Expat insurance and health insurance in Vanuatu

Vanuatu has five public hospitals and one private hospital, supplemented by 27 health centres and over 200 aid posts spread across the archipelago. The two reference hospitals are in Port Vila and Luganville; beyond these two hubs, access to care remains very uneven across the islands. France Diplomatie is explicit: "medical infrastructure is limited in Vanuatu (some specialties or necessary equipment are unavailable)", and the system suffers from a severe shortage of qualified medical staff.

A direct consequence for a foreign resident: "even a fairly serious procedure requires a medical evacuation to New Caledonia or Australia", according to France Diplomatie; the British authorities for their part mention evacuation to Australia or New Zealand for the most serious cases. Water is drinkable in Port Vila and Luganville, but vector-borne risks (dengue, chikungunya, malaria, Zika) and other infections (typhoid fever, leptospirosis, rabies, tuberculosis) are documented by France Diplomatie.

• Visitor visa: French nationals do not need a visa beforehand for a tourist stay; a visitor visa valid for three months is issued on arrival, on presentation of a return ticket and proof of accommodation. No health insurance requirement is mentioned by France Diplomatie for this visa.
• France Diplomatie goes further than a simple recommendation: it describes insurance as "essential", stating it is necessary to "have an assistance contract or insurance able to cover all medical costs" (including surgery, hospitalisation, medical repatriation).
• No official source consulted details a health insurance requirement specific to a Vanuatu residence or work permit; to check case by case with the employer or the local immigration service at the time of application.
• VNPF (Vanuatu National Provident Fund): mandatory retirement savings scheme for formal-sector employees, funded by employer/employee contributions. It covers neither medical costs nor hospitalisation.
• No working holiday scheme between France and Vanuatu.

No fixed penalty has been identified for lacking personal cover; the risk documented by France Diplomatie concerns the financial cost of care and evacuation in case of an incident, never covered by the embassy.

Despite the historic status of a Franco-British condominium (1906-1980), Vanuatu does not appear on any of CLEISS's official lists: neither among bilateral social security agreements in force, nor among agreements signed but not yet in force (only China and Moldova appear there to date). The shared colonial past has therefore not led to a social coordination agreement.

• No coordination of social security schemes between the two countries.
• The VNPF (local retirement/savings) is not coordinated with French pension schemes; no agreement allows totalisation of rights.
• Only voluntary membership of the CFE or private insurance provides cover recognised by a French system.

• Before departure, whatever the status: take out an assistance contract covering medical costs, hospitalisation and evacuation/repatriation — France Diplomatie describes it as essential, with no possible cover from the embassy.
• For a tourist stay: visitor visa issued on arrival (3 months), return ticket and proof of accommodation to present.
• For local employment: check with the employer that VNPF affiliation is effective, and take out separate private health cover.
• Registration recommended with the roll of French nationals living abroad upon settling.
• Voluntary membership of the CFE recommended absent any social security agreement with France.