Who sets the rules and where to check

The rules on the entry of foreigners into French Polynesia differ from those that apply in mainland France and in the other overseas collectivities. Every entry is checked by the border police directorate, and a residence permit issued outside French Polynesia gives no right to enter or stay there. A traveller who does not meet the conditions can be refused entry.

The governing texts are the ordinance of 26 April 2000 and the order of 29 December 2011 on the documents and visas required for the entry of foreigners into the territory of French Polynesia. The competent authority is the Haut-commissariat de la République, whose regulation service (DIRAJ) is at 59 avenue Pouvana’a a Oopa in Papeete, telephone (689) 40 46 86 31; questions about entry and stay go to etrangers@polynesie-francaise.gouv.fr. The border police have an office at Tahiti-Faa’a airport, telephone (689) 40 47 03 47. A visa is applied for before departure at the French consulate or the prefecture of your place of residence.

Citizens of the European Union, the EEA and Switzerland

A national of a European Union country presents a valid passport and is exempt from a visa; the Haut-commissariat’s page mentions only the passport, not the identity card. For a stay linked to salaried work, a work permit issued by the government of French Polynesia is needed as well. The travel documents of EU, EEA and Swiss citizens are not stamped on entry or exit.

Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland are not members of the Union: the Haut-commissariat states that their nationals are subject to the obligations of nationals of any other country, while being exempt from the short-stay visa for a stay of no more than 90 days. The passport conditions described below therefore apply to them. Holders of a valid residence permit or long-stay visa issued by France or by a state applying the Schengen rules are also exempt from a visa for three months in any six-month period.

Other nationalities: passport and visa

For a stay of at most three months in any six-month period, the order of 29 December 2011 requires a travel document valid for at least three months beyond the planned departure date, with at least two blank pages and issued less than ten years ago. The short-stay visa, where one is required, must expressly state that it is valid in French Polynesia: the territorial validity is printed on the sticker, and an ordinary Schengen visa does not cover French Polynesia.

Annex II of the order, in the consolidated version of 22 July 2021 published by the Haut-commissariat, exempts from a visa, whatever the type of passport, nationals of, among others, the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Mexico, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, Hong Kong and Macao. Other countries, including China, India, Indonesia, Russia and Thailand, are exempt only in specific cases, for instance with a French multiple-entry visa valid for six months to five years. The list changes: check your own case with the consulate before buying tickets.

What the border police may ask for

Beyond the passport and visa, the Haut-commissariat asks travellers from outside the European Union to be able to show their guarantees of return, for instance a ticket back to the country of origin or residence, and their means of subsistence in French Polynesia, for instance a bank card for international use or cash; no daily amount is stated. For a stay with a private host, an attestation d’accueil signed by the host and validated by the mairie of their commune may be requested.

No online travel declaration is required of air passengers on the official pages consulted; the only air border crossing is Tahiti-Faa’a airport. A transit passenger who stays within the airport’s international zone needs no visa, except nationalities subject to the airport transit visa. Arrivals by sea are made at Papeete or, for pleasure craft, at Moorea, Raiatea, Bora Bora, Huahine, Nuku Hiva, Ua Pou, Hiva Oa, Tubuai, Rurutu, Raivavae, Rangiroa and Mangareva; the Direction polynésienne des affaires maritimes then asks for a passport valid six months beyond the planned departure date, and since 1 September 2026 the owner or skipper files an online entry and exit declaration with customs.

Customs: allowances and declarations

Personal effects enter without formality as long as their nature and quantity are not commercial. For other goods, the allowance is 50,000 F CFP (€419) per traveller aged 15 and over and 15,000 F CFP (€126) for those under 15; it is individual and cannot be pooled within a family. From the age of 18, French Polynesia’s customs also admit 200 cigarettes, or 100 cigarillos, or 50 cigars, or 250 g of tobacco, together with 4 litres of champagne, wine or sparkling wine, or 2 litres of beer or vermouth, or 2 litres of other alcohol, the last two options being topped up with 2 litres of wine. Minors have no alcohol or tobacco allowance.

Anything above the allowance is declared at the customs office on arrival, with duties and taxes to pay, including purchases made in duty-free shops in the European Union; above 200,000 F CFP of goods a customs declaration is compulsory. Cash of 10,000 euros or more, that is 1,193,300 F CFP, is declared when crossing the border.

Biosecurity and vaccination

The Direction de la biosécurité checks what comes in with the luggage. Every product of animal or plant origin is declared at the airport’s biosecurity counter, even when no permit is required; a product that does not comply is refused, then destroyed or sent back at the traveller’s expense. Plants, seeds, wood and soil are prohibited in principle. Fresh fruit and vegetables need a phytosanitary certificate or a prior import permit, whereas commercially dehydrated, canned or frozen products in their packaging pass without a permit. Honey is prohibited without a certificate, and meat, charcuterie, poultry and seafood, including products sold in Europe or North America, may be banned: ask before you leave on +689 40 54 45 85. A dog or cat travels only with a permit obtained in advance.

On the health side, yellow fever vaccination is compulsory for anyone over nine months old who has stayed or transited for more than twelve hours in an endemic area during the ten days before arrival, according to the health surveillance bulletin of the Direction de la santé.

What we verify for your dates

Timetables, provider conditions, entry rules, weather-sensitive activities and commercial terms are rechecked for the actual trip. This article explains the planning logic; it is not a live availability promise.

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Polynesia Local editorial desk · sources cited on every entry · 20 October 2026