Working in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines as a French Citizen: Permits, Pay, Contributions and Taxes

France Diplomatie (the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs travel advice service) describes entry: no visa for less than six months, a 30-day visitor permit renewable up to six months, then a residence permit beyond that. This page does not deal with work. The country’s Labour Department lists, in its legislation, the 1973 Employment of Foreign Nationals and Commonwealth Citizens Act, the 2003 Protection of Employment Act and the 1953 Wages Councils Act. The documents, timescales and fees of a work permit are not published on the pages consulted: they should be confirmed with the Labour Department (+1 784 457 1789, labourdpt@gov.vc) and with the ministry responsible for immigration before committing. Until the authorisation is obtained, it is better not to start any activity locally.

The Labour Department also reminds readers of protections useful to a foreign employee as much as to a national: notice is not compulsory during the probation period, but either party may give it; an employer cannot dismiss for trade union membership or activity, race, colour, sex, marital status, pregnancy, religion, political opinion, nationality or social origin, nor for a reasonable absence linked to a family emergency, maternity leave, an illness justified by a certificate handed in before the third day of absence, or jury service. In the event of unpaid severance pay, the employee sends a written complaint to the Labour Commissioner or takes the matter to the competent court; severance pay is due immediately on termination of the contract, with no payment in instalments unless the employee reasonably agrees. Bereavement leave for a relative is three days (five days if the funeral takes place abroad).

In practice, the local employer generally puts the file together: ask in writing who files the application, who bears the costs and for how long. The page on living in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines describes the residence formalities.

The CLEISS records no social security agreement with Saint Vincent and the Grenadines; the French rules outside an agreement apply. A posted employee sent by a French employer remains affiliated to the French scheme during their assignment, for three years renewable once; contributions are paid in France as if they were working there, which does not exempt them from contributions that may exist in the host country (CLEISS). Care received locally is reimbursed within what France would pay, on paid invoices and form S 3125c. See the posted worker glossary entry and the guide to secondee or expatriate.

An expatriate employee, hired on a local contract, leaves the French scheme and comes under the scheme of the country of work (CLEISS); they declare their departure to their health insurance fund, to the CAF (family benefits fund) and to France Travail (the French employment agency) and return their carte Vitale. The Caisse des Français de l’Étranger (CFE, the voluntary health insurance body for French people abroad) allows voluntary additional cover, without exempting them from local contributions; see CFE contributions.

Minimum wages are set by sector: the Labour Department publishes sector brochures, drawn up from the wages orders. In retail, a cashier earns at least 1,275 Eastern Caribbean dollars a month (about €420), a shop assistant 1,200 dollars (about €395), a cook 1,225 dollars, a barman 1,300 dollars and a driver 60 dollars a day. The conversions rely on the ECB reference rate and the fixed parity of 2.70 Eastern Caribbean dollars to 1 US dollar.

• Working time: eight hours a day lunch break included, 44 hours a week; overtime and work on public holidays are paid at a higher rate.
• Leave: 14 working days after one to two years of service, 18 days from three to five years, 21 days from six years; sick leave of 7, 14 then 21 calendar days depending on length of service.
• Maternity and paternity: 10 weeks of maternity leave after one year of service, paid by the employer at no less than 35% of salary; one week of paternity leave.
• Dismissal: severance pay after two years of continuous service, of two weeks’ pay per year for the first ten, three weeks from the eleventh to the twenty-fifth and four weeks beyond; income tax is generally not withheld from this pay and the NIS is not due.

Before signing a contract, ask in writing for the gross salary and its currency, the sector the post comes under (minimums are set by sector), working time, the probation period, leave, notice and the sick leave arrangements. Check who files the work permit application and on what date the employer registers the employee with National Insurance Services, then keep copies of all signed documents.

The Inland Revenue Department administers personal income tax (PIT), which applies to income from local or foreign sources, as well as withholding tax on salaries (PAYE). The tables in force use a flat deduction of 25,000 dollars a year (about €8,230); the increments in the tables show marginal rates of 10% from 25,000 to 30,000 dollars, 20% up to 35,000 dollars, then 28% above. The annual return is due by 31 March of the following year at the latest, with late interest of 1.5% a month. VAT is 16% (11% on accommodation); withholding on services rendered by non-residents is 20%.

Withholding is 10% on rent and 15% on royalties, interest and management fees paid within the CARICOM area. The budget address also notes that construction wages have not kept pace with inflation whereas those in hotels have risen sharply, which steers candidates towards accommodation and services.

No tax treaty between France and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines was identified in the sources read. French-source income of a non-resident follows French rules, with withholding tax of 0%, 12% then 20% on salaries and pensions after a 10% allowance (impots.gouv.fr). Tax residence is determined before departure with the tax office for non-resident individuals.

A self-employed person comes under the Inland Revenue Department for income tax and VAT, which applies to businesses whose taxable sales reach 300,000 dollars over twelve months (about €98,700). Health cover remains to be built yourself, with the CFE or international insurance; see digital nomad insurance.

For remote work, the budget address announces a “Work from Paradise” programme aimed at attracting high-level digital nomads and encouraging extended stays; its conditions are not published in this address and should be confirmed with the government before any ticket is bought.

Accommodation has sharply increased its employment, and information, driven by call centres, has more than doubled its workforce, while the number of stay-over visitors has passed 100,000 (budget address). About 41.8% of jobs are informal. The address also notes a shortage of qualified masons, carpenters and machine operators, high public debt and substantial diaspora remittances.

The currency is the Eastern Caribbean dollar, pegged to the US dollar. The International Monetary Fund, cited by the address, projects moderate growth; the government is betting on tourism, agriculture, the blue economy and the private sector. Before signing, cross-check these benchmarks with the pages on the healthcare system and healthcare reimbursement.