Guadeloupe is an overseas region of France located in the Lesser Antilles of the Caribbean…not to be confused with Guadalupe island off of the west coast of Mexico’s Baja California Peninsula. With a population of over 400,000, Guadeloupe is the largest E.U. territory in North America. An archipelago consisting of two larger islands, Basse-Terre and Grande-Terre, with smaller surrounding islands (including, Îles des Saintes, Marie-Galante and La Désirade), it is diverse enough to keep anyone’s island fever at bay. Whether your interest is to relax on an unpretentious sandy, palm-lined beach and experience the culinary pleasures of the island’s renowned French-créole cuisine, or zip line through the tree tops of a tropical forest and scuba dive with turtles at Jacques Cousteau’s underwater reserve, Guadeloupe has a wide variety of activities for any age and inclination. We ended up in Deshaies, on the larger western island of Basse-Terre, where the BBC show, Death in Paradise, films its award winning crime-comedy series each year during the months of April through September. With non-stop flights to Guadeloupe’s Pôle Caraïbes airport in Pointe-à-Pitre (PTP) from a number of east coast cities (including, BOS, BWI, JFK, PVD and FL) on Norwegian Air and a weekly non-stop flight from Miami to PTP on American Airlines, it has been a breeze to get back to the states to visit family and friends.
Language
The official language, of course, is French. We are, after all, in France. But, Guadeloupean créole is also widely spoken (and is even taught at school). While there is English spoken in the main tourist areas and in many restaurants, a working knowledge of French is highly recommended if you are looking to retire here.
Communication/Internet
SIM cards are relatively inexpensive. A monthly subscription costing about 25 Euro per phone gets us all we need in terms of minutes and data through Orange Caraibe. Internet, on the other hand, is more of a challenge. Only certain areas have fiber optic cabling, so we struggle with DSL lines that slow to a veritable drip during peak usage periods. But, in the end, we are able to send and receive e-mails, surf the net, FaceTime friends and family, and call the U.S. for pennies with our monthly Skype calling subscription. Through Skype, we call anywhere through the Skype app on our Guadalupe cell phones and our U.S. number appears on the recipient’s caller I.D. It’s pure genius.
Immigration
We qualified for a long stay visa. France offers long stay 12 month renewable visas for those who will not work in Guadeloupe and can meet other requirements (including showing that you have enough money to support yourself during your stay, lodging and a global health insurance policy).
Real Estate
Foreigners can purchase and own real estate in Guadeloupe. While there are some issues that differ from U.S. real property transactions, including the fact that the transaction must be consummated through a notaire (similar to an attorney), various waiting and rescission periods must be recognized and the government needs to decline to exercise its right of first refusal before being able to close, the process is relatively painless. We were even able to secure a loan for a portion of the purchase price through French bank. Real estate prices seem lower than on other islands and the homes have character and charm.
Shipping/Logistics
We decided to ship a 20 foot container from the U.S. In hindsight, we would have shipped a 40 foot container and loaded it with more furniture. It took a few months, but everything arrived in perfect condition and dealing with customs on the Guadalupe side was great. No taxes were charged on our household items as we were relocating.
Pets
Our dog made the journey with us. He had to be microchipped and also had to receive a health certificate on an official form, but he made it over without incident. We have also since adopted a homeless kitten who wandered onto our property.
Children
We registered our daughter in the middle school in Deshaies and she loves it. Her classmates were welcoming and kind, allowing her to assimilate and adjust with ease. She attended a French school in the U.S. and is already at the top of her class here.
Healthcare
We have a global insurance policy for our family. The annual premium is less than the premium we were paying for U.S. health insurance for one month. Seeing a doctor here is also quite affordable. A check up for our daughter was 25 euros.
July 24, 2017 at 7:16 pm
thanks for the nice blog. I speak French and I’m single and have thought of retiring in the Caribbean on a French Island I have been considering this island and also Martinique but I am somewhat worried of feeling like the only American or Westerner around amongst natives . how does that play out?
September 23, 2017 at 10:44 am
Hi Daniel, There will be no issues here. The locals and expats (mostly from mainland France) are warm and welcoming. We have been treated with nothing but kindness.
November 7, 2017 at 5:12 pm
Great information! There’s just one thing I’m a little bit concerned about since it seems like a very remotely situated island. Is that be a safe place for a single lady to live in as a retiree? Also, even though I’m active and healthy, I still want to be assured that there are good medical providers I could go to when I need it. Are there?
June 19, 2018 at 7:58 pm
My Wife and I only speak English, will that be a problem? We would like to buy a home and retire there how is the pricing for real estate
June 20, 2018 at 10:17 am
Hello, to Marisa’s comment, the islands here are very safe other than certain areas in Les Abymes and we have many friends living here who are single women. Healthcare is amazing here and relatively inexpensive (coming from the states). To Curt, the home prices in Guadeloupe are surprisingly more affordable than many other islands especially in light of the benefits provided here – safe, great healthcare, some of the best roads in all of the Caribbean, friendly people and great food. We looked at homes on a number of other islands (including St Martin, St Thomas, St John and Tortola) and nothing like our home even existed – the prices were double for homes without character or sea views and in need of repairs. I believe it will be a problem if neither of you speak French, so I would learn some. My husband didn’t speak French when we arrived, but I did. The notaire hired an interpreter for the signing of the home contract. We are happy to talk more about it if you want to contact us. Our email and tel can be found at http://www.jambopress.com. Thx!
December 28, 2018 at 12:55 am
Good afternoon,
I hope you guys and your daughter had a wonderful Christmas. My husband and I are researching Guadeloupe for relocating with our eight year son. However we have questions regarding the school system for Autistic children? We would be most grateful for helpful insight regarding the situation. Thanks in advance for assistance in the matter. Have an amazingly productive day.
Warmest regards,
Pamala
pc@pamalacharles.com
April 5, 2019 at 4:53 am
I am looking for a nice peaceful place to retire. Love to move here to Guadeloupe. Can you tell me what is the prices of 2-3 bedrooms home costs? Do they let us citizens buy a home there?
Thank you so much
Benja
April 17, 2019 at 11:41 pm
You stated above: “We have a global insurance policy for our family. The annual premium is less than the premium we were paying for U.S. health insurance for one month. ” I am single male 53 and when I priced global insurance one of the lowest rates I received was $891 USD per month. That is so many times more than I pay now for health insurance with $0 deductible and $1250 USD max out of pocket annually. I pay little to nothing for scripts. Also the price quoted to me for global health was before any medical questions or exams. No disclosure of pre-existing conditions either at this point. I would love to know who you get your global coverage from please.