Retiring in Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba (Caribbean Netherlands) as a French National: Stay, Pension, Taxation and Care

The IND-CN, the immigration service of Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba, lists nationals of the European Union among the nationalities that enter the islands directly. To stay more than three months, a residence permit is required, applied for after arrival; before that, foreigners have free access for 90 days in 180, which the border may shorten depending on the purpose of travel and means of subsistence. France Diplomatie (the French foreign ministry) reminds us that a passport is compulsory and that these municipalities with special status of the Netherlands are not part of the Schengen area. The temporary permit is generally valid for one year, then extended for five years; after five years of continuous stay, an indefinite-duration permit can be requested.

The IND-CN page on means of subsistence distinguishes several profiles close to retirement. The retiree and the person of independent means must show resources equal to 120% of the gross monthly minimum wage; the winter resident, who stays at most six months a year, is subject to the same standard, a couple having to show double. This threshold, expressed in US dollars, is revised every six months; the IND-CN does not publish the up-to-date amounts on this page. The standards are given for guidance and the administration assesses income from local tax administration data; only complete files are accepted, and an incomplete file can extend the wait by five to six months. The exact amount and the documents should be confirmed with the IND-CN before any decision.

From 1 November 2026, new tax documents are added to certain permit applications, which the applicant obtains themselves from the local tax administration, notably for an indefinite-duration permit whose documents depend on the purpose of the previous stay. A retiree permit does not replace a work permit: see the page working in the Caribbean Netherlands.

Assurance retraite indicates that a retiree can receive their pension abroad, into a French account or an account in the country of residence; it is paid in more than 180 countries. A change of address and bank details is reported by post to the regional fund, and a certificate of life, to be completed by a competent authority, arrives every year: failure to return it can suspend payment, and it is sent online from the personal account or by post to the centre for retirees abroad in Tours.

If tax residence is no longer in France, CSG, CRDS and Casa are not withheld from the pension. A health insurance contribution of 3.20% may still be withheld if the retiree remains affiliated to a compulsory French scheme, or if they are a foreign national with at least 15 years of contributions in France. The solidarity allowance for older people (Aspa) and the supplementary disability allowance require residence in France: they are no longer paid abroad, and the application can be made again on return. The departure is reported to the fund.

No tax treaty is published for these islands in the lists consulted. The treaty of 16 March 1973, amended by the amendment of 7 April 2004, defines the Netherlands as the part of the Kingdom located in Europe; its article 30 provides for extension to other territories only by exchange of diplomatic notes, and the list of tax treaties of the French administration (position at 1 January 2026) cites neither Bonaire, nor Saba, nor Sint Eustatius. The right to tax therefore does not rest on a published treaty; tax residence is determined by article 4 B of the French General Tax Code (CGI), according to the home or main place of stay, professional activity and the centre of economic interests, each criterion being enough. A retiree who sets up their home in the Caribbean Netherlands and spends most of the year there confirms their situation with the tax administration before departure.

For French-source income received by a non-resident, the French administration describes a withholding tax applied by the pension fund, after a 10% allowance, on a bracket scale revised each year (rates of 0%, 12% then 20%); the 0% and 12% rates are final. It specifies that this withholding concerns French-source income taxable in France under treaties; where no treaty applies, the characterisation should be confirmed with the tax administration.

On the local side, income tax in the Caribbean Netherlands has two rates (about 29% then 38%), with a tax-free allowance and a supplement for older people, amounts revised each year. A newcomer who knows or supposes they owe tax requests their return form by 15 July of the calendar year following arrival at the latest. For a Dutch old-age pension (AOW) paid to a resident of the Caribbean Netherlands, the local administration indicates that taxation is allocated to the islands and that the income is declared as worldwide income; the pages consulted do not detail the case of a French pension.

According to the Rijksdienst Caribisch Nederland, the general old-age insurance (AOV) is a basic pension for people aged 65 and over who live or work in the Caribbean Netherlands, or who have lived or worked there. The application is made six months before the 65th birthday, at the counter of the social affairs unit or by email; a late application may be retroactive for up to a year. A person who has lived or worked outside the islands may have a reduced pension, and a supplement from local social assistance can then offset the missing years. The same service reminds us that a right may also exist with Aruba, Curaçao, Sint Maarten or the Netherlands, each requiring a separate application.

For a French retiree who has not worked on the islands, no source consulted mentions an entitlement to the AOV; the French pension remains the reference resource for the permit. A person who still works on site contributes: the tax administration indicates an AOV premium of 25% on a capped base (amount revised each year).

The S1 form allows a retiree to be attached to the health insurance of their country of residence when it is in the European Union, the European Economic Area, Switzerland or the United Kingdom. According to Assurance Maladie (French health insurance), in a country outside that perimeter with no agreement, health costs are no longer covered by French Assurance Maladie; the retiree can join the Caisse des Français de l’Étranger or take out private insurance. France Diplomatie specifies that the European Health Insurance Card does not cover Bonaire, Saba and Sint Eustatius, and that insurance covering all medical costs and repatriation is essential.

On site, ZJCN insures anyone who resides lawfully on the island, after registration in the population register, for care on the three islands; it organises medical evacuation when care does not exist locally. The CFE offers a plan for retirees of a French basic scheme with no professional activity, with no health questionnaire; it covers care abroad, while care in France falls under the basic scheme, and the retired spouse and minor children are also covered abroad. Details of reimbursements are in the page healthcare reimbursement in the Caribbean Netherlands, how the system works in the page healthcare system in the Caribbean Netherlands, and the guide retiree health insurance abroad compares the options.

No official source consulted ranks towns or gives a typical retiree budget. The CBS publishes the inflation of the three islands, with marked rises in fuel and airfares. The CBS also publishes the change in average purchasing power by island. The currency is the US dollar.

Bonaire is by far the most populous island, with about 27,600 inhabitants against about 3,300 in Sint Eustatius and 2,300 in Saba, and the best connected by air: Flamingo airport welcomes far more passengers than those of Sint Eustatius and of Saba. For a retiree, proximity to the hospital (Fundashon Mariadal in Bonaire, Saba Cares in Saba) and to air links matters more than the price of housing, which the sources consulted do not publish; see the page living in the Caribbean Netherlands. The hurricane season, from June to November, mainly affects Saba and Sint Eustatius according to the KNMI.

Before departure, report the change of address to the pension fund, plan for the annual certificate of life, choose between the CFE and private insurance and check your tax situation. On arrival, apply for the permit from the IND-CN, register with the island’s civil registry to obtain the sédula, then with ZJCN. On returning to France, according to service-public.gouv.fr, a former CFE contributor can keep certain benefits for three months, and health cover otherwise requires three consecutive months of residence with form S1106; see return to France. Expavy helps compare an expat health insurance and the CFE according to the retiree profile.