Living in the U.S. Virgin Islands as a French National: Stay, Cost of Living, Climate and Health

The U.S. Virgin Islands are an unincorporated territory of the United States. The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) brochure recalls that Congress defined this status through the Revised Organic Act of 1954: the governor and lieutenant governor are elected by the territory’s voters for four years, the legislature has 15 senators and a non-voting delegate represents the islands in the House of Representatives in Washington. The three main islands are Saint Croix, Saint John and Saint Thomas.

The Census Bureau counts nearly 87,000 inhabitants. The territory applies federal law on immigration, customs and social security, and has its own institutions for taxation, health and education. The competent French consulate general is the one in Miami, which also covers Puerto Rico (France Diplomatie). The emergency number is 911, as throughout US territory (Department of Tourism).

The territory’s Department of Tourism indicates that the entry conditions for non-citizens are the same as for entering the United States from any foreign country, and that a passport is required on departure for all travellers except US citizens. France Diplomatie (the French foreign ministry) specifies that French nationals travelling under the visa waiver programme apply for an ESTA authorisation before departure, preferably at least 72 hours in advance, valid for 2 years, for a tourist or business stay of 90 days at most, with an electronic or biometric passport. ESTA allows neither professional activity nor enrolment as a student and is not a right of entry: the immigration officer decides on arrival.

Yachtsmen bound for the U.S. Virgin Islands require a visa, even with a previously approved ESTA, as do travellers by private aircraft. A visa is required for a stay of more than 90 days, professional activity, an internship or study, with a medical examination for long-stay visas. Only the married spouse and unmarried children accompany the visa holder: a de facto partner, including a PACS partner, is not recognised (France Diplomatie).

For a lasting move, the category depends on the project: work, study, investment or family ties. On the French side, the departure is declared to the health insurance fund, the CAF and France Travail. Registration on the roll of French nationals living abroad, free and valid for 5 years, is recommended: it eases procedures and allows the consulate to reach you in an emergency.

The Census Bureau measures a median household income close to $40,000 in the U.S. Virgin Islands. This level of local income does not reflect the budget of an expat who keeps a French income, but it sheds light on the services market, and the minimum wage of $10.50 an hour (see working in the U.S. Virgin Islands) indicates the level of basic pay.

No official price or rent index was read for this page: a precise budget is built with local quotes. A structural benchmark appears in the BIR brochure (undated edition): federal customs duties generally reach 6% of the value of goods produced outside US sovereignty, and a territorial excise tax applies to goods imported for sale, at 2% for medicines and clothing and 4% for unlisted items; most foodstuffs are exempt. The rates in force should be confirmed with the BIR. Health spending, which varies greatly by contract, adds to the budget: see the page healthcare system in the U.S. Virgin Islands.

The administrations do not rank the islands by appeal; the official sources do, however, give useful benchmarks for choosing an area.

• Saint Thomas: the Roy Lester Schneider Hospital is located there (9048 Alton Adams Sr Dr). It is also to this hospital that Saint John patients needing extensive care are transferred by boat (Department of Tourism).
• Saint John: the Myrah Keating Smith Community Health Center provides local care; heavier care means a crossing to Saint Thomas, which weighs in the choice of housing for an elderly person or someone with a chronic illness.
• Saint Croix: the Governor Juan F. Luis Hospital and Medical Center is the island’s public hospital.

For the British neighbours, see the page on the British Virgin Islands. As ESTA is not a right of entry, the immigration officer decides on each arrival in US territory (France Diplomatie).

According to the Department of Tourism, the average temperature is 25 °C in winter and 28 °C in summer. NOAA readings for Charlotte Amalie, reproduced by the Department, give highs and lows of about 29 °C and 23 °C in winter, and 32 °C and 27 °C in summer. The trade winds make the heat bearable all year round, and the period from September to November is the wettest, with often brief rains.

The Atlantic hurricane season runs from 1 June to 30 November; the Department of Tourism notes that September and October concentrate the highest risk. In September 2017, major Hurricane Irma hit Saint Thomas and Saint John directly; a few weeks later, on 20 September, Maria passed just south of Saint Croix, with winds of 175 mph (about 282 km/h) just south-east of the island, wind damage across the whole island, many wooden houses destroyed, flooding and landslides (US National Weather Service). FEMA declared the whole territory a disaster area on 5 October 2017.

The territorial emergency management agency (VITEMA) offers an alert service by telephone or email. France Diplomatie reminds us that hurricanes fall into five categories, that there is a watch (Hurricane Watch) and a warning (Hurricane Warning) and that, in case of mandatory evacuation, local authorities’ instructions must be followed to the letter.

France Diplomatie describes the United States as one of the safest countries, with cautionary advice specific to large cities. For the territory, its page draws sailors’ attention to risks of piracy or attacks in the Caribbean area around the U.S. Virgin Islands and advises against sailing alone. The emergency number is 911.

On health, the territory’s Department of Health specifies that dengue is endemic there: cases or an outbreak can occur at any time, with high fever, joint and muscle pain and pain behind the eyes. It also describes Zika and chikungunya, transmitted by the same mosquitoes. France Diplomatie indicates that no curative treatment for dengue exists, that anti-inflammatory drugs should be avoided and that prevention relies on protection against bites. The medical infrastructure is excellent according to France Diplomatie, but at a very high cost, and admission to hospital is subject to a financial guarantee: an assistance contract or insurance covering all medical costs and medical repatriation is deemed essential. Our guide expat health insurance helps compare the options.

The census shows that nearly 70% of inhabitants aged 5 and over speak only English at home; among the others, 70.3% say they speak English “very well” and more than half speak Spanish (Census Bureau). English therefore opens up all everyday and federal procedures, and Spanish is widely encountered.

For schooling following the French curriculum, the AEFE (the agency for French schools abroad) directory of institutions and CNED distance learning are the starting points; the Consulate General in Miami confirms the up-to-date situation before enrolment. The rules for enrolment in the territory’s schools should be requested from the Virgin Islands Department of Education.

• Advantages: a familiar federal legal framework (ESTA, US visas), an accessible everyday language, trade winds that soften the climate and the territory’s Medicaid as well as Medicare for eligible residents.
• Points of vigilance: the hurricane season, dengue, a high cost of care that makes insurance essential, heavy care concentrated on Saint Thomas and Saint Croix, and taxation to check before departure, the France-US tax treaty excluding the Virgin Islands from the definition of the United States (see working in the U.S. Virgin Islands and retiring in the U.S. Virgin Islands).

The page healthcare reimbursement in the U.S. Virgin Islands details who pays what depending on the situation, and the United States page recalls the rules common to the federal territory. Expavy helps you weigh these options against your project.