La Poste Monaco (French pronunciation:[lapɔstmɔnako]) is the company responsible for postal service in microstate of the principality of Monaco. Despite Monaco being an independent nation, under an agreement with France, the company is a subsidiary of the French post office, Groupe La Poste. [1]
La Poste Monaco operates seven post offices at various locations within principality; one in each of the wards of La Condamine, Fontvieille, Les Moneghetti, Monaco-Ville and three including the company's headquarters in Monte Carlo. [2] The post offices sell typical postal products, such as postage stamps and flat rate envelopes which can be used to send up to 1 kg (2.2 lbs), and envelopes with postage pre-applied.[3] Post offices in Monaco also offer post box services,[4] They also offer commercial banking services through the French post bank La Banque Postale with some branches have ATMs, and as a outlet for mobile phone SIM cards for the Monegasque operator, Monaco Telecom.[3]
Monegasque post boxes although they are from the same stock as French post boxes, they are distinctively coloured in the principality's national colours of red and white, instead of the yellow of French post boxes. The post boxes also have a notice to mention the fact only Monegasque stamps are valid when using them, despite the rates being the same as in France.
Postal services in Monaco are provided by France, as assured by the Treaty of Péronne in 1641.[5] This relationship has been interrupted twice, with the first interruption occurring during the French Revolution. By Decree of the National Convention on 27 October 1793, the Principality of Monaco was integrated into the territory of France until the passing of the Treaty of Paris on 30 May 1814. The second interruption occurred just shortly after as a result of the Second Treaty of Paris (20 November 1815), which made Monaco a protectorate of the Kingdom of Sardinia. This led to the Monegasque postal system becoming Sardinian from the signing of the Treaty of Stupinigi (taking effect on 1 January 1818) until the signing of the Treaty of Turin on 24 March 1860, again making Monaco a principality of France, and restoring the postal relationship.[6] Monaco became a member of the Universal Postal Union in 1955, joined PostEurop in 1993 and became of founder member of the Small European Postal Administration Cooperation in 1999. [7]
A Monegasque post box, in its distinctive red and white colours.
^ ab"Nos Produits". La Poste Monaco. Principaute de Monaco. Retrieved 28 December 2018. (in French)
^"Les Services". La PosteMonaco. Principaute de Monaco. Retrieved 28 December 2018. (in French)
^Duursma, p. 262. As the Spanish protectorate became too dominant, the Prince of Monaco concluded the Treaty of Péronne on 14 September 1641 with King Louis XIII of France...
^"Notre histoire". La Poste Monaco. Principaute de Monaco. Retrieved 28 December 2018. (in French)
^"Information". Office des Emissions de Timbre-Poste, Principauté de Monaco. Archived from the original on November 7, 2006. Retrieved 2009-03-13.
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