On December 20, 2024, the promulgation of Law No. 1.569 of December 12, 2024, concerning internships in professional environments, was published in the Journal de Monaco. This new legislative text strengthens the regulation of professional internships undertaken in the Principality by young individuals and closely resembles the provisions already in place in our neighboring state, France.

Unsurprisingly, the new law introduces an age limit for undertaking professional internships (29 years old), requires host organizations to formalize this contractual relationship through an internship agreement, strictly limits the duration of an internship to six months, and mandates financial compensation in the form of a stipend for any internship lasting more than two months.

Furthermore, these legal provisions define the conditions under which a non-European Union student can undertake an internship.

Naturally, these new regulations also serve as a reminder to businesses that an intern is not an employee! Law No. 1.569 limits the number of interns present at the same time, based on the size of the host organization’s workforce.

This reminder should not be taken lightly, as courts have the power to disregard the intern classification if the employer integrates the intern into their workforce and assigns them tasks as if they were a permanent employee, without providing the training they are entitled to.

This risk is significant, as in the event that an internship agreement is reclassified as an employment relationship—by default, an open-ended contract—the intern may be entitled to back pay, paid leave compensation, and severance payments. Additionally, the employer could face criminal penalties for violating employment regulations.

To ensure compliance with this new legislation, our employment law team is available to discuss the matter and assist you.