Retiring in the Solomon Islands: Stay, Taxation of Your Pension and Access to Care

France Diplomatie (the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs travel advice service) indicates that French nationals receive on arrival a free 90-day visitor permit, on presentation of a passport valid six months after the planned return date and a return ticket. Proof of resources may be requested. The permit is extended free of charge for up to three months; beyond that, a further three-month period requires a specific application and a tax of 30 Solomon Islands dollars a month.

For settling, the Immigration Division shows a long-term resident visa at US$1,500, valid for five years and extendable, which requires five years of prior continuous stay and does not automatically open the right to work. The categories read (visit, investment, work, residence, special reasons, study) include no retiree-specific visa, and no retirement income condition is published. A spouse may come under a dependant visa (free when linked to a long-term resident, or US$300 for two years at most). Before any plan, the division should be asked directly (immigration.visas@immigration.gov.sb; +677 45650, 45681 or 45792) about the option suited to a long stay without activity.

For the time being, the practicable route is therefore renewal of the visitor permit, within the limit set by the administration. France Diplomatie also reminds readers that dual nationality is not recognised, which can complicate consular assistance for dual nationals, and that the French embassy in Port Vila (Vanuatu), reachable on +678 28 700, is competent for the Solomon Islands.

The list of tax treaties published by the French tax administration does not include the Solomon Islands. No bilateral text therefore divides the right to tax between the two states. On the Solomon Islands side, the tax division specifies that a person who lives, or intends to live, in the country for more than six months is a tax resident and taxable on worldwide income; the progressive scale runs from 11% to 40% for income above a first exempt band of 30,080 Solomon Islands dollars. The page does not mention the treatment of retirement pensions.

On the French side, the tax administration describes the withholding tax applicable to non-residents on French-source salaries and pensions: after a 10% allowance, the rate is 0%, 12% or 20% by band (thresholds revised each year). The 0% and 12% bands are final; the 20% levy is set against tax. The page specifies that a non-resident is subject to this withholding only for French-source income taxable in France under international treaties. As no treaty applies here, the situation of a French pension paid to a Solomon Islands resident must be confirmed with the tax office for non-resident individuals and with the Solomon Islands tax division, in order to avoid double taxation.

On social levies, the Assurance retraite (the French pension insurance) indicates that the CSG, CRDS and CASA (French social levies on income) are not withheld when tax residence is no longer in France. A health insurance contribution of 3.20% may remain if the retiree stays in the French health scheme or is a foreigner with at least 15 years of contributions; the Assurance Maladie (the French public health insurance) cites 3.2% on the basic pension and 4.2% on the supplementary pension for people who keep rights during stays in France.

The Assurance Maladie specifies that a retiree who leaves France for a country outside the European Union, the European Economic Area, Switzerland or the United Kingdom no longer has their healthcare costs covered by French health insurance, unless a bilateral agreement applies, and that they can join the CFE or take out private insurance. As the Solomon Islands appear in no CLEISS (the French centre for international social security links) agreement, form S1 is not an option. The CLEISS reminds readers to check with local institutions how much care the country’s system covers; the official sources read describe no local health cover for a foreign retiree (see the healthcare system).

The CFE offers retirees its retirees’ offer, open to holders of a pension from the French basic scheme who no longer carry out any professional activity, with no health questionnaire and no refusal of membership; the waiting period is nil if membership takes place before departure or within three months of settling, then three months (under 44) or six months (over 45). France Diplomatie in any case requires insurance covering surgery, hospitalisation and medical repatriation to Brisbane: without it, access to care may be refused, even in a life-threatening emergency. See a retiree’s health insurance abroad and healthcare reimbursement in the Solomon Islands.

For stays in France, a general scheme retiree registers with the national centre for French retirees abroad; in a country with no agreement, reimbursement requires at least 15 years of contributions to French compulsory schemes (a special condition applies for those registered before 1 July 2019 with 10 years). Their spouse is not covered during these stays in the absence of an agreement and must arrange insurance.

According to the Assurance retraite, the French pension can be paid abroad, into a French or foreign bank account. A change of address and bank details is reported by letter to the regional fund. Each year, a proof of existence must be completed by a competent local authority or a consulate, then returned in time for the pension to continue to be paid, through the online personal account or by post to the Tours processing centre; an app lets some residents do it online. The CLEISS specifies that a single certificate covers all funds. No procedure specific to the Solomon Islands is described: the French embassy in Port Vila can advise on the authorised authorities.

Allowances subject to a residence condition in France, such as the solidarity allowance for older people (ASPA) or the supplementary disability allowance, stop on departure and can be applied for again on return. Registration on the register of French nationals living abroad with the embassy makes it easier to receive alerts in the event of a cyclone or crisis.

No official source read publishes a typical budget for a retiree. The country’s statistics office publishes a consumer price index every month, and the currency is the Solomon Islands dollar. The items to anticipate are those the country does not cover: health insurance with evacuation, air links to Brisbane or Port Vila, drinking water, housing.

France Diplomatie cites Honiara, Gizo and Auki as the main towns and specifies that, outside the capital, essential services are not always provided. It places the whole territory under heightened vigilance, reports a rise in crime in Honiara, advises against driving at night and reminds readers that the cyclone season runs from November to May. The country is exposed to earthquakes and tsunamis, and 45% of the urban population has no access to piped water. For a retiree, the choice of where to live is therefore mainly based on proximity to a health facility and a reliable airstrip.

A retirement plan in the Solomon Islands is prepared with a trial stay, health cover first, local contacts and a plan for returning. Expavy helps you compare cover with evacuation according to age and medical history; retirees can also see the page on retirement insurance abroad.