Retiring in India: Stay, Visa, Taxation of the French Pension, Access to Care and Popular Cities

The official Indian visa portal lists twelve categories: business, diplomatic, employment, family, journalist, medical, official, Pakistan-specific, student, tourist, transit and miscellaneous. None is devoted to retirees: a French retiree therefore chooses the status that matches their situation, and the Indian embassy in Paris confirms the suitable visa before departure. Three cases are common.

• Tourist e-visa: online application, open to French nationals; the duration is 30 days, one year or five years, with a maximum stay of 180 days per calendar year for the long visas. It can be neither extended nor converted into another visa, and it gives no access to protected, restricted and cantonment areas.
• OCI card for the spouse of an Indian citizen: a foreign spouse whose marriage has been registered for at least two years can apply, after a security check. It is first issued for 5 years, then becomes a lifelong multiple-entry visa, with exemption from FRRO registration. It does not give the right to vote or to buy agricultural land.
• OCI card for people of Indian origin: it is meant for former Indian citizens and their descendants, under the conditions published by the Indian administration.

For any visa, registration with the FRRO or FRO is required when the cumulative stay over the calendar year or the continuous stay exceeds 180 days (Bureau of Immigration). The guide to retiring abroad and the page on retirement insurance abroad gather the benchmarks common to all countries.

The social security agreement of 30 September 2008, in force since 1 July 2011, provides for the export of benefits earned in the territory of one of the contracting states to the other, for all holders whatever their nationality, and for the totalisation of insurance periods completed in both countries to open rights (CLEISS, the French liaison centre for international social security). A French retiree therefore receives their pension in India.

The Assurance retraite (the French state pension fund) asks to be told of the new address and bank details; the pension is paid into a French or foreign account. A certificate of existence is sent every year: it is completed by the local authorities and returned within the deadline, failing which payment may be suspended. Means-tested benefits, such as the ASPA and the ASI, cannot be received abroad. See the guides to receiving your pension abroad and quarters worked abroad.

French tax residence depends on the home, the main place of stay (183 days or more in the year), the main occupation and the centre of economic interests (service-public.fr). On the Indian side, an individual is resident from 182 days of presence in the financial year, or 60 days in the year and 365 days over the previous four years (Indian tax administration). A retiree living in India can thus come under both states: article 4 of the treaty of 29 September 1992, in force since 1 August 1994, settles the matter according to the permanent home, the centre of vital interests, the habitual abode and then nationality.

• Public pensions (article 19 §2): pensions paid by a state or authority for services rendered are taxable only in the paying state.
• Pensions of the public social security scheme (article 20 §4): taxable only in the state that pays them, which designates France for the French basic pension.
• Private pensions and annuities (article 20 §1): taxable only in the beneficiary’s state of residence. The classification of supplementary pensions should be confirmed with the tax administration.
• Double taxation (article 25): for a resident of India, India may include in its tax base a pension taxable only in France, but grants a deduction equal to the corresponding portion of tax; for a resident of France, Indian income taxable in India gives entitlement to a tax credit or an exemption, depending on its nature.

A non-resident of France pays tax on French-source income, at a minimum rate of 20% up to €29,579 and 30% beyond for income received in 2025, with the option to request the average rate if it is more favourable (service-public.fr). A consultation with the non-resident tax office clarifies the situation before departure.

A retiree who leaves to live outside the European Union no longer has their healthcare costs covered by the French Assurance Maladie in the country of residence. The S1 form applies in Europe: see the guide S1 form: how to use it. As the France-India agreement does not cover sickness, three solutions are available.

• CFE, retirees’ plan: from €147 a month, reserved for holders of a pension from the French basic scheme, with minor children and the retired spouse, with no health questionnaire; reimbursement follows scales specific to the country of care. It covers care received abroad.
• CNAREFE (the Assurance Maladie centre for French retirees living abroad): during a temporary stay in France, a retiree of the general scheme with no activity is covered if they have contributed at least 15 years to a French scheme; a hospital stay of more than one month requires prior medical approval, and a spouse living abroad does not benefit.
• International insurance: it gives access to private clinics, with direct billing and medical evacuation; prior medical history and age weigh on the conditions and on the premium.

Indian public schemes, including Ayushman Bharat for hospital care, are meant for eligible Indian citizens. The guide to retiree health insurance abroad, the page healthcare reimbursement in India and the Indian healthcare system detail each option; Expavy helps you compare contracts according to age and medical history.

The cost of living varies widely with the city, the district and the lifestyle: housing, domestic services, travel and above all health make up the budget. For a retiree, the health insurance premium rises with age, and care outside the network remains at their expense in private clinics: the health budget is built from real quotes. The guide to budgeting for health abroad offers a method.

Indicators on growth, inflation and exchange rates appear in the “Economic indicators” block of this page. The pension is expressed in euros while everyday expenses are paid in rupees: a safety margin against exchange-rate movements secures the budget, and the regular transfer of the pension to a local account is arranged with the bank before departure.

• Pondicherry: former French trading post, with a consulate general and an international French lycée. The consulate covers Pondicherry, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Lakshadweep, and has an office in Chennai. JIPMER, a large public hospital, is located on site.
• Kerala: coastal state in the south, attached to the consulate general in Pondicherry for consular procedures.
• Goa: coastal territory under the consulate general in Mumbai, appreciated for its setting and its tourist offer.
• Bangalore: large city in the south, seat of a consulate general that also covers Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.

Before choosing, a retiree checks access to a hospital with an emergency department, the climate (monsoon, heat, pollution depending on the city) and the proximity of a consulate. A trial stay of a few weeks, on a tourist visa, makes it possible to test a city before committing; the page living in India details housing, safety and formalities.