Living in American Samoa as a French National: Entry, Residency, Housing, Schooling, Cyclones and Health

American Samoa is a territory of the United States. The Department of the Interior recalls that the island of Tutuila was ceded to the United States from 1900, Manu’a in 1904, and that Swains Island joined the territory in 1925 by an act of Congress. The US Navy exercised its authority until 1951, and the Department of the Interior has been responsible since 1956. The territory has no organic act or other explicit directive from Congress on its governance: its inhabitants adopted their own constitution in 1967, and the first constitutional elections took place in 1977. Unlike the inhabitants of other US territories, American Samoans are nationals of the United States and not citizens. The territory controls its own immigration and border matters, and USCIS has no jurisdiction there.

The census counts about 50,000 inhabitants, a falling number. The World Bank publishes a slightly lower estimate, based on a different method. The Census Bureau indicates that about 41,000 people reported Samoan alone ancestry. No official source read sets an official language for the territory: the list of government agencies includes a Samoan language commission, and forms and administrative procedures are carried out in English.

Among the advantages documented by official sources: an American legal framework, a territorial administration that publishes its entry and residency procedures online, a France-US social security agreement whose territorial scope expressly cites the American Samoa Islands, and public education spread across several institutions. The homeownership rate exceeds 70% (Census Bureau).

The points of attention are just as factual. Settling requires a residency petition approved before arrival, accompanied by a bond. The population is falling. Incomes are modest: the median household income is below $30,000 and about half of families live below the poverty line. Care is not coordinated with French Sécurité sociale, and France Diplomatie deems an assistance or insurance contract covering all medical costs and medical repatriation essential. Cyclones set the rhythm of the year, and a resident’s taxation should be checked with the administrations concerned (see the page working in American Samoa). For the insurance aspects, see the healthcare system in American Samoa and healthcare reimbursement.

The American Samoa Government’s Department of Legal Affairs indicates that the territory’s entry laws differ from those of the United States and invites people to check the requirements before travelling. The Department of the Interior specifies that no one can enter without meeting the requirements of the territory’s government. Three visitor permits are described: a 10-day permit for citizens born in Samoa and holding a Samoan passport, a 30-day permit for travellers holding a US visa, a resident card or nationals of a visa waiver programme country, and a 30-day permit with a sponsor for others. France Diplomatie describes for the United States a 90-day ESTA authorisation at most, which allows neither work nor study, but does not mention American Samoa; the territory’s page does not mention ESTA.

For the 30-day permit for visa waiver programme travellers, the application is made online, at least 72 hours before travel (excluding weekends and public holidays), for $40 non-refundable. You need a passport valid for at least 6 months after departure, a return ticket showing travel within 30 days, a confirmed hotel booking or the address of family accommodation, a local telephone number and a bank card. The permit, sent by email, is presented to the immigration officer on arrival; it cannot be extended, the immigration office can refuse it for any reason, and a traveller who arrives without a permit may be sent back on the same boat or flight.

To settle, the territory describes two residency petitions: one based on family (form P-12), the other on employment (form P-45). They must be completed, filed and approved before entering the territory. The fees are $75 for the application and $30 for the identity card, and a bond, which varies by country of origin, is paid after approval. The immigration office can be reached on (684) 633-4163 or at info@la.as.gov; at the date of consultation, it was temporarily housed in Pago Pago while the government building was being renovated. See also the page working in American Samoa.

No official source read publishes a consumer price index or a median rent for American Samoa: the economic benchmarks block on this page reproduces the indicators available, and the territory’s Department of Commerce refers to a data and statistics section. The census indicates that about 71% of households are owners and that the average household size is falling. It also notes that 92.0% of households had at least one computer and 69.0% a broadband internet subscription.

For housing, the territory’s immigration pages give a clue about land ownership: a sponsor who hosts a visitor must provide the owner’s consent, signed by the head of the family (matai) and the village mayor (pulenu’u) for communal land, or a title deed or lease for individual or leased land. On income, the median household income is below $30,000. A rent and a current budget should therefore be confirmed against specific offers before signing a lease, and a realistic health budget should be added, an insurance premium being a significant item.

Public education comes under the territory’s Department of Education (ASDOE), which says it serves more than 12,000 pupils in 22 early childhood centres, 23 elementary schools and 6 high schools (Fagaitua, Leone, Manu’a, Nu’uuli Voc Tech, Samoana and Tafuna). The Department’s site specifies neither the language of instruction nor the enrolment conditions for a foreign child; these points should be confirmed directly with the Department. The list of government agencies also mentions a territorial community college (American Samoa Community College).

No accredited French school was identified in the official sources consulted for American Samoa. Families who wish to maintain a French curriculum should ask the French Consulate General in San Francisco about the solutions available. See also expat family insurance.

The France Diplomatie page devoted to the United States does not describe American Samoa. It indicates that, to receive alerts, you should register on Ariane, and that tourists are asked to comply scrupulously with the regulations in force; in an emergency, it gives 911 for the whole of US territory. France Diplomatie’s “Useful contacts” page presents the French Consulate General in San Francisco as responsible for the Pacific islands, and the consulate’s page mentions the US Pacific territories: responsibility for American Samoa should be confirmed with the consulate before departure.

An assistance contract covering medical costs and medical repatriation is deemed essential by France Diplomatie for the United States; see repatriation and assistance. The local emergency number and the emergency services on site should be confirmed on arrival.

American Samoa lies in the South Pacific, an area exposed to tropical cyclones. The American weather service in Pago Pago (NOAA / NWS) specifies in its seasonal outlooks that the cyclone season starts on 1 November and ends on 30 April, that its outlooks give a general indication of activity over the basin and do not predict whether, or how many, of these systems will directly affect the territory, and it urges residents and mariners to be fully prepared. Its site lists among current hazards earthquakes and tsunamis, tropical cyclones, flash floods, high surf and drought.

The standing guidance is to consult the notices of the Pago Pago office (telephone (684) 699-9130) and its annual season preparedness message, to register on Ariane and to follow to the letter the instructions of the local authorities in the event of an alert or evacuation, as France Diplomatie recommends for the United States. This guidance should be consulted directly on the official sites at the time of the stay.

The CDC (traveller page consulted) classes American Samoa at level 1, “practice usual precautions”, and recommends vaccines against hepatitis A for unvaccinated travellers from one year old, against hepatitis B for all ages, against typhoid for most travellers, and complete measles vaccination (MMR) for all international travellers. France Diplomatie reminds travellers that the vaccinations of the French schedule must be up to date and that dengue, transmitted by mosquito bite, has no curative treatment. Health risks and vaccinations are detailed in the page healthcare system in American Samoa.

Expavy compares the international health cover suited to a stay in the territory; the page health insurance in American Samoa summarises the requirements and costs.