How to request registration of a vehicle for short- or long-term rental

A vehicle leased by its owner, the lessor, to a lessee, must be registered in the rental vehicle series.

There are two types of rental:

Short-term rental:

Short-term rental allows for the provision of a vehicle for a period of one year or less.

Companies who are authorised in their corporate purpose to undertake short-term rental activity, and who are domiciled in the Principality can register and retain a short-term vehicle in the Principality. 

No condition of residence in the Principality is required for the lessees of these vehicles.

Long-term rental:

"Long-term rental (LLD)" is defined as the provision of a vehicle for a period of more than one year and with a defined mileage allowance in return for the payment of a sum of money for rental.

A long-term rental may not exceed sixty months. This rental period includes maximum mileage allowances which cannot be exceeded without penalty.
Monthly payments include certain ancillary services such as maintenance and repair of the vehicle in the event of breakdown and roadside assistance.
At the end of the contract, the lessee must return the vehicle to the lessor, who remains the owner of the vehicle throughout the rental period.

A "hire purchase (LOA)" rental is the provision of a vehicle for a length defined in the rental agreement of more than one year in return for the payment of a monthly rental fee by the lessee.

Any maintenance costs of the vehicle must be paid by the lessee.

At the end of the contract, the lessee may extend the rental, return the vehicle to the lessor or pay the residual value of the vehicle by exercising their option to purchase the vehicle.

The following are eligible to register and retain long-term rental vehicles in the Principality: legal entities that offer hire purchase (LOA) contract financing or long-term rental (LDD) contracts and that are headquartered in Monaco or who are headquartered in France with an additional office in Monaco. 

People who may dispose of a vehicle as a lessee under a long-term rental or hire purchase contract must be able to prove that they reside, carry out a profession or have a commercial or industrial business in the Principality of Monaco. They must also transmit the rental contract to the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Office.

All series registrations for short- or long-term rental are recorded in a register of registrations and give rise to the issue of a certificate and a pair of front and rear registration plates with a sticker. The only exceptions are trailers, semi-trailers, quadricycles, motorcycles, mopeds and similar vehicles that have only one rear registration plate; however, a front registration plate may be issued on request.

The words "long-term rental" or "short-term rental" are mentioned on the registration certificate. In the case of long-term rental, the names of the lessor and the lessee are also shown on the registration certificate; any change of lessee must be notified to the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Office, so that the file can be updated.

The registration plates must be fixed so that they are irremovable in the places provided for this purpose.

The certificate and registration plates indicate the number assigned to the vehicle and the period of validity of the registration, which is time-limited to 31 December of the current year, or 31 December of the following year if the registration is made between 1 October and 31 December.

Registration can be renewed for another year during the annual renewal period. See the following factsheet for details: How to renew your annual car sticker. Should you fail to renew your anual car sticker, the vehicle will be deregistered in accordance with the conditions established by ministerial decree. The vehicle is no longer authorised to drive on the roads. 

In addition, vehicles (except mopeds and similar vehicles) must undergo a periodic technical inspection, details of which are set out in: Technical inspection of vehicules

There is a fee associated with this procedure in accordance with the current applicable rates.

The application to register must be sent to the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Office using the appropriate form, duly completed and signed on the original by the owner of the vehicle.

The form may be:

• Downloaded online
  
• Collected from the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Office

• The form (see step 1 Formulating the request)
• For the lessor:
  • A copy of the Trade and Industry Directory, dated of less than 3 months, identifying the lessor
  • A copy of the identity document of the person legally responsible who signed the form (if a third party is appointed as a signing authority, this document must be accompanied by a certificate attesting to such, along with a copy of the signatory's proof of identity)
• For long-term rental:
  • A copy of the rental contract (not handwritten) specifying the make and serial number of the vehicle and the identity and signature of the lessor and the lessee
  • For the Lessee:
    • For Monegasque nationals:
      • A copy of a valid Monaco national identity card 
      • Or a copy of a national passport with proof of address (gas or electricity bill from the SMEG, rental agreement) dated of less than 3 months
    • For residents: a copy of a valid residence permit
    • For legal entities:
      • A copy of the articles of association/ministerial authorisation to operate a business in the Principality + certificate of listing in the NIS (statistical identification number) register dated of less than 3 months
      • Or a copy of an extract from the Trade and Industry Directory dated of less than 3 months
      • A copy of the identity document of the person legally responsible who signed the form (if a third party is appointed as a signing authority, this document must be accompanied by a certificate attesting to such, along with a copy of the signatory's proof of identity)
• The original documents relating to the vehicle
• I n the case of procedures carried out by a third party, a mandate, signed by the principal and accompanied by supporting documents showing proof of these persons' identities. It should specify that the mandate allows the representative to submit the progress of the principal’s application(s), but not to sign documents instead of the principal
• The payment, to be made by cash, by bank or postal cheque issued by an establishment operating in Monaco or France, made out to the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Office and Visa or Mastercard bank cards only, in accordance with the current fee schedule

To submit your application, you must first make an appointment with an agent of the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Office.

You can request an appointment in one of the following three ways:

• Online using the  online service made available for this purpose
• By email to  circulation@gouv.mc
• By telephone on (+377) 98 98 80 14

The staff of the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Office will be waiting for you at the time of the appointment; you should bring with you the documents listed in steps 1 and 2.

You can find all the information about making an appointment with the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Office  by following this link

The certificate and registration plate or set of registration plates, if applicable, are available within 72 hours by appointment arranged by the customer manager at the end of the interview and on presentation of the payment receipt (invoice) and proof of identity.

You can request an appointment in one of the following three ways:

• Online using the online service made available for this purpose
• By email to circulation@gouv.mc
• By telephone on (+377) 98 98 80 14

You can find all the information about making an appointment with the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Office by following this link

At the end of the long-term rental contract, the vehicle can:

• Be purchased, if such an option is stipulated in the rental contract. In this case, the new owner must apply for a new registration in their name by providing the required documents listed on the procedure:  How to register a used vehicle
• Or be returned to the rental company, which will have to register its sale/transfer by providing the required documents listed on the procedure: How to sell or transfer a vehicle or in the case of a new renter by providing the required documents listed on the procedure: How to register a used vehicle