French Polynesia eSIM: Mobile Data for Tahiti, Moorea and Bora Bora

French Polynesia's 118 islands and atolls are scattered across a vast stretch of the South Pacific, yet nearly every visitor arrives the same way: at Faa'a International Airport on Tahiti, just outside Papeete. From there it is a short ferry ride to Moorea or a domestic flight to Bora Bora, Rangiroa and beyond. With a HelloSIM eSIM installed before departure, you can get online soon after the plane touches down.

Why use an eSIM in French Polynesia

• Connected from Faa'a: check your ferry to Moorea or your onward flight and message your hotel before you leave the terminal.
• Independent of resort Wi-Fi: in overwater bungalows and on the motu, guest Wi-Fi can slow down when every room is online.
• Your number stays active: the home SIM remains in the phone for calls and texts, and WhatsApp keeps your usual number.
• Lower risk of roaming bills: roaming this far from home is often expensive — check your current tariff before you travel.
• Top up on the go: add more data to the same eSIM from your account or the HelloSIM app.

HelloSIM eSIMs are data-only, so you keep in touch through WhatsApp, FaceTime or similar apps. The QR code is delivered by email straight away after payment, and the plan's validity only begins when the eSIM first connects to a network in French Polynesia.

Networks and coverage

HelloSIM connects you to Vini and Vodafone, the network run by Pacific Mobile Telecom. Both are listed as 5G networks, so a 5G phone can use 5G where they offer it, and you will be on 4G elsewhere. Coverage is strongest on Tahiti around Papeete and along the coastal road, across most of Moorea, and on the main island of Bora Bora, including Vaitape and Matira. Resorts on Bora Bora's lagoon usually pick up signal from the main island.

Coverage is weaker inland on Tahiti, in the valleys and on mountain trails, and along the roadless Te Pari coast of Tahiti Iti. On the remote atolls of the Tuamotus and in the Marquesas and Austral Islands, signal can be limited to the main villages, and it disappears at sea between islands.

How to get connected

1. 1Complete checkout and find your QR code in the email; it is also available in your HelloSIM account and app.
2. 2Before the long flight, install the eSIM on Wi-Fi: Settings → Mobile/Cellular → Add eSIM on an iPhone, or Settings → Connections or Network & internet → SIM manager → Add eSIM on Android.
3. 3On landing in Tahiti, turn on the HelloSIM line, set it for mobile data and switch on Data Roaming for that line — it is needed and adds nothing to your bill, because the data is prepaid.
4. 4Switch off data roaming on your home line to avoid charges from your own carrier.

How much data do you need

• Light (around 1 GB a week): maps, messaging, ferry times and booking excursions.
• Medium (3–5 GB a week): sharing lagoon photos, browsing and social media.
• Heavy (10 GB or more): video calls, streaming or working remotely during a longer stay.

Hotels and guesthouses usually offer Wi-Fi, but on smaller islands it can be slow or limited to the reception area.

Good to know

• Currency: CFP franc (XPF), pegged to the euro
• Capital: Papeete, on Tahiti
• Languages: French is official; Tahitian is widely spoken, and English is common in hotels and tourist areas
• Time zone: UTC−10 in Tahiti, Moorea and Bora Bora; the Marquesas are UTC−9:30 and the Gambier Islands UTC−9
• Plug type: mostly E (French style), with some US-style A/B sockets, so a universal adapter is the easy option
• Don't miss: Bora Bora's lagoon beneath Mount Otemanu, the Belvedere lookout on Moorea, Papeete's covered market and diving in Rangiroa

Travel tips for staying connected in French Polynesia

• Download offline maps of Tahiti and Moorea before you land, so you can find your hotel even if the network is busy at the airport.
• Save boarding passes and hotel confirmations to your phone before inter-island flights, as signal on smaller atolls can be limited.
• On a cruise between the islands, phones can switch to the ship's maritime network, which is billed separately and can be very expensive. Keep flight mode on at sea and use your eSIM once you are back in port.
• In an overwater bungalow, keep the phone well away from the deck edge and pack a waterproof pouch for lagoon excursions.
• This plan covers French Polynesia only, so if your journey includes a stopover elsewhere, arrange separate data for that country.

Planning lagoons, ferries and island flights? Set up your eSIM at home and arrive connected in Tahiti.