by Scott Laird
Last updated: 5:05 PM ET, Thu April 22, 2021
The Islands of Tahiti will reopen to international visitors for tourism purposes on May 1, and today the territory released details on the entry and testing requirements for visitors from the United States and other countries.
From April 24, travelers bound for French Polynesia will be able to register the details of their itinerary on the ETIS platform. Entry to French Polynesia after May 1 for tourism purposes will only be permitted for travelers who are permanent residents of the United States or who have spent the preceding 30 days in the US.
Visitors from all other countries, including France, must still declare and providing supporting documentation of a compelling reason to travel. Family, professional or health reasons are currently considered compelling reasons to travel.
Between six and 30 days prior to departure for the Islands of Tahiti, travelers visiting for tourism reasons must complete the online ETIS form and declare tourism as their reason for travel.
Vaccinated travelers older than 16 or 18 (depending on their vaccine), must then upload their full vaccination certificate. Travelers with proven immunity (i.e. those who have had and recovered from COVID-19 and possess antibodies) must upload a serology test demonstrating the presence of antibodies between 15 and 30 days prior to departure. All travelers will then commit to respect French Polynesia's sanitary protocols and share their itinerary and contact details for contact tracing, if necessary after arrival.
All travelers aged 11 and older, including vaccinated, immunized and other travelers, must take an RT-PCR test less than three days prior to departure and upload the results to ETIS to receive a boarding authorization. The ETIS receipt, RT-PCR test and boarding authorization must be presented at the airport prior to boarding the inbound flight to Tahiti.
Upon arrival, vaccinated and immunized travelers aged six and over will take an antigen test, plus a virological test on their fourth day. Travelers without vaccines or immunity will also take the antigen test and must quarantine in Tahiti for 10 days at their own expense and take RT-PCR tests on the fourth and eighth day of their quarantine.
It's worth noting that although children under the age of 16 cannot currently receive the COVID-19 vaccine, they are still subject to the same testing and entry requirements. Children aged six to 16 who travel to Tahiti with vaccinated or immunized parents would not be exempt from quarantine unless they themselves are immunized. Children under age six are exempt from quarantine.
Prior to the most recent closure in early February, Tahiti required only a negative RT-PCR test for quarantine-free entry.
Travelers returning to the United States are required to present an antigen test taken within three days of departure, and they can visit testing centers at various points in French Polynesia to get one. There will also be a testing center at Faa'a International Airport on Tahiti, open daily, providing antigen tests for travelers for a nominal fee.
Full details of the entry requirements are subject to change and can be found on the Tahiti Tourisme website.
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