Retiring in Bangladesh as a French National: Stay, Pension, Tax and Access to Care

A French national must hold a visa to enter Bangladesh. Tourist, work and business visas are requested before departure at the Bangladesh embassy in Paris (109 avenue Henri Martin, 75016 Paris). Failing that, a visa on arrival, requested online before departure, costs €60 paid in cash in foreign currency; it requires at least USD 500 or the equivalent, a return ticket and proof of the visit, is valid 30 days for a single entry and is not renewable except in exceptional circumstances. Multiple-entry visas are requested at the embassy in Paris. France Diplomatie specifies that entry by sea is impossible and that entry by land with a vehicle is no longer possible.

The Bangladesh Consulate General in Dubai publishes the visa categories with their maximum duration and extensions: tourism (3 months, one-month extension), business (one year, extension up to three years), investor (one year, extension up to five years), employment, studies and other categories, extensions being granted by the Department of Immigration and Passports in Dhaka. No category specific to retirees or long stays appears there. A retiree wishing to settle therefore confirms, with the Bangladesh embassy in Paris (telephone 01 46 51 90 33), the category that matches their situation before signing a lease or buying. For an employee’s formalities, see working in Bangladesh.

The Assurance retraite indicates that the pension can be received in more than 180 countries, into a French or foreign bank account (fees should be checked with the bank). Any change of address or bank details is reported by post to the regional fund. A life certificate is sent each year, whatever the nationality: a competent local authority completes it, then it is returned through the personal account or by post to the overseas pension processing centre in Tours. Benefits subject to residence in France, such as the Aspa and the ASI, stop on departure and are reclaimed on return.

If tax residence is no longer in France, CSG, CRDS and Casa are not levied on the pension. A health insurance contribution of 3.20% may remain for people subject to a compulsory French health insurance scheme or, for a foreigner, with at least 15 years of French old-age insurance. France Diplomatie indicates that payments are generally made in dollars or takas, that sums above USD 5,000 are declared on arrival and that cash machines accepting Visa and Mastercard are found in Dhaka and Chittagong, preferably in enclosed spaces.

The tax agreement, signed in Dhaka on 9 March 1987, was approved by law no. 88-5 of 4 January 1988 and published by decree no. 88-897 of 24 August 1988. It entered into force on 1 September 1988 and covers income tax (BOFiP). For pensions, the BOFiP indicates that pensions paid under social security legislation and public pensions are taxable only in the state from which they originate, and that all other pensions are taxable exclusively in the beneficiary’s state of residence. For a French national settled in Bangladesh, a French social security pension therefore remains taxable in France, whereas a private pension comes under Bangladeshi taxation; the nature of each pension, which depends on the scheme paying it, should be confirmed with the paying body.

In case of dual residence, the agreement applies, in order, the permanent home, the centre of vital interests, habitual abode and then nationality. For a non-resident, impots.gouv.fr specifies that withholding tax for non-residents applies to a French-source pension taxable in France under agreements, that the managing service is the SIPNR, and that these pensions are declared in boxes 1AL and following, with form 2041-E for tax already withheld. The exemption threshold and scale of Bangladeshi tax change with each year’s budget: they should be confirmed with the National Board of Revenue of Bangladesh.

The S1 form applies only to the European Union and countries linked by an agreement including the right to care; CLEISS (the French centre for European and international social security liaison) does not list Bangladesh among the states with agreements, and the list of non-EU countries cited by the Assurance retraite does not include it. Without a certificate of entitlement to care, costs are not reimbursed by the French scheme. The official sources consulted describe no public health insurance scheme open to foreign residents: households directly pay nearly 80% of current health spending (World Bank).

• The CFE: the retirees’ offer (with a contribution that depends on age and the plan chosen), is open to holders of a French basic scheme pension, at any age, with no medical questionnaire or exclusion; care abroad is reimbursed at a rate or flat amount specific to the country, and care in France comes under the basic scheme. The waiting period is nil for membership before departure or within three months of settling.
• International insurance: it guarantees actual costs within its ceilings, with direct payment and medical evacuation; the medical questionnaire and medical history condition acceptance. France Diplomatie considers it essential, serious cases most often requiring evacuation to Bangkok or Singapore.

Reimbursement details by status are in healthcare reimbursement in Bangladesh, and the organisation of provision in healthcare system in Bangladesh. The guide health insurance for retirees abroad extends this presentation.

The “Economic indicators” block above continuously displays the taka exchange rate, inflation and GDP per capita: a retiree’s budget is built from the French pension converted at the day’s rate. The official sources consulted publish no rents or typical budgets by district; a candidate compares several housing offers and arranges a written lease. Dhaka concentrates the French embassy, the consular section and the care establishments recommended by France Diplomatie; Chittagong is the other large city cited by the ministry for means of payment. Life expectancy at birth is about 75 years (World Bank).

France Diplomatie describes a monsoon from June to the end of September, with usual floods, including in Dhaka, and roads often cut; a storm season from April to the end of May, during which taking boats and ferries is formally advised against; and severe air pollution from November to March in large cities, mainly the capital, for which a quality mask outdoors is recommended. The country regularly experiences earthquakes of moderate magnitude. People with asthma or vulnerabilities consult their doctor before the dry season.

The France Diplomatie Safety sheet distinguishes formally advised-against zones (border with Burma and Saint Martin’s Island) and zones where all travel is advised against except for compelling reasons; access to the Chittagong Hill Tracts requires authorisation from the Ministry of the Interior requested at least one month in advance. The ministry also reports frequent, sometimes sudden demonstrations, a rise in street crime in Dhaka, especially at night, and recommends avoiding night journeys. The emergency number is 999 (police, fire brigade, rescue services), and the French embassy in Dhaka can be reached on +880 2 55 66 86 00. A resident registers on the register of French nationals established outside France.

On the health side, the French vaccination schedule must be up to date; depending on the length and conditions of stay, the ministry mentions hepatitis A and B, typhoid, meningitis ACWY, rabies, Japanese encephalitis, chikungunya and dengue. Dengue presents a maximum risk from June to October but is present all year; malaria is concentrated in the districts bordering Myanmar and India; the Nipah virus appears from December to May. It is recommended to drink capped or treated water and to avoid medicines sold in the street, which may be counterfeit. On return to France, the CFE indicates no waiting period; see the page return to France and the guide CFE. Settling-in formalities can be read in the page living in Bangladesh.