Living in Guam as a French National: Entry, Stay, Housing, Schooling, Typhoons and Health

Guam is a territory of the United States. The Department of the Interior notes that Guam became an American territory in 1898, initially placed under Navy authority, and that the Organic Act of 1950 conferred American citizenship on Guamanians, established the territory’s government and transferred federal jurisdiction to the Department of the Interior. The territory has a governor and its own administrations: public health, education, labour, revenue and taxation. Immigration rules, the currency and the social security system, however, fall under the American federal framework.

The decennial census counts about 154,000 inhabitants, down from the previous census. The Census Bureau also publishes, for Guam, a median household income of around $58,000 and a homeownership rate of a little over half. As for languages, a 1974 law (P.L. 12-132) made Chamorro and English the official languages of Guam, English remaining the reference language (Chamorro Language Commission): forms and administrative procedures are carried out in English.

Among the advantages documented by official sources: an American legal framework, a local administration that offers online tax services, and a job market where the Guam Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a modest unemployment rate and total employment of around 68,000 jobs. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics ranks among the best-paid jobs legal occupations (around $43 an hour on average), healthcare occupations (around $42) and management (around $41).

The points of attention are just as factual. The average hourly wage remains below the American national average (about $22 against more than $33). Care is not coordinated with French Sécurité sociale and France Diplomatie considers an assistance or insurance contract covering all medical costs essential. Typhoons set the rhythm of life on the island, and a resident’s taxation should be checked with the administrations concerned (see the page on working in Guam). For a family project, three questions structure the decision: entry status (ESTA allows neither work nor study), health protection (no coordination with French Sécurité sociale) and taxation. These points are settled before arrival. For the insurance aspects, see the healthcare system in Guam and healthcare reimbursement.

Price trends in Guam are monitored by the Bureau of Statistics and Plans (BSP), which publishes a consumer price index every quarter; the economic benchmarks block on this page reproduces its updated indicators. For housing, no official source read publishes a median rent for Guam. The decennial census indicates that a little over half of households are owners, which points to a market where home ownership coexists with renting. A rent should therefore be confirmed against specific offers before signing a lease.

On income, the Bureau of Labor Statistics gives an average hourly wage of about $22, and the Guam Bureau of Labor Statistics reports weekly earnings of about $740 for non-supervisory private-sector employees. These benchmarks should be set against the housing budget, and a realistic health budget should be planned, an insurance premium being a significant item.

France Diplomatie describes for the United States a stay of 90 days at most with ESTA, to be requested at least 72 hours before departure, valid for 2 years, with an electronic or biometric passport. It is not a right of entry and authorises neither work, paid or unpaid, nor study. A visa is required beyond 90 days, with a medical examination for long-stay visas. This France Diplomatie page does not mention Guam: before booking, confirm the applicable procedure with CBP.

For a lasting move, you need a visa suited to the project (work, study or another American status): a stay under ESTA does not allow you to settle. See the page working in Guam.

Registration on the roll of French nationals living abroad is done with the French Consulate General in San Francisco, whose district includes Guam. It is recommended as soon as you settle.

Public education falls under the Guam Department of Education (GDOE), one of the territory’s own administrations. English is the reference language of Guam, and enrolment procedures are carried out in that language.

No accredited French school was identified in the official sources consulted for Guam. Families who wish to maintain a French curriculum should ask the French Consulate General in San Francisco about the solutions available. See also expat family insurance.

The “Safety” section of France Diplomatie devoted to the United States does not describe Guam; France Diplomatie invites French nationals planning to travel to Guam to consult its travel advice before departure, to register on Ariane and, in the event of a storm or typhoon alert, to follow the information from Guam Homeland Security and from the American weather service.

The French Consulate General in San Francisco is responsible for Guam. An assistance contract covering medical costs and medical repatriation is deemed essential by France Diplomatie for the United States; see repatriation and assistance.

Guam lies in the western North Pacific Ocean, an area exposed to tropical cyclones. The American weather service in Guam (NOAA / NWS) specifies in its annual outlooks that cyclone activity peaks from September to November for many places in the region, but that cyclones can occur all year round: there is therefore no period truly free of risk. In May 2023, the Guam hospital authority described Typhoon Mawar as the worst typhoon in 22 years, with residents deprived of water, electricity and oxygen in the days that followed.

A typhoon can change quickly, in both track and intensity. The official guidance from Guam Homeland Security (GHS/OCD) relies on numbered preparedness levels, the “Conditions of Readiness” (COR 1 to COR 4), and its public advisories detail what to do at each stage: stocks of food, water and medicines, protecting windows and doors, bringing in outdoor objects, identifying a shelter and getting ready for a possible evacuation. This guidance should be consulted directly on the GHS/OCD website at the time of the stay.

France Diplomatie reminds travellers that the vaccinations of the French schedule must be up to date and that dengue, transmitted by mosquito bite, has no curative treatment: prevention relies on protection against bites. The vaccines recommended for Guam and the health risks are detailed in the page healthcare system in Guam.

Expavy compares the international health cover suited to a stay in Guam; the page health insurance in Guam summarises the requirements and costs.