Is prostitution legal in French Polynesia?

Decriminalized / unregulated

Prostitution is legal in French Polynesia but brothels are not, with no regulation of sex work itself.

French Polynesia is one of 28 countries classified “Decriminalized / unregulated” for sex work — 13% of the 219 with data. (Also searched as prostitution.)

Source

Taken from
Wikipedia: Prostitution in Oceania
Last checked
7 July 2026
How it was classified
Classified by a language model from the source text, then checked against hand-verified reference countries.

Nearby countries

Cook Islands
Legal & regulated Prostitution is legal in the Cook Islands but related activities like procuring and brothel keeping are illegal.
Niue
Illegal Being a prostitute or keeper of a brothel is illegal in Niue.
American Samoa
Illegal Prostitution is illegal in American Samoa, including related activities like brothel keeping.
Kiribati
Legal & regulated Prostitution is legal in Kiribati but related activities like keeping brothels are illegal.
Samoa
Illegal Prostitution is illegal in Samoa under the Crimes Act 2013, with penalties including imprisonment.
Tonga
Legal & regulated Prostitution is legal in Tonga, though related activities like soliciting and brothel keeping are forbidden.

Other laws in French Polynesia

Same-Sex Marriage
Marriage legal
Same-Sex Activity
Legal

Every law in French Polynesia → · Where is sex work legal? →

A visual reference compiled from Wikipedia’s law-by-country articles, not legal advice. Laws change and summaries simplify — check a primary source before relying on anything here.