Retiring in Trinidad and Tobago as a French National: Stay, Taxation and Healthcare

France Diplomatie indicates that French nationals stay in Trinidad and Tobago without a visa for a period of three months, with a passport valid for at least six months, a return ticket and an accommodation booking. This regime is not a right of residence: beyond it, a permit issued by the Immigration Division, attached to the Ministry of National Security, is needed.

The “Residence” page of this ministry lists four routes: five years of continuous residence, a work permit under the CSME market, sponsorship of a parent or grandparent by a citizen or resident, and marriage to a citizen or resident. It mentions neither retirees nor people with independent means, and gives neither fees nor processing times. The situation of a retiree who comes under none of these routes, including any long-term stay authorisation, should therefore be put directly to the Division (+1 868 224 4667, corpcomm@mhs.gov.tt) before any plan to settle.

The treaty signed in Port of Spain on 5 August 1987, published in the Journal officiel (the French official gazette) on 18 April 1989, shares the right to tax. Its article 19 provides that pensions and similar remuneration paid in respect of past employment, as well as annuities, are taxable only in the State of which the beneficiary is a resident, and that pensions paid under the social security legislation of a State are taxable only in that State. Article 20 reserves taxation of public pensions to the paying State, except for a resident of the other State who holds its nationality.

The basic pension of Assurance retraite (the French state pension scheme), paid under social security legislation, remains taxable in France. The classification of a supplementary pension or a private pension is confirmed with the French tax office for non-resident individuals. On the Trinidadian side, exemption measures for private pensions from income tax may be announced in annual budgets: they are to be checked in their enacted version with the Inland Revenue Division, which also specifies that retirees give a declaration form (TD-1) to the paying body. The guide to receiving your pension abroad explains how French pensions are paid outside France.

The S1 form, which keeps a retiree’s French cover in another European State, does not apply to Trinidad and Tobago, where there is no social security agreement (CLEISS, the French liaison centre for international social security).

• Public sector: the Ministry of Health describes health centres, district facilities and hospitals; fees and eligibility for a foreigner are confirmed with the facility.
• CFE: retirees’ offer (with a contribution that depends on age and the plan chosen) according to cfe.fr; no waiting period if enrolment takes place within three months of settling, then three months, or six months from age 45.
• International insurance: direct access to the private sector, which France Diplomatie recommends, and evacuation to Martinique, Guadeloupe or Miami; age, pre-existing medical conditions and ceilings are decisive.

See the guide to health insurance for retirees abroad and the page on healthcare reimbursement in Trinidad and Tobago. A return to France is prepared with the CFE: three months of free retention of rights, and exemption from the three-month residence condition for a holder of a French old-age pension (Assurance Maladie, the French national health insurance).

None of the official sources consulted publishes a typical retiree budget. The official benchmarks are the minimum wage of TTD 20.50 an hour (Ministry of Labour), price developments tracked by the IMF, and an exchange rate of about TTD 6.8 to the US dollar. As the pension is received in euros, the euro-dollar parity affects purchasing power: the “Economic benchmarks” block above displays the up-to-date exchange rate.

For housing, favour a short trial lease, check the safety of the building and the neighbourhood, the solidity of the roof and road access in the rainy season. France Diplomatie advises keeping passports and valuables in a safe and limiting cash.

Port of Spain concentrates services, hospitals and embassies; France Diplomatie advises against certain neighbourhoods there (Laventille, Morvant, Beetham, Sealots) and recommends moving around only by car after nightfall. Tobago is described as calmer: the tourist area from Pigeon Point to Mount Irvine is considered safe, with isolated areas calling for caution at night. Manchineel trees there are toxic and one should not shelter under them.

• Climate: hurricane season from June to November; direct impacts are rare, but rain can cause landslides and floods.
• Earthquakes: frequent; a major earthquake cannot be ruled out (France Diplomatie).
• Safety: state of emergency that may be declared across the territory; checks and searches possible; violence concentrated in specific areas.
• Driving: on the left; French licence valid for three months with no formalities; roads sometimes narrow and winding.

See the page on living in Trinidad and Tobago and the Trinidad and Tobago country page.

A retiree who takes up an activity again, even an unpaid one, comes under the permit regime: the Ministry of National Security specifies that practising a profession, paid or unpaid, requires a work permit, apart from an activity of 30 days or less per twelve-month period. The processing fee is TTD 1,200 and the levy TTD 900 per month, minimum TTD 2,700. The guide to working in Trinidad and Tobago details the procedure.

The local pension system (National Insurance Board) concerns only people who have contributed to it; the Ministry of Finance plans the gradual raising of the full pension age (from 60 to 65), to be confirmed with the NIB. French periods are not totalised with local periods, as there is no social security agreement.

• Ask the Immigration Division (corpcomm@mhs.gov.tt) about the status of a retiree who comes under neither the five years of continuous stay, nor the CSME permit, nor sponsorship, nor marriage.
• Review with the French tax office for non-resident individuals the taxation in France of the basic pension, paid under social security legislation.
• Arrange health cover with evacuation to Martinique, Guadeloupe or Miami; join the CFE within three months of settling to avoid the waiting period.
• Find housing in a safe area, close to the hospital, and allow for the risk of landslides in the rainy season.