Countries that offer attractive tax benefits to French retirees looking to move abroad

Several countries offer significant tax benefits to French retirees looking to move abroad, in addition to sunny weather and an attractive cost of living. 

Retiring abroad can offer significant advantages. Some countries offer a pleasant climate, a lower cost of living than in France, and tax benefits. Thus, despite certain challenges—particularly administrative ones—more than one million French retirees have already chosen to live abroad in their later years. Here are the five countries that offer the best tax conditions, according to Capital.

While some distant regions are particularly generous, it may be better to stay within the European Union to keep the cost of living abroad down. 
 

You don’t have to leave the European Union to enjoy the benefits of living abroad
Among the countries that have signed a tax treaty with France to avoid double taxation are Portugal, with an income tax rate set at just 10% for 10 years, and Greece, which offers an even more attractive rate of 7% for 15 years. A less popular destination, Bulgaria offers a 10% tax rate for life, with a cost of living 30% lower than in France.
 

Retirees Exempt from Income Tax in Malaysia
Tax treaties also exist outside the European Union. Countries such as Tunisia and Morocco are therefore particularly attractive. In addition to offering a lifetime tax rate of only 5 to 10 percent, these countries are among those that have also signed a healthcare agreement with France, making it easier to obtain coverage. The cost of living there is between 30 and 40 percent lower than in France.
 

Going Even Further: Malaysia
Finally, for those who would like to go even further, Malaysia offers a 0% tax rate for life, provided you receive a monthly pension of more than 2,100 euros or deposit at least 33,000 euros in a local bank. There, however, the expatriation process is significantly more involved and costly. It should be noted that in all cases, social security contributions on the pensions of expatriate retirees are capped at 3.2% on the base pension and 4.2% on the supplemental pension, compared to about 10% in France.