Monaco's ordinary residence card: the 3-year step after your first cards
What Americans already living in Monaco pay, file and prove to move from a one-year card to a three-year one, and keep it.
This guide covers the switch from the temporary card to the ordinary one, the renewal file, and the limits Americans run into on work, taxes and citizenship.
How the card fits
Nobody starts on this card
Americans begin with a French long-stay visa from a French consulate, then a one-year temporary card from Monaco. Once you've lived there three years, you qualify for the ordinary card: valid three years, renewable, and the bridge to the 10-year privileged card.
It fits people who live in Monaco full time on a Monaco job, their own business, a pension, or savings held at a Monaco bank. It's not for anyone treating Monaco as a mailing address.
The card in four numbers
$114
First ordinary card
€100; dollars at September 2026 rates
$57
Each renewal
€50 set by Monaco
3 years
How long each card lasts
renewable
10 years
Residence needed for the privileged card
the next tier, valid 10 years
Our data
Carte de Séjour Ordinaire
Available after holding temporary residence for the initial period plus two renewals (total 3 years). Valid for 3 years and renewable indefinitely, provided requirements are met.
- Processing time
- ~90 days
- Timeline
- 3 years (renewable)
- Difficulty
- Moderate
About that data card
Our requirements list says "Minimum 3 months physical presence per year in Monaco." No fixed day count appears in Monaco's 1964 residence ordinance, and in July 2022 the Tribunal Suprême annulled a renewal refusal built on a three-month test, holding that residence is judged case by case. The list also says "Health insurance," which isn't on the government's renewal document list, though you'll still want coverage.
Keeping the card
What every renewal asks for
What you file
Your passport, a signed sworn statement, your latest electricity bill, your last rent receipt, and proof of means: a payslip, your business authorization, or a reference from a Monaco bank. File online, by mail, or at the Residency Section at 9 rue Suffren-Reymond, then collect the card in person by appointment.
When
The ordinance says to file during the month before your card expires. The fee schedule lists a €50 late-renewal charge, and an expired card is void.
The bank reference
It has to come from a Monaco bank and be less than a month old. Banks set their own bar: around €500,000 (about $569,000) on deposit is the common figure, often more for non-Europeans, and it's expected to stay there. FATCA makes some banks wary of U.S. clients, so pick one that works with Americans.
Why your electricity bill matters
In a case decided July 12, 2022, Monaco's administration refused to renew a card partly because the applicant's electricity use was "low" and they hadn't spent three months in Monaco. The Tribunal Suprême annulled the refusal. Renewals check whether you actually live there, so a near-empty apartment invites questions.
The limits
What the card doesn't cover
Work
The card isn't a work permit. Hiring goes through Monaco's Employment Office: your employer applies and must consider priority candidates first, starting with Monégasques and their families, then Monaco residents.
U.S. taxes
Monaco has no personal income tax, but there's no U.S.-Monaco tax treaty and the IRS taxes your worldwide income. With no Monaco tax paid, there's no foreign tax credit to use. The foreign earned income exclusion covers up to $132,900 of wages or self-employment income for 2026, not dividends or capital gains. Foreign accounts over $10,000 in total mean an FBAR.
Healthcare
Public insurance covers employees (CCSS) and the self-employed (CAMTI). Retired or living on savings? You'll need private coverage. The public hospital is Centre Hospitalier Princesse Grace.
Citizenship
Ten years of residence after age 18 lets you apply, but naturalization is at the Prince's discretion and requires giving up your previous nationality. For Americans, that means renouncing U.S. citizenship.
Partners for the U.S. side of a Monaco move
Hunter Schultz
Healthcare Coach
Hunter is a healthcare coach who helps Americans abroad figure out how they'll get care and which coverage fits.
ExpatInsure
Global Health Insurance
ExpatInsure is a global health insurance broker that compares international plans for people living outside the U.S.
MyExpatTaxes
U.S. Expat Tax Service
MyExpatTaxes is a tax service built for Americans abroad, covering federal returns, the FEIE and FBAR filings.
Other Monaco residence options
Monaco's privileged residence card: the 10-year card you earn with 10 years of living there
After a decade on one- and three-year cards, Monaco can grant a card that lasts ten years. Here's the fee, the residence check behind it, and what it still means for a U.S. citizen.
Monaco's first residence card: one year at a time, starting at a French consulate
The €80 temporary card is where every American's Monaco move begins. Getting it means a French long-stay visa, a home in Monaco, and a Monaco bank willing to vouch for you.
Working in Monaco: the job offer comes before the residence card
A Monaco employer has to choose you over local priority candidates before any permit or card is possible. Here's the hiring rule, the French visa step, what it costs, and who this route fits.
Monaco's long-stay visa: the French stamp Americans need first
Monaco doesn't issue visas. France does, through its consulates in the U.S., and without that visa Monaco won't open your residence file. Here's what goes in it, what it costs, and the deadlines that trip people up.
Monaco ordinary residence card questions
Do you have to spend three months a year in Monaco to renew a residence card?
No, not as a fixed number. Monaco's 1964 residence ordinance sets no annual day count, and in July 2022 the Tribunal Suprême annulled a refusal based on a three-month test. What matters is effective residence, judged case by case, with evidence such as electricity use, so you need to really live in Monaco.
How much does Monaco's ordinary residence card cost?
The first ordinary card costs €100 (about $114 in September 2026) and each renewal costs €50 (about $57), under fees in force since January 2021. The same fee schedule lists a €50 charge for late renewal and €30 to record a change of address or family situation.
Do Americans pay income tax in Monaco?
No. Monaco has no personal income tax for residents other than most French nationals. Americans still file U.S. returns and owe U.S. tax on worldwide income, because there's no U.S.-Monaco tax treaty and no Monaco tax to credit. The foreign earned income exclusion covers up to $132,900 of wages for 2026, not investment income.
Does Monaco's ordinary residence card lead to citizenship?
Only in theory for most Americans. Naturalization needs ten years of residence after age 18, is at the Sovereign Prince's discretion, and requires giving up your previous nationality, which means renouncing U.S. citizenship. After ten years of residence you can instead move up to the 10-year privileged resident card.
How long do you have to live in Monaco to get the ordinary residence card?
Three years. Monaco's residence ordinance grants the ordinary card to foreigners who have lived in Monaco for more than three years, which in practice means your first one-year temporary card and its renewals. The ordinary card is then valid for three years and can be renewed.
Can you work in Monaco with an ordinary residence card?
Not on the card alone. Any job in Monaco needs hiring authorization through the Employment Office, which your employer applies for. Employers must consider priority candidates first, starting with Monégasques and their families, then Monaco residents, so living in Monaco helps.
Do you need health insurance to renew a Monaco residence card?
It isn't on the government's list of renewal documents, but you'll want it. Monaco's public insurance covers employees and the self-employed. Retirees and people living on savings aren't taken on by a public scheme, so they rely on private health coverage.
When should you renew a Monaco ordinary residence card?
In the month before it expires. Monaco's residence ordinance says renewal requests are filed during that month, and the government asks residents to renew on or before the expiry date. You can file online, by mail, or at the Residency Section, and you collect the new card in person.
Planning years in Monaco?
Talk through the bank, housing and U.S. tax side with an Expatsi advisor before you commit.
Why not you?