Plan a French Polynesia charter: the Society Islands, Tuamotus and Marquesas, temporary admission and charter rules, and a sample itinerary.
A French Polynesia charter is the South Pacific most guests are picturing: over-water bungalows and impossible lagoon colour in the Society Islands, some of the best drift diving in the world through the Tuamotu atoll passes, and — for those with the time — the Marquesas, which look nothing like either.
It is also the ground where the regulatory position most often catches operators out, because the rules that let a yacht stay are not the rules that let it charter. This guide covers both, plus how to sequence the cruising, and where Guest Trip removes the spreadsheet stage.
Non-EU flagged yachts may remain in French Polynesia under temporary admission for a maximum of 24 months, a limit in force since July 2020, with three additional months available for force majeure and renewal only after six months outside French Polynesian waters. The condition attached to that regime is explicit: the vessel must not be used for commercial activities and must not be loaned, rented or sold, and the owner must not engage in lucrative activities in French Polynesia.
At the same time, the South Pacific nations aligned their temporary import and charter rules in 2022 specifically to open the region to foreign-flagged charter, with French Polynesia offering the longest terms of the group. Both things are true, and they describe different regimes: temporary admission is a private-use status, and chartering requires a separate authorisation. This is the single most important thing to confirm with the management company and a local agent before a charter is marketed, and it is not a question crew should answer from a website — including this one.
In Guest Trip: the itinerary makes the days in each jurisdiction explicit, which is what the management company needs when confirming the yacht's position.
The dry season from May to October is the charter window, with south-east trade winds and lower humidity. November to April is the wet, warmer season and carries cyclone risk. Distances are the defining feature: Tahiti to the nearest Tuamotu atolls is a comfortable overnight, but the Marquesas are around 750 nautical miles north-east of Tahiti, which is a passage rather than a hop and needs a charter of two weeks or more to be worth doing.
1. Choose the group for the guests
Society Islands. Tahiti, Moorea, Huahine, Raiatea, Taha'a, Bora Bora; lagoons, resorts, infrastructure. First-timers and one-week charters; the classic picture. Tuamotus. Rangiroa, Fakarava, Tikehau; coral atolls, drift diving through the passes, few facilities. Divers and guests who want emptiness. Marquesas. Nuku Hiva, Hiva Oa; volcanic, green, dramatic, no lagoons, real remoteness. Long charters; guests who have done the Societies
2. Clear at Papeete and plan the paperwork
Papeete on Tahiti is the main customs office and the practical entry point. Arriving at another island means reporting to the local Gendarmerie brigade to complete customs and immigration. A digital online clearance system has been in place since 2025, though processing delays of one to three days have been reported for non-EU passport holders — so build the arrival day around clearance rather than assuming it is instant.
3. Plan the Tuamotu passes around the tide
The atoll passes are the reason divers come, and they are tidal features: the drift dives at Fakarava's Garuae and Tumakohua passes and Rangiroa's Tiputa pass work on the incoming flow, and the passes run hard. Entry and exit for the yacht itself is a slack-water operation. This is the one part of a Polynesian itinerary that must be planned to the hour rather than the day, and it constrains the whole week around it.
In Guest Trip: tide-bound pass transits and dive windows sit on the day with a time, so a plan that depends on slack water shows it.
4. Use the Societies for the guests and the Tuamotus for the water
Bora Bora and Moorea deliver what guests booked and have the infrastructure to support a charter; Taha'a and Huahine are quieter and arguably nicer; Raiatea has the yard and the airport. The Tuamotus deliver the diving and the emptiness but very little else. A one-week charter that tries to include both spends too much of itself on passage — better to do the Societies properly, or commit to the Tuamotus with a longer charter.
5. Resource the programme around water and culture
Diving and snorkelling are the core: manta and shark encounters, coral gardens, the passes. Add the cultural programme — Polynesian dance, vanilla plantations on Taha'a, marae archaeological sites on Raiatea, the pearl farms — and the week has genuine variety. Provision in Papeete, which is the only place with real supply; everything east and north of it is limited and expensive.
6. Publish it as a live page
A Polynesian charter moves for tide, for trade wind strength and for the connecting flights that bring guests in. Publish the itinerary as a guest site the crew can edit rather than a PDF.
In Guest Trip: the itinerary publishes as a PIN-protected, branded guest site and can be updated mid-charter without re-sending.
Day 1. Embark Papeete; clearance; short crossing to Moorea; Opunohu Bay for the night. About 2 hours. Day 2. Moorea: ray and shark snorkelling in the lagoon, Belvedere lookout ashore. Short hops. Day 3. Overnight or early passage north-west to Huahine; quiet lagoon anchorage. About 85 nautical miles. Day 4. Raiatea and Taha'a: vanilla plantation, the coral garden drift snorkel. About 2 hours. Day 5. Passage to Bora Bora; the lagoon, Mount Otemanu, dinner ashore. About 3 hours. Day 6. Bora Bora: manta dive, lagoon tour, the classic day of the charter. Short hops. Day 7. Return towards Raiatea for the airport, or overnight back to Tahiti. Varies
A Tuamotu itinerary works better at ten to fourteen days from Tahiti via Rangiroa, Tikehau and Fakarava. The Marquesas need three weeks or a one-way charter with a repositioning passage.
Not under temporary admission, which is a private-use regime: the vessel may not be used for commercial activity or be loaned, rented or sold. Chartering requires a separate authorisation, and the South Pacific nations aligned their rules in 2022 to make foreign-flag charter possible. Confirm the specific position with the management company and a local agent before marketing a charter.
Non-EU flagged yachts may remain under temporary admission for a maximum of 24 months, with three further months available for force majeure. Renewal is only possible after six months spent outside French Polynesian waters.
May to October, the dry season, with south-east trade winds and lower humidity. November to April is wetter, warmer and carries cyclone risk.
Around 750 nautical miles north-east — a genuine passage rather than an island hop. A Marquesas itinerary needs a charter of at least two to three weeks, or a one-way charter built around a repositioning leg.