# eSIM for French Polynesia Viasimo's French Polynesia eSIM starts at $13.99 for 500 MB over 1 day, running on Vini with 5G where available. Plans last 1 to 180 days, arrive by email in minutes and install from your phone's settings, with no app. Canonical page: https://viasimo.com/destinations/french-polynesia/ ## French Polynesia eSIM prices | Plan | Data | Days | Price | Price per GB | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 500 MB, 1 day | 500 MB | 1 | $13.99 | $28.65 | | 1 GB, 1 day | 1 GB | 1 | $21.99 | $21.99 | | 2 GB, 1 day | 2 GB | 1 | $38.99 | $19.50 | | 5 GB, 1 day | 5 GB | 1 | $84.00 | $16.80 | | 10 GB, 1 day | 10 GB | 1 | $159.99 | $16.00 | | Unlimited, 3 days | Unlimited | 3 | $134.99 | - | | Unlimited, 5 days | Unlimited | 5 | $214.99 | - | | 1 GB, 7 days | 1 GB | 7 | $22.99 | $22.99 | | Unlimited, 7 days | Unlimited | 7 | $289.99 | - | | Unlimited, 10 days | Unlimited | 10 | $404.99 | - | | 3 GB, 15 days | 3 GB | 15 | $58.00 | $19.33 | | Unlimited, 15 days | Unlimited | 15 | $604.99 | - | | 3 GB, 30 days | 3 GB | 30 | $61.99 | $20.66 | | 5 GB, 30 days | 5 GB | 30 | $95.99 | $19.20 | | 10 GB, 30 days | 10 GB | 30 | $179.99 | $18.00 | | 20 GB, 30 days | 20 GB | 30 | $359.99 | $18.00 | | Unlimited, 30 days | Unlimited | 30 | $1,109.99 | - | | Unlimited, 60 days | Unlimited | 60 | $2,204.99 | - | | Unlimited, 90 days | Unlimited | 90 | $3,304.99 | - | | Unlimited, 180 days | Unlimited | 180 | $6,609.99 | - | ## Which networks does the French Polynesia eSIM use? - **Vini**: 5G Your eSIM picks one automatically; you do not choose or switch between them. The operator list comes from the network partner that carries this eSIM. Verified October 30, 2026. ## eSIM Details - **Data**: 500 MB – 20 GB or unlimited - **Validity**: 1–180 days - **Speed**: 4G LTE / 5G - **Hotspot / tethering**: Supported on most devices - **Activation**: Starts when you first connect in your destination - **Speed management**: Roughly 2-3 GB per day at full speed, sometimes less depending on the local carrier, then reduced - **Top-ups**: Add more data from your account, before the plan expires - **Text messages (SMS)**: Data only: use an app for verification codes - **Connects via**: Israel - **Unused validity**: 180 days before it must be installed ## French Polynesia: what to know before you land Source: https://viasimo.com/destinations/french-polynesia/#destination-guide · Researched October 2026 by Viasimo French Polynesia is French, but it isn't part of the EU, so European Roam Like at Home rules don't cover Tahiti, Moorea or Bora Bora. Your eSIM connects to Vini, which describes itself as the territory's largest 4G network and has started rolling out 5G. Prices are in CFP francs, pegged to the euro, and Bora Bora's airport is on a separate islet reached by boat. ### French Polynesia: quick facts | Fact | French Polynesia | | --- | --- | | Emergency number | 17 (police), 15 (ambulance), 18 (fire) | | Main airports | Tahiti Faa'a International Airport (PPT); Bora Bora Airport (Motu Mute) (BOB) | | Plug types | Type C, E (220V) | | Currency | CFP franc (XPF) | | Apps worth having | WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Google Maps (offline), Windy | ### Why EU roaming rules stop short of Tahiti (French Polynesia · https://viasimo.com/destinations/french-polynesia/#guide-why-eu-roaming-rules-stop-short-of-tahiti) Many European visitors assume a French territory means free EU roaming. It doesn't. The EU's Roam Like at Home rules apply in EU countries, the EEA states (Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway), and by later agreement Moldova and Ukraine. French Polynesia is an overseas collectivity of France and sits outside the EU, so it is not on that list. That means: - **Your home SIM may charge full international roaming rates** on Tahiti, even if it is French. Some operators add French Polynesia to their bundles as a commercial choice, so check your own tariff before relying on it. - **Turn off data roaming on your home SIM** before landing, and let the eSIM carry your data instead. - **Calls and texts on your home number** will still go through your own operator at its roaming rates, so keep them to a minimum or use WhatsApp calling over the eSIM's data. The same applies to New Caledonia and Wallis and Futuna, the other French Pacific territories, if you are combining them on a longer trip. ### Vini's 4G network and its 5G rollout (French Polynesia · https://viasimo.com/destinations/french-polynesia/#guide-vini-s-4g-network-and-its-5g-rollout) **Vini**, owned by the territory's post and telecoms group OPT, calls itself the largest 4G network in French Polynesia, and it is the network your eSIM uses. In 2026 it is also building out 5G, which it presents as an extension of its existing network rather than a replacement. Vini doesn't publish a simple list of 5G islands, so assume 5G is limited to the busiest parts of Tahiti and Moorea, with 4G elsewhere. The network's reach depends on undersea cables as well as masts. Tahiti has been connected to Hawaii by the **Honotua** cable since 2010, which multiplied the territory's international capacity many times over. Islands linked by cable get far better data than those still relying on satellite, which is why speeds on remote atolls can be much slower even when you have full signal bars. Vini also sells access to its **ViniSPOT** wifi hotspots, and runs maintenance work on Tahiti and Moorea from time to time. If data slows in one spot for an hour or so, that may be the reason, and moving a few hundred metres often helps. ### Paying in CFP francs and the fixed euro rate (French Polynesia · https://viasimo.com/destinations/french-polynesia/#guide-paying-in-cfp-francs-and-the-fixed-euro-rate) The currency is the **CFP franc (XPF)**, which is also used in New Caledonia and Wallis and Futuna. It has been fixed to the euro since 1999 at **1,000 francs = €8.38**, or about 119 francs to the euro. For Europeans that makes prices easy to convert in your head: multiply by 0.84 and divide by 100. The fixed rate also means there is no point waiting for a better exchange rate. For visitors from elsewhere, the franc moves with the euro against your home currency. You can bring up to 1,200,000 francs (€10,000) in cash without declaring it on arrival or departure. If you are heading to small islands or staying in family-run pensions, take some cash from Papeete. Card terminals need a working connection, so on a remote atoll a payment can fail when the network is down, and cash is the reliable fallback. ### Landing at Faa'a and Bora Bora's Motu Mute airstrip (French Polynesia · https://viasimo.com/destinations/french-polynesia/#guide-landing-at-faa-a-and-bora-bora-s-motu-mute-airstrip) International flights land at **Tahiti Faa'a International Airport (PPT)**, just west of Papeete. From there, domestic flights and ferries fan out to the other islands. Bora Bora works differently from most destinations. Its airport, **Bora Bora Airport (BOB)**, also called Motu Mute, is on a small islet in the lagoon rather than on the main island, so you take a boat transfer from the airstrip to Vaitape or straight to your hotel. Many overwater resorts collect guests by boat at the airport jetty. Message your hotel with your flight number before you board in Tahiti, because the boat crossing may be the first time you need to show a booking and you want the details on your screen, not in an email you can't load. Once you are there: - Sockets are mainly **Type C and E, at 220V**. UK and US travellers need adapters. - Emergency numbers follow the French system: **17** for police, **15** for medical emergencies (SAMU) and **18** for the fire service. - Away from the main islands, help can take a long time to arrive, so the US State Department recommends medical evacuation insurance. ### Sources for the French Polynesia guide - [Vini (official site)](https://www.vini.pf/) - [Mobile roaming costs (Your Europe, European Union)](https://europa.eu/youreurope/citizens/consumers/internet-telecoms/mobile-roaming-costs/index_en.htm) - [CFP franc (Wikipedia)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CFP_franc) - [Bora Bora Airport (Wikipedia)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bora_Bora_Airport) - [French Polynesia International Travel Information (US State Department)](https://www.travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/International-Travel-Country-Information-Pages/FrenchPolynesia.html) - [Telecommunications in French Polynesia (Wikipedia)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telecommunications_in_French_Polynesia) ## Seven days in French Polynesia: Tahiti, Moorea, Huahine and Bora Bora 7-day itinerary · 7 days · Source: https://viasimo.com/destinations/french-polynesia/#itinerary An island-hopping week using ferries and Air Tahiti's domestic flights: a day on Tahiti, two on Moorea's bays and lagoon, a quieter day on Huahine's marae and villages, then Bora Bora's lagoon before flying back to Papeete. **When to go:** May to October is the cooler, drier season with steady trade winds; November to April is hotter and more humid with heavy showers, and July brings the Heiva festival to Papeete. ### Day 1 in French Polynesia: Tahiti: Papeete and the east coast - **Base:** Papeete (Tahiti) - **Getting there:** International flights land at Tahiti Faa'a (PPT), just west of Papeete. - **Plan:** Start at the Papeete municipal market for fruit, flowers and pareos, then walk the waterfront. Drive east to Pointe Vénus, the black-sand point where Cook observed the transit of Venus, with its lighthouse. Continue to the Arahoho blowhole on the coast road and walk the short trail to the Faarumai waterfalls in the valley behind. Return to Papeete in the evening. - **Mobile signal:** Vini's 4G is strong around Papeete and the coast road; any 5G is likely limited to the busiest parts of Tahiti, and the Faarumai valley trail has weaker coverage. ### Day 2 in French Polynesia: Moorea: the Belvedere and Opunohu valley - **Base:** Moorea - **Getting there:** Aremiti or Terevau fast ferry from Papeete, about 30 to 40 minutes. - **Plan:** Take a morning ferry from Papeete to Moorea. Drive or join a tour up the Opunohu valley through pineapple plantations, stopping at the restored marae, the stone temple platforms of old Polynesia. Continue to the Belvedere lookout for the view over Cook's Bay and Opunohu Bay either side of Mount Rotui. Spend the late afternoon on the beach at Temae. - **Mobile signal:** 4G holds for most of the ferry crossing and around Moorea's coast road; up in the Opunohu valley it can drop to one bar. ### Day 3 in French Polynesia: Moorea's lagoon - **Base:** Moorea - **Plan:** Spend the day on the water. Join a lagoon tour to snorkel with stingrays and blacktip reef sharks in the shallows, then stop on a motu, one of the small sandy islets on the reef, for a picnic. Back on land, kayak or paddleboard in Opunohu Bay, or cycle part of the 60 km coast road. Watch sunset from the west coast near Haapiti. - **Mobile signal:** Phones usually keep 4G across the lagoon close to shore; carry yours in a waterproof pouch, as boats sit low on the water. ### Day 4 in French Polynesia: Ferry back and fly to Huahine - **Base:** Huahine - **Getting there:** Ferry to Papeete, then Air Tahiti to Huahine, about 40 minutes. - **Plan:** Take an early ferry back to Papeete and a taxi to Faa'a for the flight to Huahine. Settle into Fare, the main village, with its harbour and small waterfront. In the afternoon, drive to Faie to see the sacred blue-eyed eels in the stream, then walk along the lagoon at Fare at sunset. Huahine is quieter and less developed than Moorea or Bora Bora. - **Mobile signal:** Vini 4G in Fare and around the airport; on the island's east side and in the hills coverage is patchier. ### Day 5 in French Polynesia: Huahine's marae and Huahine Iti - **Base:** Huahine - **Plan:** Visit Maeva on the shore of Lake Fauna Nui, one of the largest groups of marae in French Polynesia, and see the ancient V-shaped stone fish traps still used in the lake channel. Then drive across the bridge to Huahine Iti, the smaller southern island, for Marae Anini and the beaches near Avea Bay. Cycle or hire a small car, as there is little public transport. - **Mobile signal:** Maeva and the main road have 4G, but parts of Huahine Iti only get a weak signal; download an offline map before setting out. ### Day 6 in French Polynesia: Bora Bora's lagoon - **Base:** Bora Bora - **Getting there:** Air Tahiti from Huahine, about 25 minutes, then a boat from the airport islet. - **Plan:** Fly to Bora Bora in the morning; the airport is on Motu Mute, so a boat brings you across the lagoon to Vaitape or your hotel. In the afternoon, take a lagoon tour to snorkel the coral gardens, see rays and reef sharks, and look up at Mount Otemanu from the water. End the day on the public beach at Matira Point on the island's south tip. - **Mobile signal:** Vini 4G covers Vaitape, Matira and most of the lagoon; message your hotel with your flight details before you leave Huahine, as the airport boat is your first contact. ### Day 7 in French Polynesia: Vaitape and the flight back to Tahiti - **Base:** Papeete (Tahiti) - **Getting there:** Air Tahiti from Bora Bora to Papeete, around 50 minutes. - **Plan:** Spend the morning on the main island: cycle or drive part of the 32 km coast road, visit the craft stalls in Vaitape and look out over the lagoon from the Second World War gun sites above Faanui Bay. Take the boat back to Motu Mute for an afternoon flight to Papeete in time for an evening or late-night international departure. - **Mobile signal:** 4G on Bora Bora's coast road, weaker up at the gun sites; strong coverage again around Faa'a airport. ### Staying connected on this French Polynesia route - Turn off data roaming on your home SIM: French Polynesia is outside EU Roam Like at Home, even on a French tariff. - Download offline maps of Moorea, Huahine and Bora Bora on Tahiti, where Vini's network and cable link are strongest. - Carry some CFP francs for small islands; card terminals fail when the network is down. - Keep booking confirmations and Air Tahiti boarding details saved offline, not only in email. ### Sources for the French Polynesia itinerary - [Moorea (Wikivoyage)](https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Moorea) - [Huahine (Wikivoyage)](https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Huahine) - [Bora Bora Airport (Wikipedia)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bora_Bora_Airport) - [Vini (official site)](https://www.vini.pf/) - [Mobile roaming costs (Your Europe, European Union)](https://europa.eu/youreurope/citizens/consumers/internet-telecoms/mobile-roaming-costs/index_en.htm) ## About this eSIM Set your expectations before you set up your phone. French Polynesia is 118 islands scattered across an ocean area the size of Europe, and mobile data here is built for the handful of places where people actually live. On Tahiti and the main resort islands your eSIM will do everything you need it to. Out on an atoll, on a lagoon, or between islands, you will spend real parts of your holiday with no signal at all, and no travel plan changes that. ### Getting online when you land Almost everyone enters through Faa'a airport on Tahiti, usually at an unsociable hour after a very long flight. Install the profile at home while you still have proper wi-fi, because doing it half asleep in an arrivals hall on a borrowed connection is miserable. On landing, turn the travel line on and let it find the local network. Having data straight away is worth more here than the short distance into Papeete suggests. Onward ferries and inter-island flights run to their own timetables, transfers are often confirmed by message on the day, and pensions and guesthouses tend to coordinate pickups by phone rather than through a booking platform. If your first move is the ferry to Moorea, get everything you need loaded before boarding. The crossing is short but the connection over open water is unreliable, and you do not want to be trying to reload a booking reference while the terminal is disappearing behind you. ### The networks you'll be on Mobile service across the territory comes from Vini, the operator listed for French Polynesia, on 3G. That single fact should shape how you use your phone here. This is a connection for messaging, maps, email, booking confirmations and social posts with modest photos attached, not for streaming, video calls or backing up a day of footage. Because there is one network, there is no switching to a rival when things are slow. What you can do is manage your own demand: turn off automatic photo and cloud backup, let app updates wait until you are on wi-fi, and download anything large before you leave a place that has a fixed connection. ### Where coverage holds, and where it thins Tahiti is the strong case. Papeete, the coastal ring road, Punaauia and the airport area are reliably served, and Moorea across the channel is well covered around its villages and the main road. Bora Bora, Raiatea, Taha'a and Huahine all have service concentrated where people live and where the hotels are. Everything beyond that is a step down. On the Tuamotu atolls, including Rangiroa and Fakarava, coverage clusters around the villages and the airstrip; go out along the motu, out to a dive site or across the lagoon, and you are on your own. The Marquesas are mountainous and thinly populated, so signal follows the valleys with the settlements in them and stops. Two situations catch people out repeatedly. The first is boats: lagoon excursions, dive trips, day sails and inter-island crossings mostly happen outside coverage, and a lagoon that looks small on a map is easily wide enough to lose you. The second is interior hiking on Tahiti, Moorea and the Marquesas, where steep ridges and deep valleys block signal within minutes of leaving the road. Resort and guesthouse wi-fi fills some of the gap, but treat it as a bonus rather than a certainty. Many properties are running on the same constrained infrastructure your phone is. ### What you'll actually use data for here Coordination above all. Ferry and domestic flight schedules shift, excursions get moved for weather, and pension owners will message you about pickup times. WhatsApp and Messenger do most of that work, and both behave acceptably on a 3G connection. Maps are the next priority, less for city navigation than for finding an unsigned pension down a coastal track. French is the everyday language alongside Tahitian, so an offline translation pack is genuinely useful outside the main hotels. Weather and swell forecasts shape whether a crossing or a dive is happening, and they are worth checking every morning while you have signal. Photos are where people get frustrated. Shoot freely, but let uploads happen when you are somewhere with a proper connection instead of watching a progress bar on the beach. ### Before you fly Install and test the eSIM at home, then leave your usual SIM in the phone for texts and any bank verification codes, with its data roaming switched off. Download offline maps for every island on your itinerary, not just the first one, and pull down your flight and ferry confirmations, accommodation addresses and host phone numbers as screenshots. Anything that only exists inside an app that needs a live connection is a liability here. Plan around the gaps rather than fighting them. Tell people at home that you will be uncontactable for stretches, agree a rough check-in rhythm, and accept that a boat day means an offline day. Bring a power bank, keep the phone out of the salt and the sun, and expect the trip to be better for the enforced disconnection than you thought it would be. ## Frequently asked questions ### Does an eSIM work in French Polynesia? Yes. Your French Polynesia eSIM connects automatically the moment you arrive, with no roaming fees and nothing to set up at the airport. The host networks it can use are Vini. Coverage runs on 4G LTE and 5G where the network has rolled it out, and falls back to 4G elsewhere. ### Do I get 5G in French Polynesia? Yes, where it has been deployed. 5G runs on Vini in French Polynesia, and your eSIM uses it automatically on a 5G-capable phone, dropping back to 4G LTE outside covered areas. No country is covered everywhere, so 5G availability varies by location. ### Does EU roaming work in French Polynesia? No. EU Roam Like at Home covers EU countries, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Moldova and Ukraine. French Polynesia is a French overseas collectivity outside the EU, so standard EU roaming rules don't apply, and your home operator can charge international rates. Some operators include it in their bundles anyway, so check your tariff, and switch off home data roaming to avoid surprises. ### Is there 5G in Tahiti? Vini, the operator your eSIM uses, has started rolling out 5G as an extension of its 4G network, which it describes as the largest in French Polynesia. It does not publish a simple list of 5G areas, so expect 5G mostly in the busiest parts of Tahiti and Moorea, and 4G or slower connections on outer islands and atolls. ### How do I get from Bora Bora airport to my hotel? By boat. Bora Bora Airport (BOB) is on Motu Mute, an islet in the lagoon, not on the main island. A boat transfer takes you to Vaitape, and many resorts pick guests up by boat at the airport jetty. Send your flight details to your hotel before leaving Tahiti so the transfer is waiting. ### What is the CFP franc worth in euros? The CFP franc has been fixed to the euro since 1999 at 1,000 francs to €8.38, or about 119 francs per euro. It is also used in New Caledonia and Wallis and Futuna. Because the rate never changes against the euro, there's no advantage in timing your currency exchange for this trip. ### How much data do I need for 7 days in French Polynesia? For 7 days in French Polynesia, Viasimo sells 1 GB for $22.99 and unlimited data for $289.99. Our sizing recommendation, not a measurement: maps, messaging and the occasional lookup, about 1 GB a week; maps, social, photos and some browsing, about 3 to 7 GB a week. The data calculator on this site works it out from how you actually use your phone. ## Information and verification - **Prices and plans**: Every price and allowance on this page is read from the live catalog, not typed in. Verified October 30, 2026. - **Host networks**: The operator list comes from the network partner that carries this eSIM. Verified October 30, 2026.