Police & Public Safety in Monaco: Who Does What

The short version

Two separate institutions handle security in the Principality, and they are routinely confused:

• The Direction de la Sûreté Publique is the civil police. It patrols the streets, takes complaints, and issues residence cards.
• The Compagnie des Carabiniers du Prince is a military corps. It guards the Palace and protects the Sovereign Prince. It has no general policing role.

In an emergency: 17 for police, 18 for rescue and medical emergencies, 112 from any phone.

The Direction de la Sûreté Publique

Attached to the Department of the Interior, the Sûreté Publique is the Principality's police service. It employs roughly 606 officers and staff — uniformed police, plainclothes officers, administrative and technical personnel — for a resident population of about 39,000, which gives Monaco one of the highest police-to-population ratios anywhere.

Headquarters: 9 rue Suffren Reymond, MC 98000 Monaco Switchboard: +377 93 15 30 15

The divisions and what they handle

District police posts

The Sûreté Publique does not operate from a single building. Police posts are located in La Condamine, Fontvieille, Larvotto, Monaco-Ville, Monte-Carlo, Saint-Roman and Lamarck, plus one at the Monaco-Monte-Carlo railway station and a maritime base on quai Antoine 1er. Given the size of the territory, response times are measured in minutes.

What residents actually go to the police for

The Sûreté Publique is not only an emergency service — it is an administrative counter that every new resident eventually visits.

• Residence card — both first applications and renewals go through the Administrative Police Division. Book online and bring recent proof of address, a valid passport and the documents specific to your situation.
• Filing a complaint — theft, damage, disputes. A written complaint is required for any insurance claim.
• Loss declarations — documents, keys, personal effects. See also the lost and found service.
• Permits — demonstrations, filming, events on public roads, temporary occupation of public space.
• Change of address — to be declared whenever you move within the Principality.

The Compagnie des Carabiniers du Prince

Created on 8 December 1817, the Compagnie des Carabiniers du Prince is one of Monaco's two military corps. It numbers around 120 personnel and is barracked at 5 boulevard de Belgique.

Its missions, set out in its statutes, are specific: ensure the safety of the Sovereign Prince and the Princely Family, guard the Palace and its dependencies, provide honour services, see that the laws are enforced, and contribute to maintaining public order.

Two lesser-known functions are worth flagging:

• the Carabiniers crew the Monaco Red Cross ambulances and provide medical cover at major events;
• they take part in the Principality's emergency plans, including the Plan Rouge and the OR.MO.SE scheme.

The Changing of the Guard takes place daily at 11:55 on the Palace Square — one of Monaco's most-watched free attractions. The Orchestre des Carabiniers du Prince provides the music for official ceremonies.

What the Carabiniers do not do: they do not investigate crimes, do not issue fines, and carry out no border checks whatsoever. All of that belongs to the Sûreté Publique.

The border question

Contrary to a widespread belief, Monaco has no border police. The border with France is open: no checkpoint, no passport to present, whether you arrive by road, bus or train. In practice, entering Monaco is the same as entering France, and a Schengen visa issued for France covers the Principality.

External border controls and customs formalities are handled by France, since Monaco sits inside the French customs territory and applies the common customs tariff. The only genuinely Monegasque "entry" policing concerns arrivals by sea and air, which fall to the Maritime and Airport Police Division.

CCTV

Monaco's first surveillance camera was installed in 1982 on Place d'Armes. Four decades later the Principality has more than a thousand cameras across its 2.02 km² — one of the densest networks anywhere. Footage is monitored from the Sûreté Publique's command post, which also handles alarm triggers and the activation of emergency plans.

Use of recordings is governed by Monegasque personal data legislation, supervised by the Personal Data Protection Authority. See the guide to data protection in Monaco.

Practical notes

• Save 17 and 112 in your phone; from a foreign line, dial +377 93 15 30 15 for the switchboard.
• For non-urgent procedures, book online through monservicepublic.gouv.mc rather than queuing.
• Parking and traffic are closely enforced — read speed limits and traffic rules before driving.
• Photographing the Carabiniers during the Changing of the Guard is allowed and encouraged; access to the immediate surroundings of the Palace is restricted during official ceremonies.

See also

• Emergency numbers in Monaco
• Safety in Monaco
• Monaco's military forces
• Lost and found
• Prince's Palace
• Direction de la Sûreté Publique