Student Visa and Residence Card for Monaco: Visa via France

Fee figures: catalogue of 6 October 2026.

Two separate questions decide how you arrive. First: do you need a visa to enter? Monaco's entry rules follow France, so the answer is the French one. Second: do you plan to live in Monaco or in France? Living in Monaco means a Monegasque residence card. Living in France means French rules. Most students live in France, so read both parts. This is a summary of official texts and school pages as of October 2026, not legal advice.

Do you need a visa?

Sovereign Ordinance No. 3.153 of 19 March 1964 sets the conditions for entry and stay of foreigners in the Principality. Its first article says that a foreigner who wants to enter Monaco, stay more than three months or settle must hold a valid passport with the visas and authorisations required for access, stay or settlement in France, in particular in the Alpes-Maritimes département. So whether you need a visa depends on your nationality under French rules. The International University of Monaco says the same thing in plain words: Monaco has no visa service of its own, and all applications go through French consular authorities. Ask the French consulate for your country of residence which visa category applies to your case; the France-Visas portal has a Monaco section (it did not open for our automated check).

If you plan to live in Monaco

IUM describes two situations for non-EU students after admission:

Living in Monaco: a long-stay student visa. IUM says it is valid for only three months, so you must apply for residency in Monaco soon after arrival.
Living in France: a long-stay visitor visa of the type VLS-TS, which IUM says lets you live in France while studying in Monaco. After arrival, IUM says, you have three months to complete formalities with the French immigration office OFII, and its student services help with this. The French visa and residence categories can change, so check the category with the consulate before paying a fee.

The Monaco residence card

The ordinance requires every foreigner over 16 who stays in Monaco to apply for a carte de séjour within eight days of arrival. Applications go to the Direction de la Sûreté Publique, which issues the card. You receive a provisional receipt after filing. IUM tells students to apply within two months of arrival, which is not the same as the eight days in the ordinance, so ask the Sûreté Publique which deadline applies to you.

According to the ordinance:

you must give your civil status details and proof of housing, either a lease or ownership document, or an accommodation certificate;
a first temporary resident card is valid for at most one year, and never longer than your visa and entry documents;
if you will not work, you must provide proof of sufficient means of existence. The text sets no amount.

IUM warns that the sufficient-funds requirement for a Monaco residence permit is very high and usually involves a Monaco bank account unless you have family, a salary or a business there. We found no official figure, so ask the Sûreté Publique before you sign a lease. The government's service portal lists the procedure for the first residence card, but its detail pages did not open for us.

Which is simpler?

Many students avoid the Monaco card by living in France. IUM lists towns in France as the places where its students live, and Pavillon Bosio says most of its students live in Nice or in neighbouring towns. Then the French rules apply to where you live. Housing on the French side is covered in student housing around Monaco.

Health insurance

IUM says health insurance is required and must cover you both in Monaco and in your country of residence. Compare this with the general rules in health insurance for students in Europe.

Where to look next

Official sources

Always check current information on the official website of the university before you apply.