Note: The following information is applicable to Americans applying in Panama as of January 2025. It might also be applicable to people of other nationalities, but I don’t know.

Why a Long Stay Visa?

If you’re used to cruising in places like the Bahamas and the Eastern Caribbean, the idea of applying ahead of time for a long stay visa is a little out of the ordinary. You might be used to getting a visa on entry to the country, and then if you want to stay longer, you just apply for an extension. No sweat, no hassle (maybe a bit of money, in the case of the Bahamas these days.)

In French Polynesia, getting a Long Stay Visa gives you the OPPORTUNITY to extend your stay. No Long Stay Visa? No extension. You have to leave the country by the end of the 90 days you’re given on entry. It’s a big country, covering a lot of geographical territory; if you’re slowed down by weather or necessary repairs, that 90 days can disappear in a hurry.

Still, there are lots of people who choose to forego the Long Stay Visa. Pretty much your options for cyclone season (6 months of the year) are to stay in French Polynesia (Marquesas, ideally), or to go all the way to New Zealand or Australia. If you’re going all the way through, you might not have even the 90 days to play in French Polynesia if you want to see something of the many island nations in between.

We want the option to stay longer than 3 months. The boat gets 2 years before any import tax is due. Jeremy has French citizenship so no visa needed. Why not get a Long Stay Visa for me and keep our options open?

*Image from* *World Atlas Maps* *It’s about 800 miles straight line from where we are, Nuku Hiva, to Papeete.*

Resources that I used:

Chuck and Linda on Jacaranda’s Journey have spent lots of time and work pulling together information on applying for the LSV from a number of places. It’s a good overview of the process, but the website as a whole is frustratingly not mobile-friendly and takes a little bit of time to sort through exactly what’s applicable to you depending on where you’re applying. If you’re interested in what the process has looked like over the years, this is a gold mine.

SV Sabado wrote an extremely detailed, extremely easy-to-follow blog post as Americans applying from Panama. I followed this almost to the letter, including using their very helpful letter examples.

The process takes 2 or 3 visits to the embassy, costs 99 euros (or USD equivalent), and can take between 4-9 weeks, depending on time of year you’re applying. Keep in mind the wait time can vary significantly even from what you’re told it will be, so it’s best to go into this whole process with a very flexible, open mind.

The visa application is approved twice. Once in Panama, and then all the paperwork is sent (electronically, I was assured by the woman at the embassy) to Papeete in Tahiti. That’s why it can take a long time!

In general, there are 3 parts to the visa process:

Make an appointment at the French embassy in Panama City.
Compile all the paperwork
Embassy visits (there are 3 of them)

Let’s go through these in detail. Lots of screenshots!

STEP 1: Making an appointment at the French Embassy in Panama City.

The first step is determining if you need a visa. (Hint - probably you do. You still need to go through this questionnaire.) Go to this website and at the end of the questionnaire, you’ll make an account, file an application, and book an appointment.

Under the “Your Stay” part, you’re submitting from Panama. You want a “Long Stay (>90 days)”, and you’re mainly staying in French Polynesia.

Under the “your travel document: You’re traveling on an ORDINARY passport. An official one is government-job related

Surprise surprise, you need a long stay visa!

Plans/main purpose of stay: You’re a visitor. An adult visitor.

You’ll get to this page, which outlines the supporting documents you’ll need when you get to the embassy for your appointment. We’ll cover this in detail later, but this shouldn’t be too surprising. YOU DO NOT NEED THESE TO BE AT HAND WHEN FILLING OUT THE APPLICATION ONLINE.

At the bottom of this “supporting documents” page will be a quick note about what it will cost, and then a button to SUBMIT ONLINE APPLICATION.

*Bottom of this page. You’re still in the right place.*

Then you need to create an account. Be prepared for needing to validate your email address before you can continue.

*Look to the bottom right to create a new application!*

There will be information you feel like you have already filled out. Be patient. Fill it out again.

*You’ve already filled this information out. Do it again.*

Some tricky parts, at least to me:

You are applying from Panama, even if you’re not a resident.
Application form asks for a national identity number. We as Americans don’t have those. Leave it blank.

After you fill in the whole thing, you’ll get a screen that says “MY APPLICATIONS” (not showing it because it has identifying information) and a place to click CONTINUE.

Next screen will be a “next step appointment” and in big letters the amount you will be asked to pay.

*Be aware of fluctuating exchange rates if you’re not paying in Euros!!! You’ll get a final tally at the Embassy.*

MAKE SURE YOU PRINT YOUR RECEIPT. (you’ll be prompted to do this a few times!) You’ll also get an email with what you need to print.

Whew, right? Not so fast!

Now to make that appointment! GO TO this website: SCROLL DOWN TO GET TO THE “make an appointment” button.

*Landing page for the website where you’ll actually make the appointment.*

Scroll down . . .

*After you click the “make an appointment” button, you’ll get to this page.*

*Make sure this is the kind of appointment you’re booking!*

Note: if you’re applying with your spouse or other family members, you can, as far as I know, do it as a “group” one.

You’ll be applying in “America”, Panama in specific.

*I couldn’t figure out why I wasn’t able to book my appointment . . .*

Then you choose the date (Tuesdays and Thursdays are when they do this kind of appointment, which is a DEMAND de VISA) that works for you! Depending on when you are applying, there may or may not be appointments any time soon. We set our appointment in December for January; friends who tried to get an appointment starting in March saw the earliest availability in late April. Friends who went online the end of April could pick their day almost immediately. Flexibilty is a key cruiser skill!

WHEW!!!!

STEP 2: THE PAPERWORK!

You’ll need copies of all of this stuff, so fire up the printer/scanner/copier. It took me a couple of hours to pull it all together.

Basics: You’re going with a big stack of papers. If two of you are applying, then the stack will be twice as big. Treat each person as a separate application, including documents that work for both of you.

Non-paper basics:

Passport valid for at least 3 months past departure date. Must have at least 2 blank pages.
Recent passport photo done to European (ICAO) standards. The specs on what you wear as well as dimensions of the photo are different than US ones.
Payment (cash in USD or Balboas is fine) BE CAREFUL to pay attention to exchange rates if you are not paying in Euros. Right now, in May of 2025, the dollar is tanking, so the visa is more expensive each day. They’ll ask for whateve the actual current rate is, not what your paperwork says.

Some notes:

I had no proof of Panamanian residency. It did not matter.
Your passport is an ordinary one, not an official one (unless it is. then you’ll need a note verbale. I have no idea what this is.)

Paper pile: If you’re applying together with your spouse or other family members, you will need one of these for EACH OF YOU. I had a folder with original documents as well as the pile of copies. I did NOT have any of the documents translated into French.

A cover letter (not required but a nice touch), summarizing travel plans and a list of included documents
Application form that you printed out from the website, signed and dated
Registration receipt from your application
Passport pages. You will be bringing your passport AND will need copies of all pages with information (including entry/exit stamps from other countries you have visited). The passport must have at least 2 blank pages, and be valid for at least 3 months PAST your departure date. So if you’re asking for a visa that is good until December of 2026, your passport must be valid until at least March of 2027.
A letter explaining that you promise not to work.
Proof of funds; 3 months of recent bank statements showing you have enough money to provide for your stay. This seems to be a fluid number, but general guidelines are that you need at least $1500 per person per month. Make sure the bank statements have your name on them!
You’ll be staying on your boat, so include a letter to that effect as this is your accommodations while in French Polynesia. We used the Marina Papeete as the address (they don’t accept reservations).
SV Sabado mentions taking their marriage certificate though this is not asked for anywhere on the French paperwork. Can’t hurt. (I included mine as Jeremy is French; I also included his French identity documents.)
Proof of health insurance for duration of stay. I used DAN Boater which was accepted with no questions.

You will be asked if you want to keep your passport. I needed to sign a piece of paper with a reason for keeping it - primary identification is one valid reason; traveling is another. Panama requires that you carry primary identification with you as you are in country,.

Okay. Pile of paper in hand. WHEW!

STEP 3: The embassy visits.

Have your printed receipt showing your appointment time. A guard will ask you about it. They may also have a hand-written post-it note with names on it, and they want the name on your receipt to match their note. They will then radio in to the inside, to get the door unlocked.

While you are waiting, take your hats off and do NOT put your feet or other body part on any part of the building. No sitting on the steps in the shade!

You’ll be buzzed in through a heavy door into a kind of small ante-chamber, and then buzzed into the next door (to your right). You will go through a metal detector. Hand over your passport for proof of identity, then put any items other than the passport, a wallet, and all your paperwork into a provided locker. Put your phone or other device on silent.

You’ll then be buzzed into the waiting room. There’s a bathroom, a window overlooking the water, a tv, some brochures. There’s one office to the left and a door to the right. The door to the right will open when it’s time for your appointment; hand over your paperwork and stay in the waiting room. Then you’ll be invited back for a short interview, and this is where you’ll pay for your visa. Cash is king. (You can pay in Balboas or USD or Euros.)

Note: you’ll be handed a half sheet of paper with some important identifying information on it and told to bring it with you when you come back to retrieve your visa-inserted passport. I was definitely asked for this piece of paper!

That’s it. Then you wait!

It’s a 2-4-6-8 week turnaround time. Maybe longer, maybe shorter.

There is no way to track the progress of your visa application.
You’ll receive an email when your visa has been approved, after which you’ll need to drop your passport off at the embassy to have it inserted into your passport. This initial drop off does NOT require an appointment. Instead, you’ll be buzzed in and go through the first heavy door, but instead of going to the right to get buzzed through the second heavy door, you’ll turn left and hand over your passport there.
Once the visa has been put into your passport, you will receive another email telling you to make an appointment to come pick it up. The email has a link embedded in it which takes you immediately to the relevant appointment type.
Pick up your passport and you’re ready to roll!

Then you’ll be all set to have a lovely, long time to explore the gorgeous islands of French Polynesia!

Applying for a Long Stay Visa for French Polynesia

STEP 1: Making an appointment at the French Embassy in Panama City.

STEP 2: THE PAPERWORK!

STEP 3: The embassy visits.