Monaco scraps the windscreen sticker as 2027 vehicle renewals open

The annual registration campaign runs from 1 September to 31 December 2026 without a physical sticker, and a credit-card-format driving licence renewed every 15 years has been issued since 4 July 2026, the Government of Monaco says.

Drivers in Monaco face two changes at once this autumn. According to a Government of Monaco communiqué of 2 September 2026, the annual campaign to renew vehicle registrations for 2027 runs from 1 September to 31 December 2026, and the physical sticker (estampille) that used to be fixed to the windscreen or number plate has been abolished. Once you have paid, the Service des Titres de Circulation posts a payment certificate on secure paper, which must be kept in the vehicle. The campaign covers 55,452 Monaco-registered vehicles, 5,729 of them fully electric.

It completes a change begun a year earlier: from 1 September 2025 the renewal calendar was aligned with the calendar year, payment became due by 31 December and late penalties were abolished. The 2026 renewal fee is €53 for a car or other light vehicle and €42 for a two-wheeler, while fully electric vehicles pay nothing, but their owners must still confirm the renewal. According to Mon Service Public, vehicles that are unpaid or unconfirmed on 31 December are struck off the register and may no longer be driven.

The second change concerns the licence itself. From 4 July 2026 the Principality issues a new driving licence in credit-card format, which must be renewed every 15 years with a new photo but no new test. The fee is unchanged at €23 in 2026 for a first issue or a renewal, and licences in the old format remain valid during a transition period, according to a Government communiqué of 6 July 2026.

Behind the new card sits Sovereign Ordinance no. 11.966 of 18 June 2026, published on 3 July 2026, which rewrote the licence rules of the Code de la route. For newcomers the substance is this: anyone who takes up normal residence in Monaco, meaning at least 185 days in a calendar year, must drive on a Monegasque licence obtained by exchange or by passing the test. For holders of a carte de séjour, normal residence is deemed acquired on the 186th day after arrival, and the foreign licence must be exchanged within one year of that date. After the year has run out, the foreign licence is no longer valid in Monaco and the exchange requires a driving-skills check for each category.

The exchange costs €117 under the 2026 tariff, as does the driving-skills check per category. An international driving permit costs €32, and the service strongly recommends one for driving outside Monaco.

If you arrived earlier this year, count 186 days from your arrival, then add a year: that is your exchange deadline. And if you own a car here, note the December payment now, because there will be no sticker to remind you.

Sources: Government of Monaco, communiqué of 2 September 2026 on the 2027 registration campaign; Government of Monaco, communiqué of 6 July 2026 on the new driving licence; Legimonaco, Sovereign Ordinance no. 11.966 of 18 June 2026 and Code de la route articles 116-1 to 116-5; Mon Service Public, STC tariffs 2026 and exchange of a foreign driving licence, read 24 September 2026.

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