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Monaco

Monaco has no freedom of panorama, requires government authorization for professional shoots, and operates a near-total drone lockdown: professional use only, with prior approval from the Direction de l'Aviation Civile.

Verified Jul 1, 2026 3 official sources
Permit: conditionalPanorama: No

Guidance, not legal advice

Rules change and enforcement varies. Confirm with the issuing authority before you shoot. Drone law depth lives at Drone Authority.

Drone Authority

Check the flight side

Photography access and drone permission are separate questions. Drone Authority covers the flight-law side for this country.

Permit

Conditional

Issuer: Prince's Government (filming authorization request via the Communication Department / Monaco Press Centre) for professional shoots

Cost: No permit for personal tourist photography; professional filming and photography require prior government authorization

Tourist photography is unrestricted in public areas. Any professional or commercial shoot in the Principality requires a prior authorization request (demande d'autorisation de prises de vues) to the Prince's Government; the Societe des Bains de Mer separately controls its properties, including the Casino de Monte-Carlo.

Official permit page

Drone / airspace

Effectively closed to hobbyists: only professional-use drones may fly, under an authorization and per-flight approval from the Direction de l'Aviation Civile (Law No. 1.458 of 2017 and Ministerial Decree No. 2021-532); remote-piloted aircraft over 100 g need a certificate of authorization

Flights within 150 m of the heliport are additionally restricted, and VLOS only. For detail, see Drone Authority.

Street / public space

Yes to photograph in public areas; publishing a recognizable person generally needs consent under the right to image, and Monaco's privacy enforcement is attentive

Monaco applies French-style image rights. Celebrity privacy is litigated here; commercial use of a person's likeness without consent is high risk.

Freedom of panorama

No

Law No. 491 of 24 November 1948 on the protection of literary and artistic works contains no panorama exception, so there is no statutory right to commercially exploit images of copyrighted architecture or public art. Much of the belle-epoque landmark architecture (Casino, Hotel de Paris) is out of copyright; modern developments are not.

Practical notes

  • The Casino de Monte-Carlo bans photography inside the gaming rooms; the square outside is fine. SBM properties enforce their own image rules.
  • During the Grand Prix (May) and major events, access, tripods, and rooftops are tightly controlled and commercial shooting without accreditation is unrealistic.
  • The Rock (palace area) is fine for handheld tourist shooting; the changing of the guard draws crowds and police keep the plaza moving.

Sources

Keep shooting

Knowing the rules is half the job. The craft side:

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