Monaco relocation timeline: what to do, and when

How the timeline actually works

Relocating to Monaco is not one procedure but four that overlap: a visa (for most nationalities), a lease, a bank relationship, and finally the residence permit that depends on the first three. Nothing can be rushed at the end, because the residency file is only opened once the housing and financial evidence exist.

This page is the calendar view — what to do and when. For the domain-by-domain version (housing, banking, utilities, schools, vehicle), see the companion Monaco relocation checklist.

12 to 6 months before

Establish feasibility

• Confirm which route applies to you: employment in Monaco, company formation, or residence without local activity
• Check whether you need a French long-stay visa (everyone outside the EEA and Switzerland does)
• Take tax advice in your current country of residence — the questions that matter are exit rules and treaty position, not Monaco's absence of income tax
• Build a realistic first-year budget using the cost of living in Monaco

Start the paperwork that has external lead times

• Request a criminal record extract from every country you have lived in during the last five years
• Order apostilled copies of birth and, where relevant, marriage certificates
• Book a sworn translator for anything not in French
• Begin the French consular visa application if it applies to you

Look before you commit

• Spend one or two weeks in Monaco across different districts
• Meet two or three estate agents in person rather than by email
• If you have children, contact schools now — places in the international sector are limited and applications close early

6 to 3 months before

Housing

• Shortlist properties and visit; Monaco leases are typically one year, renewable
• Budget for the money due at signature: three months' deposit held in escrow, agency fees of about one month's rent plus VAT, plus the first month
• Have the French-language lease read by a bilingual adviser before signing
• Sign the lease and complete the inventory of fixtures with the agency

See renting and housing in Monaco for the market and lease mechanics.

Banking

• Approach Monegasque banks early: due diligence commonly runs several weeks
• Prepare source-of-funds evidence — this, not the balance itself, is what slows accounts down
• If you are not employed, ask what the bank requires before it will issue the attestation used in the residency file

See opening a bank account in Monaco.

Schools

• Apply to the Direction de l'Éducation Nationale, de la Jeunesse et des Sports for the Monegasque public sector, or directly to private and international schools
• Send previous school records, vaccination records and proof of address

3 to 1 month before

Residency file

• Assemble the file: passport carrying the visa where applicable, proof of housing, proof of resources, criminal record extracts less than three months old, passport photos, birth certificate, marriage certificate if relevant
• Contact the Section des Résidents of the Division de Police Administrative to book the appointment
• Note that the individual interview is compulsory — bring every original document plus copies

The move itself

• Get at least three quotes from international removal companies; access constraints, restricted delivery windows and lift dimensions matter more in Monaco than distance
• Decide honestly what to ship — storage in Monaco is expensive enough that shipping little-used furniture rarely pays
• Prepare customs documentation for goods entering the French customs territory
• Close out utilities, leases, insurance and subscriptions in your departure country

Arrival month

• Attend the interview at the Section des Résidents and submit the file
• Open the utility contracts: SMEG for electricity and gas, SMEaux for water, Monaco Telecom for telephone and internet — see setting up utilities
• Take out home insurance with an insurer authorised in the Principality
• If employed, confirm your employer has filed your affiliation with the CCSS; if self-employed, register yourself
• Register with your consulate if your country recommends it
• Set up mail forwarding from your previous address

First 90 days

• Collect the carte de séjour when the Sûreté Publique calls you in — the first card is the temporary one, valid one year, €80
• Register your vehicle on Monegasque plates and check whether your licence needs exchanging: see vehicle registration
• Choose a doctor and transfer medical records — how healthcare works in Monaco
• Get the CAM bus network into your routine, along with the public lifts that make the vertical city walkable
• Diarise the renewal date now: the card must be renewed before it expires, and a late renewal costs €50

What the timeline usually gets wrong

• Treating the visa as a formality. For non-EEA nationals it is the critical path, and it sits with a French consulate that Monaco does not control.
• Filing residency before housing. The file cannot be opened without proof of accommodation, so a delayed lease delays everything downstream.
• Underestimating bank due diligence. Several weeks is normal, and an incomplete source-of-funds file restarts the clock.
• Believing a published wealth threshold exists. It does not; the bar is whatever the bank you approach applies.
• Budgeting only for the permit. The permit is cheap. The deposit, agency fee and first month, all due together at signature, are not.

Read next

• The Monaco relocation checklist, domain by domain
• Carte de séjour: procedure, documents and fees
• Renting and housing in Monaco
• Opening a bank account
• Cost of living in Monaco