Working in Papua New Guinea as a French National: Authorisation, Contract, Taxes and Job Market

France Diplomatie reminds us that a French national needs a visa for any stay of less than three months and that the categories open online are the 60-day tourist visa, the short-term business visa, the humanitarian or volunteer worker visa and the journalist visa. Its pages detail no work permit or residence permit: these procedures fall under the Immigration and Citizenship Authority, whose website could not be reached at the time of consultation, and the entry visa is not an employment authorisation. The local employer assembles the file in practice; the documents, deadlines and fees should be confirmed with the authority before signing a contract or starting an assignment.

Before departure, proof of valid polio vaccination is required on entry, and on exit for any stay of more than four weeks. The guide to living in Papua New Guinea details the formalities, safety and housing conditions, which bear directly on expatriation contracts. Before signing, also ask the employer for the list of documents to provide, the processing schedule and the date on which the authorisation will actually be issued, and plan a fallback, with a changeable ticket, if the file is delayed.

With no agreement with France, the employer’s status determines social protection. An employee seconded by a French company remains affiliated to the French scheme during the assignment, under secondment law outside an agreement; duration, contributions and formalities should be checked with the Urssaf (the French social security contributions collector) and the CLEISS before departure. An employee hired locally is an expatriate within the meaning of the Assurance Maladie (the French national health insurance): they no longer fall under the French scheme and depend on the scheme of the country of work. See seconded or expatriate and the glossary entry local contract.

• Before departure: declare the transfer of residence to the CPAM (the primary health insurance fund) within the month following the end of residence in France, return the Carte Vitale and the European Health Insurance Card (Assurance Maladie).
• On site: the employer pays pension contributions to an approved pension fund; Nasfund, one of the main ones, has more than 756,000 member accounts. This savings does not cover medical costs: health protection is built separately.
• Supplement: the CFE (Caisse des Français de l’étranger, the French social security fund for nationals abroad) makes it possible to remain in the French scheme and to avoid waiting periods and lost pension quarters on return (Assurance Maladie); see CFE contributions.

No official source read publishes, at the date of this check, the minimum wage in force or a pay scale: the Ministry of Labour and Industrial Relations sets the rules and should be consulted before signing. For an expatriate position, the contract often includes items that legislation does not detail, such as secure housing, organised transport, leave tickets and health insurance with evacuation, hence the value of negotiating them in writing. France Diplomatie recommends using secure accommodation and transport, which weighs on the budget of the employer as well as that of the employee.

The National Statistical Office publishes price indices and national accounts. The “Economic benchmarks” block on this page gives updated growth, inflation and exchange rate; they help to place pay in kina against expenses in euros. Foreign employers frequently provide remoteness or security allowances, housing and return leave; ask for each item to appear in the contract, with the currency and frequency, and check the tax treatment of each benefit in the country and in France.

The country’s tax administration (Internal Revenue Commission) sets income tax and the goods and services tax; its website could not be reached at the time of consultation, and no official source read confirms the rates, thresholds or the tax residence rule. Ask the employer for a sample payslip and ask the local administration. The Nasfund pension fund indicates for its part that the employer contributes for the employee to an approved pension fund; the exact rates can be read on its website, as well as the withdrawal rules and exit taxation, one fund indicating for example that savings kept for at least 15 years reduce the exit tax to 0%.

On the French side, a taxpayer moving abroad declares the transfer of their tax domicile; income from French sources remains taxable under the non-resident regime, with withholding tax on salaries and pensions of 0% up to €17,122, 12% up to €49,667 and 20% above, after a 10% allowance (scale revised each year, impots.gouv.fr). No tax treaty between France and Papua New Guinea could be confirmed in the sources read; the tax office for non-resident individuals rules on double taxation cases.

A self-employed person wishing to operate locally falls under an activity authorisation and a tax registration whose conditions the pages read do not detail; they should inquire with the Immigration and Citizenship Authority and the tax administration. For self-employed workers, farmers and small entrepreneurs, Nasfund offers a voluntary retirement savings product called Eda Supa. A self-employed person’s health protection is built alone, with the CFE or international insurance. The 60-day tourist visa is not suited to a lasting settlement. See digital nomad insurance.

The security context described by France Diplomatie, with very high vigilance in the large urban centres, frequent power cuts and a risk of piracy in Milne Bay, conditions how a self-employed activity is organised: plan secure housing and office, data backups, backup power supply and planned travel.

The contract specifies the employer, the position, the gross pay and its currency, the duration, the probation period, leave and notice. The offer letter states who submits the work authorisation application and who bears the costs, and what happens to the spouse and children. The employer states the pension fund to which it pays retirement contributions and what else it provides: secure housing, transport, medical evacuation. France Diplomatie reminds us that the embassy covers no medical costs and that evacuations, notably to Cairns, are very costly: require insurance covering all costs and repatriation, and check that the contract provides for a return in case of termination.

Industry represents about 36% of value added, services about 42% and agriculture about 17% (World Bank); tourism is only a marginal item of exports, around 0.04%. The National Statistical Office reports sustained real growth, driven by agriculture and mining, and a trade surplus. The currency is the kina; a salary converted into euros remains exposed to exchange rate movements.

The outlook depends on commodities, the state of infrastructure, electricity supply and security. To prepare a project, cross-check these benchmarks with the pages healthcare system and healthcare reimbursement, then with the country page.