Attend an interview bringing all original documents.
6

Biometric registration

Attend a second appointment for biometric card registration and issuance; pay the €80 fee.