Living in the Cook Islands as a French National: Entry, Stay, Housing, Schooling, Cyclones and Health

The Cook Islands are a state in free association with New Zealand since 4 August 1965. France Diplomatie (the French foreign ministry) describes a parliamentary monarchy whose head of state, Charles III, is represented locally, with a head of government and institutions of its own. The inhabitants are New Zealand citizens, and the country maintains diplomatic relations with some sixty states, including France; it has no embassy of its own to France, and it is the French embassy in New Zealand, in Wellington, that is responsible for the archipelago.

The France Diplomatie page gives about 17,500 inhabitants (Cook Islands Statistics Office), an area of 240 km², a capital, Avarua, on the island of Rarotonga, and two official languages: English and Cook Islands Maori. It cites the Cook Islands dollar and the New Zealand dollar as currencies. Administrative procedures are therefore carried out in English.

Among the advantages documented by official sources: visa-free entry for short stays, a vigilance level described as “normal” by France Diplomatie, a protected lagoon around Rarotonga, an administration that processes permit applications online, a minimum wage reviewed every year and growing tourism that supports employment. The Minister of Finance’s budget speech notes economic growth and rising visitor arrivals.

The points of attention are just as factual. Remoteness requires air logistics for most complex care, which the local health system does not provide. No social security agreement links France and the Cook Islands: the carte Vitale has no effect on site and an assistance contract covering medical costs and repatriation is deemed essential by France Diplomatie. Buying land is ruled out for a foreigner. For a family project, three questions structure the decision: the permit suited to the project, health protection with evacuation and taxation (see the page working in the Cook Islands).

Most administrative, hospital and commercial provision is in Rarotonga, where the government, the Ministry of Health and the public hospital are based. The Ministry of Health’s five neighbourhood clinics (Puna Clinics) cover the island: Blackrock, Tupapa, Nikao, Matavera and Titikaveka. The Tupapa primary care centre also provides consultations by appointment and telephone consultations.

The outer islands, grouped under the name Pa Enua, have local health facilities; patients who need heavier treatment are transferred to Rarotonga hospital, under the Ministry of Health’s referral policy. The care fee schedule and the Ministry of Finance (PAYE scale) also provide there for rules different from those of Rarotonga. For a first move, the official sources do not rank neighbourhoods or islands: the choice is made on proximity to care, school and workplace, after a reconnaissance stay within the visitor time limits.

The Statistics Office publishes the Rarotonga household consumer price index every quarter (199 items, 2019 base). It records a rise in prices over one year, with transport in the lead, ahead of alcoholic beverages and tobacco and food. It does not isolate a housing category. No official source read publishes a median rent for Rarotonga: a rent should therefore be confirmed against specific offers before signing a lease.

On land, the Business Trade and Investment Board and the Ministry of Justice indicate that foreigners cannot own land in the Cook Islands but can lease it, for 60 years at most. The leasing procedure goes through a plan drawn up by a surveyor, the owners’ consent at a meeting, approval by the Land Court, a confirmation hearing before the High Court, then signature and registration of the lease; the ministry displayed indicative fees of 410 New Zealand dollars (about €208). On income, the minimum wage is reviewed every year by the government. The conversions on this page are based on the ECB reference rate.

France Diplomatie indicates that no visa is required for 31 days at most, subject to a passport still valid six months after the end of the stay, a return ticket or one to a third country and proof of accommodation presented on arrival. The international visitor permit can be extended by 31 days for 115 New Zealand dollars (about €58), within the limit of 8 months of visitor stay at a time. The long-stay visitor permit costs 470 New Zealand dollars (about €238) and requires health insurance for its whole duration; beyond six months of stay, good character and an acceptable state of health must be established.

To settle, the permit depends on the project: international worker, skilled worker or resident investor, spouse, child or student (details in the page working in the Cook Islands). A taxpayer number (form RM1 from the Revenue Management Division) is requested from people who receive local income. On the French side, the Wellington embassy is responsible and an honorary consul can be reached in Rarotonga (France Diplomatie).

The Cook Islands Ministry of Education publishes a school directory and an education master plan. No accredited French school was identified in the official sources consulted for the Cook Islands: families who wish to maintain a French curriculum should ask the French embassy in Wellington about the distance solutions available.

On the immigration side, a child accompanying a parent who holds a worker permit receives an international child permit (470 New Zealand dollars, or about €238), which runs until the end of the parent’s permit; the conditions for schooling a foreign child should be confirmed with the Ministry of Education, as the pages read publish neither a fee nor an enrolment rule for this case. See also expat family insurance.

France Diplomatie classes the whole of the Cook Islands at normal vigilance. Its practical advice: avoid carrying valuables or large sums in cash, keep passports, tickets and visas in the accommodation safe with photocopies on you, and avoid driving at night. Waters outside the lagoon are dangerous: do not leave the lagoon through the narrow passes around Rarotonga by swimming or kayak. There are no lifeguards at sea or on the beaches, and no decompression chamber in the country, the nearest being in Tahiti and New Zealand; insurance must cover the activities undertaken. The archipelago is also seismically active: in the event of a tsunami alert, head for high ground following the signs.

The emergency number is 999. The French embassy in Wellington can be reached on +64 4 384 25 55, with an on-call number for absolute emergencies outside office hours (+64 21 399 309), and the honorary consul in Rarotonga on +682 55102. An assistance contract covering medical costs and medical repatriation is deemed essential; see repatriation and assistance.

According to France Diplomatie, the cyclone season runs from November to the end of April. The official instruction is to follow the radio (88 FM) and television as well as the local authorities; in the event of a pre-alert, return to your accommodation and suspend travel until the alert ends. In a life-threatening emergency, the number is 999.

On health, France Diplomatie reminds travellers that the vaccinations of the French schedule must be up to date and recommends, depending on the length of stay, vaccines against hepatitis A, typhoid and hepatitis B. Dengue is a risk described by France Diplomatie, with no curative treatment: prevention relies on protection against mosquito bites. The detail, including the situation reported by the Ministry of Health, is in the page healthcare system in the Cook Islands. Expavy compares the international health cover suited to a stay in the Cook Islands; the page health insurance in the Cook Islands summarises the requirements and costs.