Monaco expat tax: 0% tax unless you are French

Monaco is the best-known place in Europe where residents pay no income tax at all. Your salary, pension, dividends, interest and capital gains are all untaxed, and there's no wealth tax. The one big exception is French nationals, who stay taxable in France.

This guide covers Monaco's tax position for people moving to or living in the Principality in 2026: what is and isn't taxed, how to get a residence card, what you pay in social contributions, inheritance duties and the residence certificate other countries ask for.

The key question is simple. Can you afford to live there, and have you really left your old country? Monaco's tax rules are the easy part.

What's changed: new social contribution rates and ceilings apply from 1 October 2026. Employees now pay 6.85% to the CAR pension fund on pay up to €6,276 a month, and the self-employed pay €1,128 a quarter for CAMTI health cover in 2026-2027, with new CARTI pension class amounts. The cheapest CARTI class is now only open to people whose average monthly professional income was below €3,000. From 1 January 2026, Monaco reports financial account information to 89 jurisdictions under updated exchange rules. There's still no income tax, and nothing proposed to change that.

📋 Monaco tax at a glance for 2026

Why Monaco has no income tax

Monaco stopped taxing personal income by an Ordinance of Prince Charles III in 1869. Today the Government describes the tax on industrial and commercial profits as the only direct tax in the Principality. Individuals who live in Monaco pay no income tax, whatever the source of the income.

Image 1 — no income tax in Monaco, but it isn't cost free

That means no tax on:

• your salary from a Monaco employer or a foreign one

• pensions, including foreign state and private pensions

• dividends, interest and rent from anywhere in the world

• capital gains on shares, funds, property abroad and crypto

There's also no wealth tax, no annual property tax and no council tax. VAT is charged on the same basis and at the same rates as in France.

The exception is French nationals. Under the 1963 Franco-Monegasque tax convention, French nationals who move to Monaco are taxed in France as if they still lived there. Only a few groups are outside this rule, such as French nationals who could show five years' residence in Monaco by 13 October 1962.

The Government is clear that the exemption only works for people genuinely established in Monaco, and that it doesn't change the rules of other countries. If your old country still treats you as resident, it can tax you there.

👉 Monaco Government (MonServicePublic): tax in Monaco

👉 Legimonaco: Franco-Monegasque tax convention of 18 May 1963, article 7 (in French)

Becoming resident in Monaco, and leaving

Anyone aged 16 or over who wants to live in Monaco for more than three months a year, or set up home there, needs a residence card (carte de séjour). You apply to the Residency Section of the Police Department.

To get your first card you need to show:

• A visa, if you're from outside the EEA. You need a long-stay visa for Monaco, issued by the French consulate where you live. UK nationals count as non-EEA.

• A home. A property you own or rent under a registered lease, or a home you share with a close relative, large enough for your household.

• Enough money. A salary, business income, pension, savings or support from family, backed by a reference from a Monaco bank less than a month old. No minimum amount is published.

• A clean record. A criminal record extract less than three months old from every country you've lived in over the past five years.

Monaco residence cards in 2026

Because Monaco doesn't tax income, it has no day-count test that decides what you pay there. What matters is proving residence to other countries. For that, the Police Department issues a residence certificate for tax purposes to card holders who meet at least one of these tests:

• you live in Monaco for more than 183 days a year

• your principal place of business is in Monaco

• you spend the majority of the year in Monaco

The certificate costs €600 and is valid for one year. If you've lived in Monaco for less than six months, you need documents showing you qualify for an exception.

Leaving is simple from Monaco's side. There's no income tax or capital gains tax, so there's no exit charge. The real question is whether the country you came from, or the one you move to next, treats you as its resident.

👉 Monaco Government (MonServicePublic): how to apply for a residence permit

👉 Monaco Government (MonServicePublic): residence permit types and fees

👉 Monaco Government (MonServicePublic): residence certificate for tax purposes

What Monaco taxes in 2026

There are no income tax bands to show, because there's no income tax. This is how the main types of income are treated for a resident who isn't a French national.

Monaco tax on personal income in 2026

Source: Monaco Government tax information, 2026. French nationals are taxed by France under the 1963 convention.

Worked example

• You're single, not French, and take a job in Monaco in 2026 earning €87,000 (about US$100k), or €7,250 a month.

• Your income tax is nil.

• You pay 6.85% to the CAR pension fund on the first €6,276 a month (€5,159 a year), 2.40% unemployment insurance on your full pay (€2,088) and 40% of the CMRC complementary pension contributions (€5,667).

Your all-in bill is about €12,914, or 14.8% of your salary, all of it social contributions. This uses the rates in force from 1 October 2026 for the whole year. Your employer pays the health and family contributions on top.

Freelancing in Monaco

Self-employed people pay no income tax either. But you can't simply start freelancing. As a foreign national, you need a business permit before you start. You apply through the Business Development Agency, and the statutory review period is 45 days from when you're told your application is eligible. You also need premises, which can be an occupancy agreement.

Your social contributions don't depend on your profit. You pay fixed amounts to two funds, CAMTI for health cover and CARTI for your pension:

• CAMTI: €1,128 a quarter for 2026-2027, or €4,512 a year, paid in advance.

• CARTI: you choose one of four classes, from €564.84 to €2,259.36 a quarter from 1 October 2026. From 1 October 2026, class 1 is only open to people whose average monthly professional income in the previous year was below €3,000, so on a good income you'll pay at least class 2 (€1,129.68 a quarter).

On US$100k of fees, that's about €9,030 a year in class 2 (10.4%) or €13,549 in class 4 (15.6%).

Some business activities are subject to Monaco's tax on business profits, so check how your activity is classed when you apply for your permit.

👉 Monaco Government (MonEntreprise): setting up as a sole trader

👉 Caisses Sociales de Monaco: CAMTI and CARTI contributions (in French)

👉 Caisses Sociales de Monaco: CARTI contribution classes from 1 October 2026 (in French)

👉 Legimonaco: Ministerial Order 2026-366 on the income limit for the lowest CARTI class (in French)

Crypto, investments and pensions

Is crypto taxed in Monaco? No. Individuals pay no tax on income or gains, so selling or swapping crypto creates no tax bill. The same goes for dividends, interest, gains on shares and funds, and foreign pensions.

Two costs do reach investors:

• Inheritance and gift duties. These apply only to assets situated in Monaco, such as a Monaco property, whatever the nationality or home of the person who died or gave the gift. Assets outside Monaco aren't charged.

• Registration duties. Monaco charges registration duties on many transactions, usually at rates between 0.5% and 7.5%, or a fixed €10.

Monaco inheritance duty rates in 2026

Monaco also shares financial account information with other tax authorities. From 1 January 2026, Monaco reports to 89 jurisdictions, so your old country may see your Monaco bank accounts.

👉 Monaco Government (MonServicePublic): inheritance tax rates

👉 Legimonaco: exchange of financial account information from 1 January 2026 (in French)

Social security

Social contributions are the main cost of working in Monaco. Your employer pays the CCSS health and family contribution (13.40%, or 13.45% with the CGCS levy, on pay up to €10,000 a month). The Government describes the CCSS as financed by employer contributions, so there's no employee share. You pay the rest of the package through payroll.

Monaco employee social contributions in 2026

Your employer pays 8.39% to CAR, 4.00% for unemployment insurance and 60% of the CMRC contributions. If you're self-employed, you pay the fixed CAMTI and CARTI amounts described above instead.

👉 Caisses Sociales de Monaco: employer and employee contribution rates

👉 Monaco Government (MonServicePublic): health insurance funds (general scheme)

👉 Caisses Sociales de Monaco: ceilings and rates from 1 October 2026 (in French)

Double tax treaties

Does Monaco have double tax treaties? A few. The Government lists 36 tax agreements: 12 double tax conventions and 24 agreements to exchange tax information. The conventions include France, Luxembourg, Malta, Mauritius, Qatar, Guernsey, Liechtenstein, Montenegro and the Seychelles. A convention with the UAE was signed on 13 November 2021.

The information exchange agreements cover countries such as the UK, the United States, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Australia and India. They let tax authorities share information. They don't relieve double tax. With no income tax, what usually matters more is proving to your old country that you've left.

👉 Monaco Government: bilateral tax agreements signed by Monaco (in French)

Living in Monaco as a remote worker

Monaco has no digital nomad visa. If you work remotely, you apply for a residence card like anyone else, showing that you have a home, enough money to live on and a clean record. If you're from outside the EEA, you first need a long-stay visa from the French consulate.

Being able to support yourself through self-employment, an employment contract or savings all count. The hard part is cost: you need a home in Monaco large enough for your household before you can apply. Once you hold a card, your foreign earnings aren't taxed in Monaco.

👉 Embassy of Monaco in the UK: settling in Monaco

Who is Monaco good for?

How does Monaco compare for different kinds of mover? Ratings are relative to the 150+ countries TaxPilot covers, based on 2026 rules and the all-in cost including social contributions. They assume you're not a French national.

☑️ Who is Monaco good for? Tax ratings for expats in 2026

Filing and deadlines

If you're not a French national, you don't file an income tax return in Monaco. There isn't one. Your obligations are mostly about contributions and paperwork:

• Employees: your employer deducts contributions from your pay each month.

• Self-employed: CAMTI is paid quarterly in advance and CARTI quarterly in arrears, both within the first 10 days of January, April, July and October, by direct debit. Late CAMTI payments carry a 10% surcharge plus 1% a month. You can change your CARTI class between 1 October and 15 November each year.

• Residence card: renew it before it expires. A late renewal costs €50.

• Residence certificate for tax purposes: valid for one year, so request a new one each year if your old country or bank asks for it.

French nationals file their income tax return in France.

Frequently asked questions

Is there income tax in Monaco?

No, not for residents other than French nationals. Monaco abolished personal income tax in 1869, so salaries, pensions, dividends, interest and capital gains are untaxed. French nationals are taxed by France under the 1963 convention.

How do you become a resident of Monaco?

You apply for a residence card if you'll live there for more than three months a year. You need a home large enough for your household, proof of enough money (with a Monaco bank reference), a clean criminal record and, if you're from outside the EEA, a long-stay visa from the French consulate.

How much do employees pay in social contributions in Monaco?

On a salary of €87,000, about 14.8% from 1 October 2026: 6.85% to the CAR pension fund up to €6,276 a month, 2.40% unemployment insurance and 40% of the CMRC complementary pension contributions. Your employer pays the health and family contributions.

Is there inheritance tax in Monaco?

Only on assets situated in Monaco. Spouses, children and parents pay nothing. Brothers and sisters pay 8%, uncles, aunts, nephews and nieces 10%, other relatives 13% and unrelated people 16%.

Is crypto taxed in Monaco?

No. Monaco doesn't tax individuals on income or capital gains, so personal crypto gains are untaxed, and there's no wealth tax. French nationals are the exception, as France taxes them.

Does Monaco have double tax treaties?

Only a few. The Government lists 12 double tax conventions, including France, Luxembourg, Malta, Mauritius and Qatar, plus 24 tax information exchange agreements with countries such as the UK and the United States.