Expat insurance and health insurance in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

The Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Ministry of Health publishes the list of the country's hospitals, by health district: the Milton Cato Memorial Hospital in Kingstown, the Levi Latham Hospital in Marriaqua, the Chateaubelair Hospital, the Bequia Hospital and the Clifton Union Island Hospital. It also presents community health, geriatric, mental health and laboratory services. The details of how the system is financed and of the rates applicable to non-residents are not specified on the ministry pages consulted: they should be requested from the facility or the ministry before care.

CLEISS does not publish a page describing this country's social security scheme, and the details of the local social insurance scheme could therefore not be verified in an official source for the purposes of this page; it is not described here.

France Diplomatie considers it 'essential' to have an assistance policy or insurance covering all medical costs (including surgery and hospitalisation) and medical repatriation. It states that the French embassy cannot cover these costs, that some hospitals require payment in advance, and recommends checking before departure that the policy covers this situation. On the health risks side, it cites in particular chikungunya and dengue (mosquito-borne, with no curative treatment), Zika (medical advice recommended for women who are pregnant or planning a pregnancy) and typhoid (contaminated water and food), and recommends a medical consultation well before departure to update vaccinations.

• Stay of less than 6 months: no visa required for a French national, according to France Diplomatie.
• Passport: mandatory, valid for at least six months after the planned return date; the national ID card is not sufficient.
• Return ticket: required on entry.
• Visitor's permit: a 'visitors permit' valid for 30 days is issued on arrival; it is renewable up to six months in total.
• Stay of more than 6 months: a residence permit must be applied for; France Diplomatie refers to the Saint Vincent and the Grenadines representation closest to your place of residence for the procedures.
• Yachters: people arriving by private boat complete customs and police formalities, on entry as on departure.
• Travel insurance: an assistance policy or insurance covering medical costs and medical repatriation, considered essential by France Diplomatie, even for a short stay.
• Local affiliation: the official sources consulted do not make it possible to say whether, or under what conditions, a foreign resident must join a local health scheme; to be checked with the local authorities before settling.
• Student: no EHIC, as the country is not a member of the EU; a student insurance or comprehensive travel insurance is to be planned.
• Seconded employee : as no bilateral agreement appears in the CLEISS list, the rules applicable to continuing on the French scheme are to be confirmed with CLEISS and your fund before departure. Affiliation with the Caisse des Français de l'Étranger (CFE) and an assistance policy remain worth studying as a complement.
• Retiree: as CLEISS does not publish a page specific to this country, the situation is to be checked directly with the pension fund and CLEISS before departure.

No individual fine for lacking health insurance is mentioned in the sources consulted. The risk is above all financial: without suitable insurance, care and any repatriation remain payable by the person, with no help available from the embassy, according to France Diplomatie.

As Saint Vincent and the Grenadines is not a member of the European Union, coordination with France does not run through EU regulations 883/2004 and 987/2009. At the time of consultation, the country does not appear in the list of bilateral social security agreements published by CLEISS, neither among the agreements in force nor among those signed but not yet in force, and CLEISS does not publish a page describing its scheme.

• Temporary stay: with no agreement, no on-the-spot cover by French health insurance should be presumed; the conditions for any reimbursement on return to France are to be requested from your primary health insurance fund.
• Secondment, expatriation, retirement: the rules applicable outside an agreement are to be confirmed with CLEISS and your fund before departure.
• No EHIC, which is reserved for EU countries and equivalents.

1. Before departure: notify French agencies of your departure (CPAM, CAF, France Travail, pension funds).
2. Take out an assistance policy or insurance covering medical costs (surgery, hospitalisation) and medical repatriation, essential according to France Diplomatie; check that advances of costs are covered.
3. Check that your passport is valid for at least six months after the planned return date and bring a return ticket.
4. Take medical advice well before departure for vaccinations and the prevention of mosquito-borne diseases.
5. For a stay of more than six months: enquire about the residence permit with the Saint Vincent and the Grenadines representation closest to your place of residence.
6. Seconded employee or retiree: ask CLEISS and your fund about the rules applicable outside an agreement.
7. Register with the roll of French nationals living abroad with the French embassy in Saint Lucia, which is responsible for the country (consular agency in Kingstown).
8. Sign up to the Fil d'Ariane scheme to receive France Diplomatie alerts.