French Guiana - Facts

French Guiana FAQs

French Guiana is part of the French Antilles, which also includes Martinique, Guadeloupe, St. Barts and St. Martin. They all share the same clearance procedures, however, yachts must still complete outward and inward clearance when moving from one to another.

Pre-Arrival Boat: There is now an online clearance form to streamline the clearance procedure. This can be filled in prior to arrival with vessel and crew details, or, if getting online is not possible, on arrival in French Guiana. See Clearance for details.
Pre-Arrival Crew: A great number of countries do not need a visa. See Immigration for details. Vaccination against yellow-fever is mandatory. See Health for details.
Where can I enter? Click on the blue “Explore Country” button and then the anchor symbol to see the three official ports of entry.
Are fees high to enter by yacht? There are no clearance fees in French Guiana. 
What security concerns should I know about? Crime levels are low in French Guiana. See Security for more info.

French Guiana Facts for Sailors

• French Guiana (Guyane) is an overseas department of France, sandwiched between Brazil and Suriname. The atmosphere in the country is more Caribbean, akin to Martinique and Guadeloupe than to the rest of Latin America.
• The largest city and capital of French Guiana is Cayenne. It is the hub of the region's economy, government, and culture and is located on the northeast coast.
• The population of French Guiana is estimated to be 300,000. French is the official language, however, the majority of the population speaks a Creole patois. English is widely spoken.
• The currency of French Guiana is the euro (EUR).
• The time zone is UTC -3. The French Guiana Time applies only to French Guiana.
• The country's climate is tropical, with average temperatures of 27°C throughout the year, though it can be colder at night in the highlands than on the coast. See Weather for more details.
• The coast itself has only a few ports or anchorages, but the off lying Iles du Salut (location of the infamous penal colony of Devils Island) is a popular stop for sailors. These islands should only be visited after having cleared into the country. The best anchorage is on Ile St Joseph, although there are no completely protected anchorages.
• Also interesting to visit is the Ariane Space Centre at Kourou, west of Cayenne, although an appointment has to be made in advance.
• River trips, usually by canoe, are another attraction of this small country, which is only visited by a small number of cruising yachts, mainly French.
• The Oyapok River, which borders Brazil, is navigable far into the interior rainforest. At the other end of the country, bordering Suriname is the Maroni River, which also caters for visiting yachts.
• Provisioning is good, but expensive in Cayenne (except for French wine). There is only a limited range of repair facilities.
• Good provisioning is available in Kourou, where emergency repairs may be possible if the help of technicians from the French space center can be enlisted.
• For details of services for cruising boats see Yachting Essentials.