Why EU roaming rules stop at the Monaco border
The European Commission's roaming brochure lists the 27 EU member states plus Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway as covered by the roaming rules. It says explicitly that the rules do not apply in Switzerland, Andorra, Monaco or San Marino, nor on board vessels and aircraft. It adds that, in a country not covered, travellers receive an SMS with the applicable roaming rates.
That SMS is worth reading. A visitor with a non-French plan should check the home operator's terms for Monaco before the trip, switch off data roaming if the terms are unclear, and rely on Wi-Fi at the hotel or a cafe.
French phones and the unified network of March 2024
The Government of Monaco announced that from 5 March 2024 all French mobile customers would be able to use the Monegasque network throughout the Principality, following a scheme with French operators and Monaco Telecom to harmonise network quality. The FAQ lists customers of Bouygues Telecom, SFR, Free and Orange, including their B&You, Red by SFR and Sosh offers, and virtual operators on those networks such as Poste Mobile, NRJ Mobile and CIC Mobile. They switch via data roaming on arrival, and Monaco Telecom appears at the top of the screen in place of the French operator's name. Monaco Telecom's own customers already had access to the network.
The government tells visitors to activate mobile data and data roaming, use the +33 code when calling French numbers, and check that the plan covers use abroad, because most operators do not allow calls from Monaco if the package is exclusively for use in France. It says each French operator sets its own rates and that most include Monaco in their Europe zone, so there are often no extra charges. A French visitor should therefore check their plan, not assume it.
Monaco Telecom's plans: built for residents
Monaco Telecom's mobile plans page lists Live Essential, Live Mini, Live Connected and Live Traveller plans, shown with a 24-month commitment, along with a Live Monaco plan reserved for Monegasques and Enfants du Pays. Live Mini offers 10 GB at EUR 36.99 per month, and Live Connected offers 100 GB at EUR 49.99 for the general public; lower prices of EUR 26.99 and EUR 34.99 apply to customers who also take Monaco Telecom's fibre service. The page does not mention prepaid plans or eSIM, and a separate Travel Pass page explains data passes for Monaco Telecom subscribers who travel outside their plan's zones rather than visitors arriving in Monaco.
We therefore cannot say from the operator's pages that a visitor SIM is available in a shop. An unofficial guide, Monaco Pratique, says prepaid options are generally accessible to tourists and that a SIM requires ID and proof of a Monaco address, but the operator pages we read do not confirm this, so we do not rely on it. In practice, short-stay visitors can use their home plan, a roaming add-on from the home operator or a travel eSIM that explicitly covers Monaco.
5G across a two-square-kilometre state
The Monaco Tourist Authority's practical information page states that the Principality is fully covered by the 5G mobile network. That is a claim from the tourism body rather than a measured survey, and we found no regulator report. Whether your phone connects at 5G speeds while roaming is a question for your home operator.
In a place this small, the practical question is not coverage but cost. Check roaming terms before enabling data, and keep Wi-Fi for large downloads.
Emergency numbers
Visit Monaco's practical page lists the fire brigade at 18 or 112 and the police and emergency services at 17 or (+377) 93 15 30 15. It also lists 112 as the European emergency number from a mobile phone, and notes that nationals of European Economic Area countries need a valid identity document to enter, while others need a valid passport and a Schengen visa, with nationals of certain countries exempt for stays under ninety days.
If you travel with a data-only plan, keep your home SIM available for voice, with data roaming off.
Holding two lines on a short Riviera trip
Apple says an iPhone needs to be unlocked to use a travel eSIM and that you pick the cellular data line in Settings, Cellular. Google says Pixel 7 and later models can run two eSIMs when the carrier supports it. Samsung says eSIMs are added in SIM manager. Because Monaco is outside the EU roaming zone, pick a travel eSIM whose country list names Monaco, not just France or Europe. Our Monaco plan page is an option if you want to set it up before you arrive.
Networks our Monaco plans use
These are the operators named on our plans for Monaco, taken from the plan data, so the list follows the catalogue.
- MONACO5G
- Monaco Telecom5G
- Monaco Telecom S.A.M.5G