Retiring in Chad: Stay, French Pension, Taxation and Health

France Diplomatie reminds travellers that entry to Chad requires a visa, to be obtained from a Chadian diplomatic or consular representation; no visa can be issued at the border. Arriving by air, at the N’Djamena border post, is strongly recommended, and the passport must be carried during intercity travel. The page mentions neither a retiree visa nor a long-stay residence permit: the conditions of an extended stay, notably the proof of resources, should be requested in writing from the Chadian embassy in Paris and from the Chadian immigration services. These rules could not be read on an official Chadian source for this guide.

For business trips, France Diplomatie indicates an ordinary timescale of three days for a visa and mandatory registration with the immigration services within 48 hours of arrival; a long-term resident should confirm with the embassy whether this formality also applies to them. The French driving licence is recognised during the first three months of the stay. The road network is in poor condition and employing a Chadian driver is strongly recommended; fuel, available in large towns, may run short outside built-up areas.

The French embassy in N’Djamena recommends registering on the register of French nationals living abroad for any stay of more than six months: it makes consular assistance and nationality or civil-status procedures easier.

Assurance retraite pays the pension every month in more than 180 countries, into a French account or, on request, into an account abroad; you must report your departure and your new contact details to your regional fund before leaving. The solidarity allowance for older people (Aspa) and the supplementary disability allowance are no longer paid if you leave for abroad, as they require residence in France.

Every year, a life certificate must be completed by the competent local authority of your country of residence, then returned online or by post to the overseas pension processing centre in Tours, within two months; without transmission, payment is suspended. For Chad, the interactive map on the Assurance retraite website indicates the authorised authority. See also receiving your pension abroad.

When the tax home is outside France, the CSG, CRDS and Casa (French social charges and a solidarity contribution on pensions) are not deducted. A health insurance contribution of 3.20% may be deducted if the retiree comes under a compulsory French scheme, or if they are a foreign national with 15 years of old-age insurance in France (Assurance retraite). The guide to insurance for retirees abroad details these rules.

CLEISS specifies that France is linked to about forty States and territories by social security agreements; Chad is not one of them. For a retiree, this means that no totalisation of periods is organised between the French scheme and the Chadian scheme: each pension is calculated according to the rules of the institution that pays it alone. The local scheme is run by the National Social Welfare Fund (CNPS), whose website presents five branches, including pensions and retirement (old age, invalidity, survivors); neither the retirement age nor the contribution rates are published there, and they should be requested directly from the fund (assistance@cnps-tchad.com).

A retiree who has also worked in Chad therefore keeps two separate files, to be processed separately. On this point, CLEISS invites people to check with the local institutions to what extent the country’s scheme covers care.

The page on international tax treaties on impots.gouv.fr lists no treaty with Chad, and the BOFiP annex (the French tax administration’s official doctrine), which flags only the agreements in force, does not mention it either. Both sources refer to the ‘Treaties and agreements’ database of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for a definitive check. In the absence of a treaty, the domestic law of each country applies: a risk of double taxation cannot be ruled out and should be measured before departure.

The tax home is determined under Article 4 B of the French General Tax Code. For a person not domiciled in France, pensions paid by a payer established in France remain subject to the withholding tax of Article 182 A. The base is the amount paid after a 10% allowance, and the scale applies 0%, 12% or 20% depending on income bands revised each year; no withholding is made if it does not exceed €8 a month for the same pensioner. A retiree receiving several pensions may see a correction made by assessment.

On the Chadian side, the rules for taxing pensions of foreign source could not be read on an official site of the Chadian tax administration: a written consultation with that administration, supplemented by an exchange with the French non-resident tax office, avoids unpleasant surprises.

According to Assurance retraite, the certificate of entitlement to healthcare is possible only for a general-scheme retiree living in the European Union or in a country linked to France by an agreement; Assurance Maladie (the French national health insurance) adds that, in permanent residence outside these areas and without an agreement, healthcare costs are no longer covered by the French scheme. In Chad, the retiree therefore chooses between the CFE and private insurance.

The CFE offer for retirees has a contribution that depends on age and the plan chosen according to its home page; it is aimed at holders of a pension from a French basic scheme who no longer work, with no medical questionnaire or exclusion once a member. Cover is immediate if joining before departure or within three months of settling abroad; beyond that, the waiting period is three months before age 44 and six months from age 45. See the guide to health insurance for retirees abroad and the page on the CFE.

On the spot, France Diplomatie judges an assistance contract covering all medical costs, hospitalisation and medical repatriation to be essential: without it, access to care may be refused, even in a life-threatening emergency, and the embassy pays no costs. The country does not have medical and hospital infrastructure that meets European standards; the Renaissance Hospital, in N’Djamena, is the best equipped, notably in imaging, without reaching European standards. A medical evacuation cover with a high ceiling therefore complements the CFE. The guide to the Chadian healthcare system presents the range of care.

During a temporary stay in France, a general-scheme retiree can join the Cnarefe (ameli-rfe.fr; the health insurance centre for retirees living abroad), provided they are in a regular situation and can show 15 years of contributions to compulsory French schemes (10 years for those affiliated before 1 July 2019). The spouse is not covered: health and hospital insurance taken out before the stay is advised (CLEISS).

No average budget is put forward: prices are compared on the spot, and inflation appears in the ‘Economic indicators’ block above. The currency is the CFA franc, of which 100 units are worth €0.15 according to France Diplomatie. The items that weigh the most are health insurance, secure housing, car travel with a driver and the internet connection: France Diplomatie cites a quality subscription at around €150 to €200 a month. Motorbike taxis are not recommended, and the telephone network works correctly (two main operators).

On hygiene, the health page recommends drinking only bottled or purified water, cooking food thoroughly, avoiding raw vegetables and never buying medicines on the street. Malaria is present: protection against bites and preventive treatment are decided with a travel medicine doctor. Yellow fever is the mandatory vaccination; meningitis ACWY is strongly advised, with epidemics occurring every year from the end of February to the end of May. The ministry also reports occasional health alerts (cholera, measles): check your vaccines before departure.

The capital N’Djamena is home to the embassy, the embassy’s medico-social centre (annual subscription), the Renaissance Hospital and the Lycée Français Montaigne (851 pupils, from the youngest nursery class to the final year, according to the AEFE, the Agency for French Education Abroad). The other main towns cited by France Diplomatie are Abéché and Moundou.

France Diplomatie classes the entire territory in an orange or red zone and specifies that travel in the regions requires specific organisation; elderly people are strongly advised against travel in the regions. The practical advice is to prefer air transport, to register with Fil d’Ariane, to arrange secure accommodation and to carry the consular card. A retirement project in Chad is therefore, according to the official sources, restricted to the capital and its surroundings, to be validated with the embassy.