How to establish an administrative office

Companies or corporations whose headquarters are located abroad can establish an administrative office in Monaco  which, to the sole profit of the group concerned, carries out duties related to the administration, management, coordination or supervision in an efficient and legitimate manner.

No commercial activity can be carried out by an administrative office.

Companies nominate an individual responsible for the management of this administrative office, called the Administration Officer, who generally has the status of employee.

The opening of an administrative office is subject to receipt of administrative authorisation.

To get the forms you can either:

• Download them here:

Demand to set up an activity in the principality of Monaco (n° 355-0001_02-2016)
Individual notice (n° 355-0002_01-2017)

• Or collect them from the Business Development Agency

Documents to be provided:

• An application for permit to carry out a business activity in the Principality, signed by the legal representative of the parent company and naming the Administration Officer of the administrative office
• An original copy of the minutes of the board meeting or extraordinary general assembly where the decision to open the administrative office was made
• A copy of the registration of the parent company on a public register
• A document giving financial information about the parent company, showing the date of establishment, the main activities carried out, the country of location, the personnel employed and the true beneficial owner
• A civil-status document:
  • A certificate of nationality or copy of ID card for Monegasques
  • A photocopy of the residence permit for residents
  • A copy of the ID card or passport for foreigners
• A birth certificate
• A copy of the applicant’s criminal record, not more than three months old. This should be obtained from:
  • The General Court Registry of Monaco for residents
  • The national criminal records office or over the internet for persons residing in France

The application for permit to carry out a business activity must be submitted to the Business Development Agency.

The statutory period for review of the application is three months from notification of its eligibility.

When authorisation has been given the following formalities must be completed:

• Registration on the NIS (Statistical Identification Number) Register with Monaco Statistics  (Monegasque Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies). This number is used for official classifications and statistics and is necessary throughout the life cycle of your company (opening a bank account, establishing a telephone line, etc.)
• Declaration of existence of the company to the Department of Tax Services

NB : Administrative offices are not registered with the Trade and Industry Registry.

All stages of post-authorisation procedures are described on the document attached –  Post-authorisation procedures - hard copies also available in French, English and Italian at the MWBO