New Caledonia Languages

Languages

French is the official language in New Caledonia however most people involved in the tourist industry speak English and the majority of tourist brochures are written in English.

This said, the locals will always welcome a few phrases in French, and you'll need to speak some French if you venture outside of Noumea. There are an estimated 27 Kanak languages that coexist in New Caledonia, but after being actively discouraged by the French, there is no single unifying Kanak (Melanesian) language.

The international dialing code for New Caledonia is 687. When dialing overseas, dial 00 for the international network, followed by the country code after the tone then the phone number requested. For example, for Australia, dial 00 + 61 + area code (without the 0) + telephone number.

New Caledonia has good mobile phone coverage. The Mobilis "Liberté" service is contract free and provides domestic and international telecommunications. This service offers a prepaid system by purchasing a quota of communication minutes. Rechargeable cards are sold for 1,050 XPF, 3,150 XPF and 5,250 XPF (tax included).

International roaming is available in New Caledonia. For Mobilis clients who travel and who want to use their mobile overseas, they just need to subscribe in advance to the travel option in an OPT agency (free option). The Post Office has agreements with most major telecommunications companies in a variety of countries.

The New Caledonia Post and Telecommunications Office (OPTNC) has branches located throughout the Territory with a network of 50 agencies and shops. It provides mail, banking and telecommunications services.

In general, a letter posted in New Caledonia takes approximately four to five days to reach metropolitan France by airmail (three days for Australia and New Zealand).