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Cayenne Entry Requirements

Cayenne Entry Requirements

Visa, immigration, and customs information

Important Notice Entry requirements can change at any time. Always verify current requirements with official government sources before traveling.
Cayenne, capital of French Guiana, perches where the emerald-green Cayenne River collides with the Atlantic, its harbor jostling with fishing boats that reek of diesel and salt-cured rouget. Entry follows French overseas-department rules, so you land inside the EU the instant the wheels of your flight kiss Félix-‰boué Airport's asphalt. Immigration officers in sharp navy uniforms greet you with brisk Bonjours while ceiling fans chop the humid air that carries a faint mix of guava and jet fuel. Expect short lines, digital passport scanners, and the occasional sniffer-dog bark as it hunts contraband fruit.

Visa Requirements

Entry permissions vary by nationality. Find your category below.

Visa-Free Entry
90 days within any 180-day Schengen period

EU/EEA citizens and select passport holders may enter without a visa.

Includes
United States United Kingdom Canada Australia Japan South Korea Brazil Argentina Chile Israel UAE Singapore

Your passport must stay valid for three months past your planned departure and have been issued within the last 10 years.

Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA/eVisa)
N/A

Right now Cayenne has no ETA system; visa-exempt travelers just show up with passport in hand.

How to Apply: Not applicable
Cost: Free

France intends to roll out an ETIAS waiver for today's visa-free nationalities, probably in 2025.

Visa Required
90 days

If your country is not on the visa-exempt list, secure a short-stay Schengen visa before you board.

How to Apply: Apply at the nearest French consulate or outsourced visa center. Biometric data is compulsory. Allow 15 calendar days for processing.

A single-entry visa dies the moment you exit the Schengen zone, so schedule any regional side-trips with care.

Arrival Process

Félix-‰boué Airport's single-terminal arrival hall feels like an oversized Caribbean living room, its ochre walls ringing with Creole greetings and the sigh of air-conditioning.

1
Disembark & Queue
Track the blue arrows to immigration booths; EU passports form the left queue, everyone else the right.
2
Passport Control
Hand over passport plus return ticket. The officer may whack the date beside the dazzling scarlet French entry stamp that smells of wet ink.
3
Baggage Claim
Carousels turn beneath lazy ceiling fans. Hunt for your suitcase among flowered wraps and fishing-rod tubes.
4
Customs Channel
Pick green (nothing to declare) or red (goods to declare); random searches develop under a poster of a scarlet ibis.
5
Arrivals Hall
Push through the doors into warm, flower-heavy air where taxi drivers shout destinations and the scent of grilled snapper drifts from the upstairs café.

Documents to Have Ready

Passport
Must be valid three months beyond departure and less than 10 years old.
Return or onward ticket
Proves you will leave within 90 days. Print or phone PDF accepted.
Accommodation proof
Hotel voucher or host invitation letter. Officers occasionally ask to see it.

Tips for Smooth Entry

Keep a pen within reach. Landing cards are gone. But you might still have to finish customs forms on the plane.
Keep your yellow-fever certificate handy if you're arriving from Brazil or Suriname. Inspectors occasionally step on board before anyone gets off.

Customs & Duty-Free

French Guiana guards its rainforests, where howler monkeys roar just outside Cayenne, with strict biosecurity rules.

Alcohol
1 litre of spirits over 22% or 2 litres under 22% plus 4 litres of still wine and 16 litres of beer
Must be over 18 years old. Officers may open bottles to sniff contents.
Tobacco
200 cigarettes or 100 cigarillos or 50 cigars or 250g smoking tobacco
Same age restriction. Plain packaging rules apply if staying.
Currency
10 000 € or equivalent must be declared
Form handed out on incoming flights. Failure to declare incurs heavy fines.
Gifts/Goods
430 € per adult for air travellers
Includes souvenirs. Electronics and jewellery inspected closely.

Prohibited Items

  • Fresh meat and dairy from outside EU, foot-and-mouth disease risk
  • Seeds, plants, soil, potential invasive species
  • Counterfeit goods, Paris fashion houses lobby hard

Restricted Items

  • Medications containing narcotics, carry doctor's letter and pharmacy label
  • Drones, must register with French civil aviation if over 800g

Health Requirements

Cayenne's tropical humidity means mosquito defense starts the second you leave the aircraft.

Required Vaccinations

  • Yellow fever if arriving from a risk country within 12 days

Recommended Vaccinations

  • Hepatitis A
  • Typhoid
  • Hepatitis B
  • MMR
  • Tetanus-diphtheria

Health Insurance

EU/EEA citizens can flash a European Health Insurance Card for public care. Everyone else needs travel insurance that covers medevac to Martinique or mainland France.

Current Health Requirements: No COVID-19 test or quarantine remains. Yet rules can flip overnight if cases spike. Check the French prefecture website before you fly.

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Read our complete Cayenne Travel Insurance Guide →

Important Contacts

Essential resources for your trip.

Embassy/Consulate
Find your country's embassy or consulate
Check your government's travel advisory website
Immigration Authority
Préfecture de la Guyane, Bureau des Étrangers
www.guyane.gouv.fr for visa extensions and official information
Emergency
Dial 112 for police, ambulance, fire
Operators speak French. Ask passer-by for help if language barrier

Special Situations

Additional requirements for specific circumstances.

Traveling with Children

Minors arriving with one parent need a notarized consent letter from the absent parent plus the child's passport; French officers may phone to confirm.

Traveling with Pets

Dogs and cats require an EU pet passport or EU health certificate, microchip, and rabies shot at least 21 days old; Cayenne's tropical parasites make a tick treatment on arrival smart.

Extended Stays

If you want to stay past day 90, request a temporary long-stay visa (VLS-T) at the préfecture. Appointments fill weeks ahead in high season.

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