Practical Information for visiting French Guiana

Money & Payments

The currency is the euro: French Guiana is part of France, the European Union and the Eurozone, and the banking, card and cash habits are those of a French department, with prices raised by import costs. Car-rental agencies keep French office hours, 8 to 12 and 14:30 to 17:30 with Saturday mornings. ATM coverage outside the coastal towns, tipping and card acceptance in the interior are not summarised here because no authority page opened for this page spoke to them; the UK advisory's one money rule is to take a licensed or pre-arranged taxi after using an ATM in Cayenne.

Stay Safe (2026 security update)

Both advisories rate French Guiana as needing normal precautions. Crime levels are low but robbery is a risk in some areas of Cayenne after dark, and petty theft is regular in the towns, at viewpoints, on buses and at bus stations, in airport terminals, hotel lobbies and street-side restaurant terraces; violent crime occurs occasionally, mostly burglary. Avoid isolated areas and secluded beaches after dark, take a licensed or pre-arranged taxi after an ATM in case you are followed, keep valuables in the hotel safe, and step into a shop to use a phone.

The forest and the sea: the rivers are, with the aircraft, the only access to the interior, so go with the operators; phone coverage is unstable in the rainforest; coastal waters carry tidal currents and rip tides and some beaches are unsupervised; dive schools may have limited resources. Reckless motorcyclists are the road hazard; avoid rural roads after dark.

Weather: no cyclones, but tropical storms in the December-to-July rains and seasonal flooding from mid-December to June that closes roads with mudflows and landslides; bush and forest fires in the dry months. Drugs: severe penalties and reinforced airport screening with searches, fingerprints and X-rays.

Health Considerations

Call 15 or 112 for an ambulance. Yellow-fever vaccination is compulsory for entry and must be done at least ten days before travel; the advisories list dengue and Zika throughout, malaria in certain areas and seasons -- ask a travel clinic about prophylaxis for the interior -- and rabies possibly present in wildlife including bats. Mosquitoes are worst in the rainy months: nets where rooms are open, repellent always. Health care is very good, the UK advisory says, with hospitals and GP practices equivalent to mainland France, and European health-insurance cards are used as in France; insurance should still cover evacuation from the interior. Pharmacies and tap water are not summarised here because no authority page opened for this page spoke to them.

Local Laws & Etiquette

French law applies: the driving code, the 0.05 per cent blood-alcohol limit, severe drug penalties and the airport's reinforced screening. Entry: a yellow-fever certificate for everyone, ID card or passport within the EU, visa rules as for France elsewhere. Same-sex relations are legal under French law, but the Canadian advisory says homosexuality is not widely socially accepted. Photography at the space centre is subject to its rules, and the Salvation Islands close on launch days.

Manners are French with a Creole warmth: greet in French, shake hands, and ask before photographing people in the Amerindian and Maroon villages, which are communities and not attractions. Tipping and drone rules are not summarised here until they have been read on an authority's page.

Verified against Global Affairs Canada, September 2026.

Emergency Information

Emergency numbers: 112 for police, fire and medical; 15 for an ambulance.

Consular: French Guiana is France, so EU citizens are on home ground; there is no Canadian office and the embassy in Paris is responsible, with Global Affairs Canada's emergency line at any hour. Natural hazards: flooding, mudflows and landslides in the rains from mid-December to June, tropical storms in the same season, forest fires in the dry months, and evacuation of the Salvation Islands on launch days.

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Sources & verification Covers the sourced claims on this page.

Checked against Global Affairs Canada — No tourist visa for stays up to 90 days; customs may ask for a return or onward ticket, proof of accommodation and of sufficient funds; drug screening at Félix-Éboué airport is being reinforced, with luggage searches, fingerprinting and X-rays possible on arrival or departure, so allow time; drug penalties severe; French law does not prohibit same-sex acts but homosexuality is not widely socially accepted, Dial 112 in an emergency; no office of the Government of Canada in French Guiana, the embassy in Paris is responsible; the rainy season runs mid-December to June with seasonal flooding, impassable roads, mudflows and landslides; bush and forest fires occur; malaria risk in certain areas and seasons; dengue and Zika risks; rabies may be present in wildlife including bats, Dial 112 in an emergency; no office of the Government of Canada in French Guiana, the embassy in Paris is responsible; the rainy season runs mid-December to June with seasonal flooding, impassable roads, mudflows and landslides; bush and forest fires occur; malaria risk in certain areas and seasons; dengue and Zika risks; rabies may be present in wildlife including bats, Canada advises normal security precautions; petty crime occurs regularly in urban areas, at viewpoints, on buses, at bus stations, airport terminals, hotel lobbies and street-side restaurant patios; violent crime occurs occasionally; avoid isolated areas and walking alone after dark; coastal waters can be dangerous with tidal currents and riptides, some beaches unsupervised; the rivers are, with air travel, the only access to the interior, Road safety is overall very good, major roads paved and well maintained; remote areas have poor lighting, signage and rural roads, motorcyclists are reckless; avoid driving after dark, carry a charged phone, coverage is unstable in the rainforest; public taxis and vans are relatively safe; buses serve Cayenne, Montsinéry-Tonnegrande and Remire-Montjoly; shared taxis leave when full, and the government's public shared-taxi service is the TIG, each vehicle carrying a TIG sticker; a ferry crosses the Maroni to Suriname; pirogues serve the rivers, Dial 112 in an emergency; no office of the Government of Canada in French Guiana, the embassy in Paris is responsible; the rainy season runs mid-December to June with seasonal flooding, impassable roads, mudflows and landslides; bush and forest fires occur; malaria risk in certain areas and seasons; dengue and Zika risks; rabies may be present in wildlife including bats (September 2026).
Checked against UK Government (GOV.UK; FCDO travel advice abroad) — Crime levels are low but there is a risk of robbery in some areas of Cayenne, especially after dark; avoid isolated areas and secluded beaches after dark, take a licensed or pre-arranged taxi after an ATM, do not wear expensive jewellery, use the hotel safe; dive schools may have limited resources and not observe safety standards; French driving law applies and a UK photocard licence is valid, hire firms may require a year's experience, a higher minimum age and an IDP; the blood-alcohol limit is 0.05%; tropical storms are a risk in the rainy season from December to July, Passport valid at least 3 months after the planned departure; French Guiana is an overseas department of France and part of the EU; no visa for up to 90 days for tourism or business; a yellow-fever certificate is required to enter, and may be needed for onward travel because of the risk in French Guiana, Call 15 or 112 for an ambulance; health risks include Zika, dengue and yellow fever; general health care facilities are very good, hospitals and GP practices equivalent to mainland France; insurance should cover treatment and evacuation, Passport valid at least 3 months after the planned departure; French Guiana is an overseas department of France and part of the EU; no visa for up to 90 days for tourism or business; a yellow-fever certificate is required to enter, and may be needed for onward travel because of the risk in French Guiana, Call 15 or 112 for an ambulance; health risks include Zika, dengue and yellow fever; general health care facilities are very good, hospitals and GP practices equivalent to mainland France; insurance should cover treatment and evacuation, Crime levels are low but there is a risk of robbery in some areas of Cayenne, especially after dark; avoid isolated areas and secluded beaches after dark, take a licensed or pre-arranged taxi after an ATM, do not wear expensive jewellery, use the hotel safe; dive schools may have limited resources and not observe safety standards; French driving law applies and a UK photocard licence is valid, hire firms may require a year's experience, a higher minimum age and an IDP; the blood-alcohol limit is 0.05%; tropical storms are a risk in the rainy season from December to July, Crime levels are low but there is a risk of robbery in some areas of Cayenne, especially after dark; avoid isolated areas and secluded beaches after dark, take a licensed or pre-arranged taxi after an ATM, do not wear expensive jewellery, use the hotel safe; dive schools may have limited resources and not observe safety standards; French driving law applies and a UK photocard licence is valid, hire firms may require a year's experience, a higher minimum age and an IDP; the blood-alcohol limit is 0.05%; tropical storms are a risk in the rainy season from December to July, Passport valid at least 3 months after the planned departure; French Guiana is an overseas department of France and part of the EU; no visa for up to 90 days for tourism or business; a yellow-fever certificate is required to enter, and may be needed for onward travel because of the risk in French Guiana (September 2026).
Checked against Comité du Tourisme de la Guyane — French citizens enter with an ID card or passport; EU citizens need a valid passport and a return ticket; non-EU visitors may need a visa, to be checked with the French embassy; yellow-fever vaccination is compulsory for all travellers, done at an approved centre at least 10 days before departure and now valid for life; some areas carry a malaria risk; the territory is on GMT-3, four hours behind Paris in winter and five in summer, French citizens enter with an ID card or passport; EU citizens need a valid passport and a return ticket; non-EU visitors may need a visa, to be checked with the French embassy; yellow-fever vaccination is compulsory for all travellers, done at an approved centre at least 10 days before departure and now valid for life; some areas carry a malaria risk; the territory is on GMT-3, four hours behind Paris in winter and five in summer, Equatorial climate with two seasons, sheltered from cyclones; minimums always above 20 °C, annual mean about 26 °C, peaks to 33 °C; dry season July to November, September and October the sunniest; small rainy season January–February, main rains May–June; a short sunny spell in March, the petit été de mars; mosquitoes most active in the rainy months, repellent advised, Equatorial climate with two seasons, sheltered from cyclones; minimums always above 20 °C, annual mean about 26 °C, peaks to 33 °C; dry season July to November, September and October the sunniest; small rainy season January–February, main rains May–June; a short sunny spell in March, the petit été de mars; mosquitoes most active in the rainy months, repellent advised, Two national roads and several departmental roads link the coastal communes from Cayenne to Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni and the near interior (Roura, Régina, Saint-Georges); isolated communes are reached only by unpaved tracks, four-wheel drive strongly advised in the rainy season; shared taxis leave from the bus stations; rental agencies open 8–12 and 14:30–17:30 with Saturday mornings, with counters at Félix Éboué airport for every international arrival; driving times: Cayenne–Kourou about 1 hour, Cayenne–Saint-Laurent about 3 hours, Cayenne–Saint-Georges about 2h30, Cayenne–Régina about 1h30; SEMOP buses cover Cayenne and nearby communes, TIG interurban buses reach Kourou and Saint-Laurent cheaply, frequencies vary; Guyane Express Fly and Van Air fly daily 17–19-seat aircraft between Cayenne, Camopi, Maripasoula, Saül, Grand-Santi and Saint-Laurent (September 2026).