Retiring in Bermuda as a French National: Residence, Taxation and Health

The official sources consulted describe no specific retiree visa. French nationals are not among the nationalities of the prohibition of entry order of 17 July 2025 and tourists complete the digital arrival card. To settle, the government points to permission to reside on an annual basis (section 32 of the Immigration and Protection Act), generally granted for one year and which may cover up to five years. The published fees are $275 (about €245) for up to one year and $1,215 (about €1,082) for up to five years.

According to the government's “Permissions to Reside in Bermuda” brochure (a document published on gov.bm, which could not be opened directly during consultation and whose conditions are given here from the text returned), the applicant must prove an annual income of at least $75,000 (about €66,815), hold private health insurance for the whole stay, reside in Bermuda at least 90 days per calendar year and refrain from seeking or taking up local employment. These conditions should be reconfirmed with the Department of Immigration before taking any steps. The file includes a police certificate, a medical certificate for a first settlement, professional and personal references, the passport and information on financial support.

A retiree with greater wealth can aim for the Economic Investment Residential Certificate, which requires a minimum of $2.5 million (about €2.23 million) invested, for example in real estate or in a Bermudian company; the policy was revised with effect from 31 March 2023. The Permanent Resident's Certificate (PRC), associated in particular with 20 years of habitual residence, gives the right to live, work and buy a property with a lower annual rental value; it does not automatically confer Bermudian status.

The BOFiP list of tax treaties concluded by France, in force, does not include Bermuda. The two States are linked by an agreement in the form of an exchange of letters on the exchange of tax information (signed in Paris on 2 October 2009 and in Hamilton on 8 October 2009, in force since 28 October 2010): it organises cooperation between administrations without allocating taxing rights. It is therefore French domestic law that applies. Tax residence remains in France if the home or main place of stay, professional activity or centre of economic interests is there (article 4 B of the French General Tax Code); a single criterion is enough.

For a person tax resident outside France, pensions of French source are subject to withholding tax (article 182 A of the General Tax Code). The base is the amount paid after a 10% allowance, and the bracket scale, revised each year, applies rates of 0%, 12% then 20%. The 0% and 12% bands are final; the 20% withholding is credited against the tax due with a minimum rate of 20% (article 197 A). If several funds pay pensions, the withholding may be underestimated and a regularisation is provided for by article 197 B of the General Tax Code (the tax administration's notice 2041-E). The Government of Bermuda states that individuals pay no local income tax, so no local income tax is added to this levy.

CLEISS (the French centre for European and international social security liaison) specifies that a retiree who is no longer tax resident in France pays neither CSG, nor CRDS, nor Casa. If the retiree still depends on a French scheme, a health insurance contribution is withheld from their pensions, at the usual rates of 3.2% on the basic pension, 4.2% on the supplementary pension and 7.1% for self-employed workers' pensions. To compare the options, the guide drawing your pension abroad recalls the steps to take with the funds.

Form S1 is valid in the European Union and does not apply in Bermuda. CLEISS asks the retiree to check with the local institutions to what extent the local scheme covers their care, then to join the CFE voluntarily or take out private insurance. Three routes exist. The Health Insurance Department's public FutureCare plan, open to residents aged 65 and over, costs $530.14 (about €472) for people eligible for the age subsidy, which requires Bermudian status and ten continuous years of residence in the previous twenty, and $1,528.48 (about €1,362) for the others. The HIP, from $459.24 to $1,239.60 depending on age and eligibility, remains open to ages 18 and over. The Department's page does not state the frequency of these amounts; its brochure presents them as monthly premiums.

The second route is the CFE retiree offer, with a contribution depending on country, age and family situation: it is reserved for people retired from a French basic scheme, with no health questionnaire, with immediate cover if membership takes place before departure or within three months of settling, then a waiting period of three months for those under 44 or six months for those over 45. The third is international health insurance with medical evacuation: the public plans limit hospitalisation abroad to 45 days over twelve months for the same diagnosis and do not pay for the air ambulance. Private insurance is required in any case for permission to reside.

During a temporary stay in France, cover applies to holders of a French pension who can show at least 15 years of insurance in France and who have no professional activity; the accompanying spouse is not covered and must take out insurance before the stay. See the guide health insurance for retirees abroad and the page healthcare reimbursement in Bermuda.

The official sources publish no typical budget for a retiree. The Department of Statistics publishes the consumer price index, by item: health and personal care, food, transport and travel abroad, fuel and electricity. The government acknowledges an acute housing shortage (ministerial statement of 10 November 2023) and states that a large share of the rental stock is subject to rent control legislation; land tax is paid twice a year, in March and September, by owners and long-term tenants.

The conversions on this page are based on the ECB reference rate, the Bermuda dollar being at par with the US dollar. The “Economic benchmarks” block above gives updated inflation and the exchange rate. For home insurance suited to hurricanes, the government recommends checking, before the season from 1 June to 30 November, that the cover is sufficient.

No official source consulted ranks the parishes by their appeal to retirees. The territory measures about 54 km² and has two municipalities, Hamilton and St. George's. One decisive criterion is proximity to care: the King Edward VII Memorial Hospital is the only emergency department in the territory, according to a Ministry of Health and Bermuda Hospitals Board statement, and the emergency number is 911. The hurricane season finally requires finding out about the robustness of the housing and about the emergency station 100.1 FM.

A retiree who remains on the roll of French nationals living abroad comes under the Consulate General of France in New York (934 Fifth Avenue), whose district includes Bermuda; registration is valid for five years. The guide living in Bermuda details the climate, schooling and formalities.

Service-public states that, for a return from a country outside the European Economic Area, a CFE member can keep their expatriate benefits for three months after returning, under conditions. A retiree who is not covered by a social security agreement, which is the case for Bermuda, can apply for universal health cover with form S1106 if they meet the stable and regular residence conditions. According to the CFE retiree offer page, no waiting period applies on returning to France and the retiree automatically rejoins the general scheme. See the page return to France.