mackenzie K. Southern Hemisphere Blog

 French Polynesia is a French overseas territory located in the Pacific Ocean. It is made up of several groups of islands, the largest and most populated of which is Tahiti. Tourist facilities are well developed and are available on the major islands. Your passport must be valid for six months beyond the duration of your stay in French Polynesia. You do not need a visa if you enter on a regular tourist passport and your stay is no more than 90 days per 6 months. Individuals traveling on a Diplomatic or Official passport will be required to obtain a visa. Although French Polynesia has a low crime rate, petty crime, such as pick pocketing and purse snatching, occurs more frequently. You should secure your valuables at all times and remain particularly vigilant at night.

Don’t buy counterfeit and pirated goods, even if they are widely available. Not only are the bootlegs illegal in the United States, if you purchase them you may also be breaking local law.While most major roads are paved, many secondary roads are not. In urban areas, traffic is brisk, and all types of vehicles and pedestrians jockey for space on narrow streets. Crosswalks are marked, and the law requires that motor vehicles stop for pedestrians; however, this is not always done. Tourists should exercise caution when driving, particularly at night. While extensive sections of the road circumnavigating Tahiti have streetlights, many streets do not. Pedestrians walk along the sides of darkened roadways and sometimes cross in unmarked areas. Bicycles and mopeds are frequently ridden without headlights and taillights. Tourists who rent bicycles or mopeds should be particularly attentive to their driving and the driving of others and not underestimate the danger, even on roads with little traffic.