Everyday living in Monaco – public holidays, emergency numbers, cash and the 2025 smoking law
Last updated 25 September 2026Rules checked every MondayOfficial sourcesSources & methodology →
Twelve public holidays, two emergency numbers that also work from a French phone, a cash cap and a smoking law rewritten in 2025. Living in Monaco has its own small rules, and most are easy once you know where they come from. Here is the everyday guide, with the 2026 dates.
Living in Monaco means sharing about two square kilometres with 38,857 other residents of 144 nationalities, according to IMSEE's 2025 census – 24.0 per cent Monegasque, 21.3 per cent French, 19.5 per cent Italian and 7.9 per cent British. The rules of daily life are Monegasque, not French, and the newest are Law 1.574 of 27 May 2025 on smoking and the ban on disposable vapes since 6 September 2025.
What are the public holidays in Monaco in 2026?
Law 798 of 18 February 1966 fixes twelve legal holidays. When the Prince's feast day, 1 January, 1 May, Assumption, All Saints' Day or Christmas falls on a Sunday, the following Monday is a holiday – so All Saints' 2026 moves to Monday 2 November, while Assumption, on a Saturday, does not move.
| Holiday | 2026 date |
|---|---|
| New Year | Thursday 1 January |
| Sainte-Dévote | Tuesday 27 January |
| Easter Monday | Monday 6 April |
| Labour Day | Friday 1 May |
| Ascension | Thursday 14 May |
| Whit Monday | Monday 25 May |
| Fête-Dieu (Corpus Christi) | Thursday 4 June |
| Assumption | Saturday 15 August, not moved |
| All Saints' Day | Sunday 1 November, moved to Monday 2 November |
| Fête de S.A.S. le Prince Souverain (National Day) | Thursday 19 November |
| Immaculate Conception | Tuesday 8 December |
| Christmas | Friday 25 December |
Source: Circular 2025-8 of 1 October 2025 (Journal de Monaco) and Law 798 of 18 February 1966 (Legimonaco), read 24 September 2026.
Summer time runs from the last Sunday of March to the last Sunday of October: in 2026, from 29 March to 25 October.
Which emergency numbers work in Monaco?
Two numbers matter most: 17 for the police and 18 or 112 for the sapeurs-pompiers, the fire brigade, who also handle rescue and the transport of sick or injured people. Both work from a French mobile in Monaco and are routed to the Monegasque services.
| Need | Number | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Police | 17, or (+377) 93 15 30 15 | Direction de la Sûreté Publique |
| Fire brigade and rescue | 18 or 112 | Sapeurs-Pompiers de Monaco |
| Doctor out of hours | 116 117 | Daily 19:00–7:00; Monaco Santé, the government health portal, names the duty doctor |
| Hospital emergencies | (+377) 97 98 97 69 | Princess Grace Hospital (CHPG), around the clock; children (+377) 97 98 95 33 |
| Poisoning | (+33) 4 91 75 25 25 | Poison centre in Marseille |
| Lost property | 93 15 30 18 | Bureau des Objets Trouvés, Sûreté Publique |
Source: MonServicePublic, Monaco Santé and the Centre Hospitalier Princesse Grace, read 24 September 2026.
The alert sirens are tested on the first Wednesday of every month at 12:00. If you hear the real signal – three rising and falling tones of one minute each – go indoors, close doors and windows and listen to the radio. A free SMS and email alert service covers weather, pollution, seismic and health alerts.
Cash, cards and the euro
Monaco uses the euro under its 2011 Monetary Agreement with the EU, although it is not an EU member: the government calls it the only third country inside the EU customs territory and a member of the euro area. It strikes its own euro coins but issues no banknotes. A bank account is a legal right for residents and for people in the process of settling (part 4).
| Situation | Threshold | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| Paying a business in cash | €30,000 or more | Not allowed, counting linked payments over six calendar months (Law 1.362, article 35) |
| Paying a business in cash | €10,000 or more | The business must apply due-diligence checks |
| Crossing the border with cash | More than €10,000 | Declare it to the Sûreté Publique; no declaration, or a false one, is fined half the sum |
| Bus fare by contactless card | €1.50 per validation | Capped at €5.50 a day and €22 a month; a paper ticket on board costs €2 |
Source: Law 1.362 of 3 August 2009 (Legimonaco), MonServicePublic and the Compagnie des Autobus de Monaco, read 24 September 2026.
No official rule on card acceptance was found in the texts read – carry both. The country code is +377, followed by eight digits.
The 2025 smoking law – where you cannot smoke or vape
Law 1.346 of 9 May 2008 on protection against tobacco was rewritten by Law 1.574 of 27 May 2025, published on 6 June 2025. Smoking and vaping are banned in enclosed, covered places for collective use and in workplaces, in establishments for minors, on public transport, on beaches except the restaurant and bar parts of concessions, and at public pools; the 2025 law added playgrounds and any vehicle in which a minor is present.
Since 6 September 2025, disposable electronic cigarettes have been banned outright – using, making, selling or giving one away. Tobacco and vapes may not be sold from vending machines, and distance selling, including parcels to or from Monaco, is banned except through the state tobacco board. A beach may have an authorised smoking zone of at most 20 per cent of its area and no more than 35 square metres, closed to minors.
| Offence | Fine |
|---|---|
| Smoking or vaping where it is banned | €75 to €200 (Penal Code, article 29, 2°) |
| Selling or giving tobacco or vapes to a minor | €200 to €600; the seller may ask for photo ID |
Source: Law 1.346 of 9 May 2008 as amended by Law 1.574 of 27 May 2025, and the Penal Code (Legimonaco), read 24 September 2026.
Living in Monaco: opening hours, Sundays and the 1 a.m. rule
No general rule fixes shop opening hours – the official texts read set none. What the law fixes is the week. Under Law 822 of 1967, weekly rest is at least one full day, given on Sunday; since Law 1.471 of 2 July 2019 retail shops may open on Sundays, but each employee may work at most 30 Sundays a year, only volunteers who have agreed in writing, for at least double pay or a day off. Bars, restaurants and other establishments open to the public close at 1 a.m.; a late-closing authorisation, valid up to three years, costs a fee.
Public offices keep office hours: the Section des Résidents at 9 rue Suffren-Reymond, Monday–Friday 9:00–17:00 (phone (+377) 93 15 30 15 on MonServicePublic, (+377) 93 15 30 17 in the government directory); the Mairie 8:30–16:00; the Direction des Services Fiscaux 9:30–17:00; the Caisses Sociales 8:30–12:00 and 13:30–17:00. MonGuichet, the online portal, handles more than a hundred procedures around the clock.
Small rules that surprise newcomers
| Rule | What applies |
|---|---|
| Alcohol | Selling or giving alcohol to anyone under 18 is a criminal offence, as is serving someone visibly drunk (Penal Code, article 215) |
| Begging | A criminal offence, one to six months' imprisonment (article 212) |
| Dogs | On a lead and under constant supervision in public and in the common parts of buildings (Law 1.351 of 2008); attack dogs may not be brought in; guard dogs must be declared, insured, muzzled and leashed |
| Drones | Banned without the Minister of State's authorisation during several periods between 2 July 2026 and 1 January 2027 |
| Dress | No official text setting a street dress code was found |
Source: the Penal Code and Law 1.351 of 28 October 2008 (Legimonaco), and Gouvernement Princier notices, read 24 September 2026.
Policing is done by the Direction de la Sûreté Publique with more than 600 officials and more than 1,000 CCTV cameras; the police recorded 1,055 offences in 2025, a figure IMSEE says is not comparable with earlier years. Daily life runs through official apps: MonGuichet for procedures, MConnect for your digital identity, YourMonaco for news and waste sorting, Monapass for bus tickets and Monaco Santé for health appointments.
What to do now
| Step | What | When |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Save 17, 18 or 112 and 116 117 in your phone, plus the CHPG emergency line | Day one |
| 2 | Register for the free alert service | First week |
| 3 | Install MonGuichet, MConnect, YourMonaco and Monapass | First week |
| 4 | Put the twelve 2026 holidays in your calendar, including Monday 2 November | Now |
| 5 | If you smoke or vape, learn the banned places; disposable vapes have been illegal since 6 September 2025 | Before you arrive |
| 6 | Declare cash above €10,000 when you cross the border with it | Every trip |
Source: MonServicePublic and Legimonaco, read 24 September 2026.
Official sources
The official pages this guide is based on, read 24 September 2026. Links open the authority’s own website.
- Legimonaco – Circulaire n° 2025-8 du 1er octobre 2025 relative à la liste des jours chômés et payés pour l'année… · legimonaco.mc
- MonServicePublic – Agenda, jours fériés; Circulaire n° 2025-8 · monservicepublic.gouv.mc
- Legimonaco – Loi n° 798 du 18 février 1966 portant fixation des jours fériés légaux · legimonaco.mc
- MonServicePublic – FAQ réseau mobile unifié; Déclarer un sinistre dans un appartement domanial · monservicepublic.gouv.mc
- Monaco Santé (the government's e-health platform) – Numéros d'urgence; MonServicePublic – Nuisances sonores · monacosante.mc
- MonServicePublic – Les numéros d'urgence ( · monservicepublic.gouv.mc
- Gouvernement Princier – Entretenir les relations avec l'Union européenne · gouv.mc
- Legimonaco – Loi n° 1.362 du 3 août 2009 (consolidated version 22 Nov 2025), art. 35 · legimonaco.mc
- MonServicePublic – Déclarer un transport d'espèces et d'instruments au porteur · monservicepublic.gouv.mc
- Legimonaco – Loi n° 822 du 23 juin 1967 sur le repos hebdomadaire (consolidated 2019) · legimonaco.mc
- MonEntreprise (Gouvernement Princier) – Demander ou renouveler une autorisation de fermeture tardive · monentreprise.gouv.mc
- Legimonaco – Code pénal, art. 215 (as replaced by Loi n° 1.478 du 12 novembre 2019; consolidated version 22 Nov 2025) · legimonaco.mc
- Legimonaco – Loi n° 1.346 du 9 mai 2008 relative à la protection contre le tabagisme (consolidated 6 Sep 2025) · legimonaco.mc
- Legimonaco – news 'Protection contre le tabagisme : nouvelles dispositions' (22 Aug 2025); Loi n° 1.346 art. 2 · legimonaco.mc
- Gouvernement Princier – Sécurité publique · gouv.mc
- Gouvernement Princier – Direction de la Sûreté Publique · gouv.mc
- MonServicePublic – Recevoir les messages d'alerte à la population · monservicepublic.gouv.mc
- MonServicePublic – Signal national d'alerte · monservicepublic.gouv.mc
- Gouvernement Princier – Applications et services en ligne du quotidien · gouv.mc
- Legimonaco – news 'Manifestations et festivités estivales 2026 : la réglementation applicable' ( · legimonaco.mc
- MonServicePublic – Renouveler sa carte de séjour (section perte/vol) · monservicepublic.gouv.mc
Relocate in Europe provides general information, not legal or financial advice for your individual situation. Check with the authority named above before you act – rules change, and your case may differ.