Administrative Police Division - Residency Section

This section has two branches

1 - Specialist Crime Branch 

Minors Unit: The primary remit of this unit is to handle all offences committed against or by minors. It also deals with illegal downloading of child pornography. It plays a role in protecting minors from public intoxication and preventing addictive behaviours of all kinds.

Given its specific nature, the Minors Unit also deals with offences related to the family unit:

• Assaults and threats against people living under the same roof or having lived under the same roof for a long time
• Offences associated with childcare (non-payment of alimony and child maintenance, breach of visitation arrangements)
• The unit handles cases where there is concern for a missing minor and emergency placements of minors into a children’s home. It also assists the health services with admissions to psychiatric care

In addition, police social workers handle:

• Requests to place children under legal protection (guardianship and wardship)
• Social services investigations into a situation or environment, both at the request of the guardianship judge for letters rogatory and in response to reports
• Investigations relating to people who have been reported as vulnerable
• Adoption investigations

Special Litigation Unit:

This unit’s remit covers the following areas:

• Breaches of labour law
• Accidents at work
• Breaches of urban planning regulations
• Offences relating to the provision of private security services for people and/or property
• Offences relating to the operation of public establishments
• Deregistration of companies
• Offences committed against animals

It is also responsible for applications for Monegasque naturalisation, regardless of method.

2 - General Clearance Unit

This branch is responsible for activities subject to prior authorisation/ declaration:

• Reviewing applications for work permits: administrative investigations, notification of solemn warnings, review of preliminary or legal appeals
• Reviewing applications to carry out regulated professions (in gaming houses, medical and health professions, civil service, insurance agents and brokers, etc.) and, more specifically, private security services for people and property (remit, applicants, license to carry weapons)
• Reviewing applications to carry out a commercial activity
• Reviewing applications for late closing, music and musical performance permits for businesses open to the public (and renewals)
• Reviewing applications to import, purchase, possess and carry firearms (and renewals)
• Dealing with prior declarations relating to ownership of dangerous dogs
• Conducting administrative investigations relating to the staff of suppliers working at sensitive sites (Prince’s Palace, remand prison, etc.) or at cultural or sporting events where there is deemed to be a risk (Grand Prix events, Monaco Yacht Show, etc.)
• Issuing notifications relating to expulsion orders and reviewing appeals against such orders
• Checking police records (antiques and period pieces, weapons, precious metals and chemists)
• Handling miscellaneous requests (address searches for heirs, verification of artist status – moral standing of recipients, applications to change surname, requests for details to be removed from criminal records, etc.)
• Conducting investigations of applicants for consular posts 

This section has two branches:

1 - Inquiries Unit

This unit is responsible for handling residency cases in the strict sense, formal checks of accident at work declarations and managing lost property.

2 - Residency Check Unit

• Review of applications for residency certificates
• Review of applications for certificates of domicile (and renewals)
• Review of applications for certificates proving habitual residence in the Principality (and renewals)
• Confirmation of residency, in response to an instruction or at the branch’s initiative
• Notification of administrative measures with an adverse impact
• Review of appeals against administrative measures with an adverse impact (withdrawal of permit, reclassification of permit, recognition of a break in residency, etc.)
• Review of requests for reports on residency in the Principality from judicial and administrative authorities, whether local or foreign
• Residency investigations relating to requests for Monegasque criminal records
• Procedure relating to violations of residency by foreign nationals