Living in Anguilla as a French National: Advantages, Cost of Living and Settling In

Anguilla lies at the northern end of the Leeward Islands (Lesser Antilles), in the eastern Caribbean. The government describes an island of 35 square miles (about 91 km²), 16 miles long and at most 3 miles wide, whose capital is The Valley. The language is English and the currency is the Eastern Caribbean dollar (EC$), the US dollar being widely accepted. The government's budget speech describes the territory as a British Overseas Territory. The statistics department estimates the population at about 16,000 inhabitants. Updated economic indicators appear in the “Economic benchmarks” block above.

For a French national, the consular framework is that of the French Embassy in Saint Lucia, based in Castries (Nelson Mandela Drive, Vigie), which states that it is responsible for Anguilla. Its number is +1 758 455 60 60. The France Diplomatie travel advice list includes no page for Anguilla at the date of consultation: the embassy remains the point of contact for safety advice and administrative procedures. Registration on the roll of French nationals living abroad, valid for five years, is done online on service-public; it is compulsory in certain cases, for example to apply for a school grant.

On the advantages side, the territory has a services economy driven by tourism: the government's budget speech mentions rising visitor arrivals, the reconstruction of the Clayton J. Lloyd terminal building, a runway extension and direct flights to Boston, Newark and Baltimore. The same speech describes sustained economic growth, controlled public debt and a “.ai” internet domain whose revenue accounts for a significant share of projected non-tax revenue. The government is investing in health, in roads and in schools. The main procedures are described online: visas, work permits, belonger status, social security, taxes.

On the constraints side, employment is governed by a work permit, the belonger status route requires fifteen years of residence, official documents are in English, and the hurricane season requires annual preparation. No social security agreement links France and the territory, and no compulsory public health insurance scheme was identified in the sources read: private insurance with evacuation should be arranged (see the page healthcare reimbursement in Anguilla). The official sources consulted publish no recent statistics on rents, median salaries or health spending: these figures are therefore not given here.

The official sources consulted do not rank neighbourhoods by attractiveness. Practical benchmarks come from the location of public services. The Valley, the capital, houses the administration: the Immigration Department and the Department of Labour (former NBA building), the Inland Revenue Department, the Social Security Board (James Ronald Webster Building) and the Ministry of Health (Caribbean Commercial Complex). Immigration also keeps offices at the airport, at Blowing Point (ferry terminal) and at Sandy Ground, the three official points of entry.

Public schools give an idea of how the population is distributed: West End, Island Harbour, East End, South Hill, Stoney Ground and The Valley each have a public primary school, and the public comprehensive school is split into two campuses. The Department of Disaster Management associates six shelters with six districts (West End, South Hill, Welches, East End, The Valley and North Hill). The choice of location therefore depends on the workplace, proximity to care and schools, and how solid the housing is against storms.

The statistics department publishes a quarterly consumer price index. The government's budget speech mentions a change in prices helped by the removal of the goods and services tax (GST) on food at the end of 2024 and then by a general reform of this tax that came into force in August 2025. The GST rate, introduced on 1 July 2022, was not read on the pages consulted; the Inland Revenue Department provides it (264 497 8334).

On salaries, the Executive Council approved on 21 June 2023 the publication, for consultation, of a national minimum wage of EC$16.20 an hour (US$6.00, about €5.35). A “Minimum Rate of Wages Order, 2023” appears on the Department of Labour page, but its scanned text could not be read: the rate in force should be confirmed with the Department (264 497 3511). The page working in Anguilla details the context. Rents and property prices are not published in the sources consulted.

For an owner, property tax is calculated at 0.075% of the value of the property, estimated by the land registry service (Lands and Surveys Department) and paid to the Inland Revenue Department. A non-belonger authorised to rent out their villa pays a fee of EC$6,750 (about €2,229) for the first 2,000 square feet, increased beyond that, to be paid before the first working day of January. The conversions in this page are based on the ECB reference rate and on the parity of EC$2.70 to US$1 that emerges from the minutes of the Executive Council of 21 June 2023.

Entry: the government's visa portal (evisa.gov.ai) lists France among the “visa not required” countries, at the date of consultation. The tourist board requires a passport valid beyond the departure date and return or onward tickets, and the visitor goes through immigration and customs at the Blowing Point terminal or at the airport. The length of stay for a visitor was not read; an extension is requested with form 1-1, for EC$150 (about €50, rate shown on the page), prorated by month, and the visitor must leave the island when the extended period expires. The government's budget speech mentions a border management system with electronic travel authorisation and online immigration services.

Work: the work permit is processed by the Department of Labour; the Immigration Department then stamps the authorisation on the passport (work permit form C, photo and passport). See the page working in Anguilla.

Long-term stay: belonger status is obtained in three ways according to the Immigration Department: by descent, by five years of marriage to a belonger, or by fifteen years of residence. The residence route requires a notarised affidavit on the average time spent in Anguilla each year, two testimonials from people of good standing, a criminal record, a health certificate and proof of activity; the application fee is EC$200 (about €66). The “resident stamp” is for people married to an Anguillian or a belonger; its fees, shown on the page, range from EC$50 to EC$300 depending on the stage. A residence by investment programme, presented on the Select Anguilla portal linked from the government website, provides a right of residence from US$150,000 paid into a development fund, with no presence requirement.

Social protection: registration with the Social Security Board is compulsory for employees, employers and self-employed workers, and each registrant receives their own registration number. The sources consulted describe no tax identification number given to newcomers.

According to the government, the official school age runs from 5 to 17. The public network comprises six primary schools (Alwyn Allison at West End, Vivian Vanterpool at Island Harbour, Morris Vanterpool at East End, Adrian T. Hazell at South Hill, Orealia Kelly at Stoney Ground and Valley Primary at The Valley) and the Albena Lake Hodge Comprehensive School, spread across two campuses (Form 1 and 2 classes, then Form 3 to 6). The schools page also mentions nursery schools run by local churches. The admission conditions for children of non-belongers and school fees could not be read: this information should be requested directly from the schools or the Department of Education. The Immigration Department publishes a student permit form.

No accredited French school was identified in the official sources consulted; the French Embassy in Saint Lucia provides information on schooling solutions and on grants available to families on the register. The language of procedures is English: immigration, labour, social security and tax forms are published in that language.

The government indicates an average monthly temperature of 80 °F (about 27 °C) and 35 inches of rain a year (about 890 mm). The region is exposed to hurricanes: the Department of Disaster Management (DDM) pages recall the passage of Hurricane Donna in 1960, Luis in 1995, Irma in 2017, described as one of the most devastating for Anguilla, Tammy in 2023, with landslides, and Erin in 2025, with 5 inches of rain (126.1 mm) on 16 and 17 August. France Diplomatie, in its advice for Saint Lucia, places in the region the risk of violent hurricanes during the wet season, from June to the end of November, and reminds us that the Caribbean islands lie in a seismic risk zone.

The DDM recommends following official bulletins, putting up shutters or boarding up openings, storing outdoor objects, pruning trees, charging phones, storing drinking water, putting papers in waterproof containers, preparing a basic necessities kit (radio, torches, tinned food, prescription medicines, first aid kit) and keeping the vehicle full and cash on hand. Shelters open only on official activation. The DDM emergency line is +1 264 497 5666 and the operations centre +1 264 497 2926.

The emergency number is 911: the call reaches the police headquarters in The Valley, which directs to the ambulance if necessary. On health, France Diplomatie publishes no health advice specific to Anguilla; as a regional benchmark, its advice for Saint Lucia recommends updating the vaccination schedule and mentions dengue, Zika and chikungunya, transmitted by mosquitoes, prevention of which relies on protection against bites. For insurance, the guide expat health insurance helps compare the options; Expavy lets you weigh them against your situation.