intl.life
Flag of New Caledonia

New Caledonia

Melanesia · territory of France

Capital
Nouméa
Population
278,000 (2017)
Currency
CFP Franc XPF
Plugs
CF 220 V
Drives on the
right
Local time
New Caledonia highlighted on a globe

Plugs and voltage

New Caledonia uses Types C and F sockets. Mains supply is 220 V at 50 Hz.

At 220 V, devices made only for 100–127 V (many American and Japanese hair dryers, curling irons and some shavers) will be damaged without a step-down converter. Chargers labelled “100–240V” work fine with just a plug adapter.

Money

CFPF CFP Franc XPF

Average in 2025: 1 USD = 105.9 XPF (World Bank). No daily reference rate is published for this currency by the ECB; check a live rate before exchanging.

CFP Franc: where it's used

Price level 115 (US = 100, 2021)

Everyday household prices in New Caledonia are about 115% of US prices when converted at market exchange rates: dearer than the median country (50). All countries

Language

  • Frenchofficial99%

Bars show the share of the population that speaks each language (CLDR estimates).

Time

New Caledonia is on UTC+11, with no daylight saving time.

Driving

Traffic in New Caledonia drives on the right, so the steering wheel is on the left.

Public holidays in the next 12 months

12 national public holidays from 2 November 2026. Banks, offices and many shops close; regional holidays are not shown. Dates marked “estimated” follow a lunar calendar and can move by a day.

November 2026

  • Armistice Day

December 2026

  • Christmas Day

January 2027

  • New Year's Day

March 2027

  • Easter Monday

May 2027

  • Labor Day
  • Ascension Day
  • Victory Day
  • Pentecost Monday

July 2027

  • National Day

August 2027

  • Assumption Day

September 2027

  • Citizenship Day

November 2027

  • All Saints' Day

Travel advisories

United States · State Department

Level 2 Exercise increased caution

Read the full advisory. Checked 2026-11-02.

United Kingdom · FCDO

No warnings The FCDO does not advise against travel to New Caledonia.

Updated 2025-12-10. Read the full advice. Checked 2026-11-02.

Advisories are written for each government's own citizens and change without notice: read the original before you travel.

Other practical facts

Calling code
+687
Internet domain
.nc
Measurement
Metric
Paper size
A4
Week starts on
Monday
Read more
Wikipedia
Coat of arms or emblem of New Caledonia
Coat of arms / emblem

More in Melanesia

Compare all of Melanesia side by side

Flag: Flag of FLNKS.svg, Public domain. Arms: Emblem of New Caledonia.svg, Public domain. Electricity: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0), see methodology.