Retirement in the Northern Mariana Islands: Stay, French Pension, Taxation, Medicare and Retiree Health

Entry rules are those of the United States. France Diplomatie indicates that ESTA, valid for 2 years, allows a tourist or business stay of 90 days at most, with no professional activity or study, and that it is not a right of entry. A visa is required for a stay of more than 90 days, with a medical examination for long-stay visas. The France Diplomatie page does not mention the Northern Mariana Islands and describes no visa category specific to retirees: the applicable procedure should be confirmed with CBP before booking. Overstaying the authorised period leads to removal and, generally, an entry ban of several years.

The Guam and Northern Mariana Islands visa waiver programme, with a maximum duration of 45 days and limited to Guam or the CNMI, is a scheme separate from ESTA; the electronic travel authorisation has been mandatory there since 29 November 2024, and the list of eligible nationalities set by federal regulation (8 CFR 212.1) does not include France. The statuses specific to the territory, CW-1 and CW-2, are statuses for workers and worker families, valid only in the CNMI (USCIS); they do not suit a retirement project. A lasting residence project is prepared with the French Consulate General in San Francisco, responsible for the Pacific islands according to France Diplomatie, and with an immigration lawyer. Registration on the roll of French nationals living abroad is recommended as soon as you settle (see living in the Northern Mariana Islands).

The social security agreement between France and the United States, signed on 2 March 1987 and in force since 1 July 1988, coordinates three branches: disability, old age and survivors. CLEISS describes its territorial scope on the US side as the federated states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Guam and American Samoa; the text of the agreement repeats this list and does not name the Northern Mariana Islands. How the agreement applies to a residence in the CNMI, notably for combining French and American insurance periods, should be confirmed with the Cnav, CLEISS and your pension funds before departure.

On the American side, CLEISS reminds readers that the Social Security old-age pension requires 40 quarters of insurance, or about ten years of work; a quarter is credited from a minimum income revised each year. The full-rate age reaches 67 for people born from 1960, and early retirement is possible from age 62 with a reduced pension. A retiree who has never worked in the United States draws their income from their French entitlements, their savings and any private annuities.

The France-US tax treaty of 31 August 1994 defines in its article 3 the term “United States” as the United States of America, without Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Guam or any other territory or possession of the United States (consolidated version published by the French tax administration). The text does not name the Northern Mariana Islands. Article 18, which allocates the taxation of pensions between the two contracting states, therefore cannot be taken for granted for a retiree settled in the CNMI, and their situation should be confirmed before departure with the French tax administration, the CNMI Division of Revenue and Taxation and the IRS.

On the French side, the tax administration defines tax residence by the home or main place of stay, the main professional activity and the centre of economic interests; a single criterion is enough, and it recommends systematically contacting the local tax administration when living abroad. A French-source pension paid to a non-resident is subject to withholding tax applied after a 10% allowance: for income, three brackets (0%, 12% and 20%) revised each year, the 0% and 12% brackets being final and the 20% bracket creditable against the tax. If the retiree is no longer a French tax resident, they pay neither CSG, nor CRDS, nor Casa on their pension, and a health contribution of 3.2% (basic pension) or 4.2% (supplementary pension) may be withheld as long as they remain attached to a French scheme (CLEISS).

On the territorial and federal side, the IRS explains that people with income in the CNMI generally file a single return, either with the CNMI or with the United States. Bona fide residents of the CNMI, whether citizens, permanent residents or non-US-resident aliens, file their return with the CNMI Division of Revenue and Taxation including their worldwide income and, if they pay it in full, generally have no federal return, apart from self-employment tax. A mutual agreement procedure exists between the United States and the CNMI for cases of double taxation. Bona fide resident status requires three tests: sufficient presence (183 days in the year or one of the alternatives provided), a tax home in the CNMI and a closer connection to the territory than to the United States or a foreign country. US citizens and residents who are not bona fide residents file a federal return and attach form 5074 when their adjusted gross income reaches $50,000 and their CNMI-source income $5,000. The CNMI Division of Revenue and Taxation can be reached on +1 670 664 1040 (revtaxinfo@dof.gov.mp). The arrangements for eliminating double taxation of a French pension should be confirmed with it and a French-American tax adviser who secures the set-up before departure.

CLEISS specifies that the 1987 agreement contains no provision allowing reimbursement of care received in the United States under a French pension: form S1 does not exist for this destination. For cover on site, two routes are offered: voluntary CFE membership for a French national, or private insurance, CLEISS keeping no list of private insurance companies. The CFE retirees’ plan is for holders of a pension from the French basic scheme with no professional activity, asks for no health questionnaire whatever the age and has a contribution depending on the country, age and family composition. It covers care provided abroad; cover is immediate if membership takes place before departure or within three months, otherwise a waiting period of three months (under 44) or six months (from 45) applies. See the guide health insurance for retirees abroad.

For stays in France, a retiree’s care is covered if they receive a pension from a French basic scheme, do not work and can show at least 15 years of insurance in France; a hospital stay of more than one month requires prior recognition, and the accompanying spouse is not covered (CLEISS). International insurance with worldwide cover completes the arrangement; see retirement abroad insurance.

Medicare covers people aged 65 and over. According to CMS, US citizens and qualified immigrants with at least 40 quarters of contributions receive Part A, hospital insurance, premium-free. Without enough quarters, Part A can be bought, with a reduced monthly premium from 30 quarters and a higher one below that. Part B (doctors) carries a monthly premium and an annual deductible, as does Part A for hospitalisation; these amounts are revised each year (CMS). For Part B, permanent residents must show five years of residence.

A French retiree with no permanent resident card or contribution history therefore cannot count on Medicare on arrival and arranges their cover through the CFE or private insurance. CNMI Medicaid, administered by the Commonwealth Medicaid Agency, is for people assessed as eligible, with a five-year waiting period for many qualified immigrants (CMS): the page healthcare system in the Northern Mariana Islands details these schemes, and the page healthcare reimbursement in the Northern Mariana Islands compares the situations. CNMI residents are not eligible for the federal Marketplace (CMS).

The official sources read live publish neither a median rent, nor a consumer price index, nor a ranking of the islands by their appeal to retirees. The Census Bureau counts about 18,000 housing units and about 47,000 inhabitants. They do, however, document the hazards that matter in choosing an area: the three inhabited islands, Saipan, Tinian and Rota, each have a Commonwealth Healthcare Corporation facility with an emergency department open 24 hours a day, but the CDC notes that emergency care may be limited and recommends medical evacuation insurance; typhoons, whose activity peaks from September to November without ruling out the rest of the year (NOAA / NWS Guam), and dengue complete the picture. A reconnaissance visit should therefore be organised by consulting the notices of the American weather service in Guam and CNMI services.

A retiree’s budget also includes health insurance, which is a significant item, and the cost of a possible medical repatriation. Benchmarks on housing, climate and formalities are in the page living in the Northern Mariana Islands.

• Choose the immigration route suited to the project, with a specialist lawyer and the Consulate General in San Francisco; confirm the applicable entry rules for the Northern Mariana Islands with CBP.
• Have the taxation of the pension estimated by a French-American adviser, without presuming that the treaty applies.
• Ask the Cnav and CLEISS about the application of the social security agreement to a residence in the Northern Mariana Islands.
• Notify the pension fund, Assurance Maladie, the CAF and the tax administration of the departure.
• Arrange health cover from the day of arrival: CFE, private insurance with medical evacuation, then Medicare if the conditions are met.
• Organise medical follow-up: medical file, current treatments (a French prescription does not allow you to buy medicines in the United States) and care stays in France.
• Prepare for typhoons all year round: supplies, local guidance and shelter.
• Register on the roll of French nationals living abroad and keep proof of residence.

The United States page recalls the rules common to the federal territory, and Expavy compares international health cover suited to retirees.