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.
The card isn't automatic. Monaco's residence law says it may be granted, and only after an official inquiry into whether you really live there.
Where it fits
The card at the end of a decade
Monaco issues its residence cards in sequence, and this is the last one. Once you've lived there at least ten years, usually on three one-year cards and then three-year cards, you can ask for the privileged card. It's valid ten years and renewable, so trips to the Residency Section drop to once a decade.
The wait falls to one year if you're a foreign parent of a Monegasque child. For everyone else, it's the reward for staying, not a way in. Not in Monaco yet? Your start is a French long-stay visa and the one-year temporary card.
Fees, time and the money test
$182
First privileged card
€160, paid when you collect it
$91
Each renewal
€80, once every ten years
10 years
How long the card lasts
renewable
$568,000
Monaco bank deposit if you don't work
€500,000, a bank rule, not a law
The path and the paperwork
From year one to year ten
The years before
Americans arrive on a French type D long-stay visa, then hold a one-year temporary card, renewed in the month before it expires. After three years, you move to the three-year ordinary card.
The file
Passport, a signed sworn statement, your latest electricity bill, your last rent receipt if you rent, and proof of means: a payslip, an activity authorization, or a Monaco bank reference. File online or at 9 rue Suffren-Reymond, weekdays 9:00 to 17:00.
The bank reference
If you don't work in Monaco, banks issue it only once you've deposited at least €500,000 (about $568,000).
The inquiry that decides it
Monaco's 1964 residence ordinance allows the privileged card only after an administrative inquiry into whether your residence is real. No fixed day count appears in the law: in July 2022, the Tribunal Suprême said residence is judged case by case, and that there's no legal minimum for electricity use. Live there, and keep the paper trail that shows it.
Monaco's other cards and visas
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.
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.
What it doesn't change
Work, taxes and your U.S. passport
Work
The card isn't a work permit. Every private-sector job needs one, though foreigners living in Monaco rank ahead of outsiders in hiring priority.
Taxes
Monaco has no personal income tax for residents who aren't French, and no wealth tax. The IRS still expects a return every year, plus an FBAR if your foreign accounts top $10,000 in total. The foreign earned income exclusion (up to $132,900 for 2026) covers wages, not pensions or Social Security.
Health coverage
Employees get CCSS coverage and the self-employed pay into CAMTI (a flat €1,101 a quarter, about $1,250, for 2025-26). Retired or living on savings? You need private insurance.
Citizenship and leaving
Ten years after age 18 lets you apply to naturalize, at the Prince's discretion, but you must give up your other nationality. For Americans, that's an irrevocable renunciation. Leaving for good? Hand your card back eight days before you go.
Two rules that could shift
In January 2026, Monaco Hebdo reported the government is exploring a paid "premium" card for faster long-term status, with no timetable or framework set. The €500,000 bank figure isn't in any law either: Monaco's banking association set it in 2017. Check both before you plan around them.
Help with coverage, taxes and moving money
Hunter Schultz
Healthcare Coach
Hunter coaches Americans abroad on how they'll see doctors and pay for care in their new country.
ExpatInsure
Global Health Insurance
ExpatInsure brokers international health insurance for people living outside the U.S.
MyExpatTaxes
U.S. Expat Tax Service
MyExpatTaxes prepares U.S. returns for Americans living abroad, FBARs included.
Moneycorp
Currency Exchange
Moneycorp exchanges currency and sends international transfers.
Monaco privileged residence card questions
How much does Monaco's privileged residence card cost?
€160 (about $182 as of September 2026) for the first card and €80 (about $91) for each renewal, paid when you collect the card. Renewing late adds a €50 (about $57) charge.
How many years do you need to live in Monaco to get a privileged residence card?
Ten years of genuine residence, under Monaco's 1964 residence ordinance. The wait drops to one year for a foreign parent of a Monegasque child. The law says the card may be granted after an administrative inquiry into your residence, so it isn't automatic.
Can Monaco's privileged residence card lead to citizenship?
Ten years of residence after age 18 lets you apply, but naturalization is at the Prince's discretion and requires renouncing your previous nationality. For Americans, that means giving up U.S. citizenship, which is irrevocable.
Do Americans living in Monaco still pay U.S. taxes?
Yes. Monaco has no personal income tax for residents other than French nationals, but U.S. citizens must still file a U.S. return every year and report foreign accounts over $10,000 in total on an FBAR. The foreign earned income exclusion (up to $132,900 for 2026) covers wages, not pensions or Social Security.
Can Americans get the privileged card when they first move to Monaco?
No. Americans start with a French type D long-stay visa and a one-year temporary card, move to the three-year ordinary card after three years, and become eligible for the privileged card after ten years of residence.
Do you have to live in Monaco six months a year to keep a residence card?
No law sets a fixed day count. In July 2022, Monaco's Tribunal Suprême ruled that a three-month minimum stay isn't a renewal condition and that residence is judged case by case. Local press reports that six months' presence is expected in practice, so plan on living there most of the year.
Does the privileged residence card let you work in Monaco?
No. Any private-sector job in Monaco requires a separate work permit. Foreigners who live in Monaco get hiring priority ahead of non-residents, behind Monégasques and certain relatives of Monégasques.
How long is Monaco's privileged residence card valid?
Ten years, and it's renewable. That compares with one year for the temporary card and three years for the ordinary card.
Ten years is a long plan
Map out the bank, housing and U.S. tax pieces with an Expatsi advisor before you set it in motion.
Why not you?