Prostitution laws in Monaco
Monaco's Code pénal does not penalise selling or buying sexual services between adults. Procuring (proxénétisme) is punishable by six months to three years and a fine of €9,000–18,000 (art. 268) and covers recruiting or pressuring a person into prostitution, aiding, assisting or protecting another's prostitution, sharing its proceeds, being unable to justify one's income while habitually associating with sex workers, and acting as an intermediary. Aggravated procuring carries five to ten years, or ten to twenty years for a victim under 16 or an organised gang (art. 269). Public soliciting by gestures, words, writing or any other means is a contravention fined €600–1,000 (art. 421(3)). Paying a minor for sexual activity carries three to five years (art. 269-1). No reform was found for 2023–2026.
Legal model
Legal, organisation banned. Selling and buying are legal, but brothels, procuring and organising are criminal offences.
Selling and buying sex between adults are not offences, but the Code pénal defines procuring very broadly (helping, assisting or protecting another's prostitution, sharing its proceeds, acting as an intermediary), which rules out brothels and managed prostitution. Publicly soliciting people 'with a view to inciting them to debauchery' is a petty offence (contravention) punished by a fine.[1]
At a glance
| Question | Status | In short |
|---|---|---|
| Selling sexual services | Restricted Breach: administrative offence | Selling sex is not itself an offence. Publicly soliciting people of either sex, by gestures, words, writing or any other means, 'with a view to inciting them to debauchery' is a contravention fined €600–1,000 (art. 421(3) with art. 29).[1] |
| Buying sexual services | Legal | Buying sexual services from an adult is not an offence. Using a minor for sexual activities in return for money or any other benefit is punishable by three to five years and a fine (art. 269-1).[1] |
| Brothels and managed venues | Illegal Criminal offence | There is no separate brothel offence, but anyone who aids, assists or protects another person's prostitution, or shares its proceeds, is a procurer under art. 268, so running or managing premises for prostitution is punishable by six months to three years and a fine.[1] |
| Third parties profiting (procuring / pimping) | Illegal Criminal offence | Art. 268 punishes with six months to three years and a fine anyone who recruits, trains or diverts a person into prostitution or pressures them to continue; aids, assists or protects another's prostitution; shares its proceeds or knowingly receives money from sex workers; or cannot justify their income while habitually associating with sex workers. Acting as an intermediary is treated the same.[1] |
| Advertising sexual services | Restricted | No provision specific to advertising sexual services was found. Public soliciting 'by writing or any other means' is a contravention (art. 421(3)), which may reach a sex worker's own public advertising, and a third party who publishes ads for sex workers may be treated as aiding or assisting another's prostitution, or as an intermediary, under art. 268.[1] |
The law in detail
Selling sexual services
Selling sex is not itself an offence. Publicly soliciting people of either sex, by gestures, words, writing or any other means, 'with a view to inciting them to debauchery' is a contravention fined €600–1,000 (art. 421(3) with art. 29).[1]
Under the Code pénal this is a contravention, the lowest class of criminal offence, punishable only by a fine; the schema's 'administrative' value is used here for a fine-only offence.
Checked 30 October 2026
Buying sexual services
Buying sexual services from an adult is not an offence. Using a minor for sexual activities in return for money or any other benefit is punishable by three to five years and a fine (art. 269-1).[1]
Checked 30 October 2026
Brothels and managed venues
There is no separate brothel offence, but anyone who aids, assists or protects another person's prostitution, or shares its proceeds, is a procurer under art. 268, so running or managing premises for prostitution is punishable by six months to three years and a fine.[1]
Confidence: medium. No specific provision on letting premises for prostitution was found; the classification relies on the general wording of art. 268, without reviewed case law.
Checked 30 October 2026
Third parties profiting (procuring / pimping)
Art. 268 punishes with six months to three years and a fine anyone who recruits, trains or diverts a person into prostitution or pressures them to continue; aids, assists or protects another's prostitution; shares its proceeds or knowingly receives money from sex workers; or cannot justify their income while habitually associating with sex workers. Acting as an intermediary is treated the same.[1]
Art. 269 raises the penalty to five to ten years for, among others, a minor or particularly vulnerable victim, several victims, a person in authority, coercion or several offenders, and to ten to twenty years' reclusion for a victim under 16 or an organised gang. Art. 265(3) separately punishes recruiting an adult 'with a view to debauchery' by fraud, violence or other coercion. These provisions were rewritten by Law no. 1.344 of 26 December 2007.
Checked 30 October 2026
Advertising sexual services
No provision specific to advertising sexual services was found. Public soliciting 'by writing or any other means' is a contravention (art. 421(3)), which may reach a sex worker's own public advertising, and a third party who publishes ads for sex workers may be treated as aiding or assisting another's prostitution, or as an intermediary, under art. 268.[1]
No platform-specific rules were identified; Monaco is not an EU member, so the Digital Services Act does not apply directly.
Confidence: low. The application of arts. 268 and 421(3) to advertising is an inference from the statutory wording; no case law or official guidance was found.
Checked 30 October 2026
Key legislation
| Law | What it does here | In force |
|---|---|---|
| Code pénal Monegasque Penal Code arts. 265, 268, 269, 269-1, 421 | Procuring (arts. 268–269), paid sexual activity with minors (art. 269-1), public soliciting contravention (art. 421(3)).[1] |
Timeline
- 26 December 2007Law no. 1.344 rewrites the procuring provisions (arts. 268–269) and creates art. 269-1 on paid sexual activity with minors.[1]
- 12 November 2019Law no. 1.478 of 12 November 2019 gives art. 421 its current wording, including public soliciting as a contravention fined at the highest contravention level (€600–1,000).[1]
Sources
- Code pénal (Penal Code (consolidated)). Legimonaco – Gouvernement Princier de Monaco. legislation · accessed 30 October 2026