{
  "schema_version": "1.0",
  "id": "french-polynesia",
  "name": "French Polynesia (Polynésie française / Pōrīnetia Farāni)",
  "jurisdiction_code": "PF",
  "legal_system": "civil-law",
  "language": ["fr", "ty"],
  "license": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "generated": "2026-06-04",
  "summary": "French Polynesia is a Pacific Island civil-law overseas collectivity (Collectivité d'outre-mer / COM) of the French Republic with substantial autonomy under the Organic Law 2004-192 of 27 February 2004 (Statute of Autonomy). Family-law framework operates under the French Civil Code (Code Civil) with local-law adaptations and customary-land jurisdiction (statut de droit civil de droit commun + statut de droit local). Parental authority (autorité parentale) and child custody are governed by Civil Code arts. 371-387. The Court of Appeal of Papeete is the apex domestic appellate court; final appellate jurisdiction was retained with the French Court of Cassation in Paris. Family-law matters are heard at first instance in the Tribunal of First Instance of Papeete (Tribunal de Première Instance) and on customary-land matters via the Tribunal de Terre. Psychology profession is regulated through the French Republic professional framework as applicable in French Polynesia. French Polynesia is silent on 'parental alienation' as a statutory label; courts operate substantively under the interest-of-the-child standard. French Polynesia is a Hague Convention 1980 party via French Republic territorial extension effective 1 December 1983.",
  "pa_recognition_status": {
    "statutory": "silent",
    "apex_court_position": "no-apex-position",
    "professional_regulator_position": "silent"
  },
  "statutory_framework": [
    {
      "citation": "French Civil Code arts. 371-387 (applicable in French Polynesia)",
      "title": "French Civil Code — Parental authority",
      "year": 1804,
      "url": "https://www.cour-de-cassation.fr/",
      "relevance": "French Civil Code applicable in French Polynesia. Arts. 371-387 govern autorité parentale and child custody."
    },
    {
      "citation": "Organic Law 2004-192 of 27 February 2004 (Statute of Autonomy)",
      "title": "Statute of Autonomy",
      "year": 2004,
      "url": "https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/",
      "relevance": "Federal Organic Law establishing French Polynesia's substantial autonomy with local-law adaptation competence."
    }
  ],
  "apex_courts": [
    {
      "name": "Court of Appeal of Papeete (Cour d'appel de Papeete)",
      "seat": "Papeete",
      "url": "https://www.cour-appel-papeete.justice.fr/",
      "role": "Apex domestic appellate court for civil and criminal matters."
    },
    {
      "name": "French Court of Cassation (Cour de Cassation)",
      "seat": "Paris",
      "url": "https://www.cour-de-cassation.fr/",
      "role": "Final appellate court for civil and criminal matters from French Polynesia."
    }
  ],
  "professional_regulators": [
    {
      "name": "French Republic professional framework (applicable in French Polynesia)",
      "url": "https://www.sante.gouv.fr/",
      "role": "French professional regulatory framework for health and allied health professionals including clinical psychology applicable in French Polynesia."
    }
  ],
  "anonymisation_convention": "French Polynesian family-court decisions are anonymised per Court of Appeal practice using initials.",
  "key_developments": [
    {
      "year": 1842,
      "title": "French protectorate establishment + Tahiti annexation framework",
      "description": "French protectorate over Tahiti established 9 September 1842 — substantively significant Pacific colonial-protectorate framework. Subsequent annexation 1880 establishing French-colony status. Foundational colonial-framework for contemporary French-Republic-territorial-administration."
    },
    {
      "year": 1946,
      "title": "Overseas territory status 1946 + post-WWII framework",
      "description": "French Polynesia (then 'French Establishments in Oceania') became Overseas Territory (Territoire d'outre-mer) of French Republic 1946. Substantive constitutional-restructuring affecting post-WWII Pacific French territorial-administration framework."
    },
    {
      "year": 1966,
      "title": "Centre d'Expérimentation du Pacifique + nuclear-testing era",
      "description": "Centre d'Expérimentation du Pacifique (CEP) established 1962 — nuclear testing at Moruroa and Fangataufa atolls 1966-1996 (193 tests total). Substantively distinctive Pacific nuclear-testing pattern affecting demographic, environmental and family-law-implementation framework. Subsequent compensation framework Loi Morin 2010."
    },
    {
      "year": 1977,
      "title": "Statute of Autonomy 1977 + Pouvanaa a Oopa-political-legacy framework",
      "description": "Statute of Autonomy 1977 (Law 77-772) substantively reforming territorial-political framework — first-stage-autonomy framework. Subsequent enhanced autonomy 1984. Foundational pre-2004-Statute-of-Autonomy framework affecting subsequent constitutional-democratic-trajectory."
    },
    {
      "year": 1983,
      "title": "Hague Convention 1980 territorial extension",
      "description": "Hague Convention 1980 territorial extension by France to French Polynesia effective 1 December 1983 — establishing Pacific Hague Convention jurisdiction framework within French Republic territorial framework."
    },
    {
      "year": 1990,
      "title": "France ratifies UN Convention on the Rights of the Child + Polynesia extension",
      "description": "France ratified the UNCRC on 7 August 1990 with extension to French Polynesia — establishing best-interests-of-the-child substantive doctrine within French-civil-law overseas-collectivity framework."
    },
    {
      "year": 1996,
      "title": "End of nuclear testing + Loi Morin 2010 compensation framework",
      "description": "Nuclear testing ended January 1996 — substantive trajectory toward compensation framework. Loi Morin 5 January 2010 (Law 2010-2) establishing compensation framework for nuclear-test victims. Subsequent reforms 2013, 2017 substantively expanding compensation framework affecting family-law-implementation (intergenerational health impacts)."
    },
    {
      "year": 2004,
      "title": "Statute of Autonomy (Organic Law 2004-192)",
      "description": "Federal Organic Law of 27 February 2004 establishing French Polynesia's substantial autonomy with local-law adaptation competence — substantively distinctive within French-overseas-collectivity framework. Substantive devolution of competences affecting family-law-cross-cutting-areas."
    },
    {
      "year": 2013,
      "title": "Re-listing on UN Decolonization List 2013 + decolonisation-discourse framework",
      "description": "UN General Assembly Resolution 67/265 (17 May 2013) re-listed French Polynesia on UN Decolonization List — substantively distinctive international-decolonisation-discourse framework affecting French-Republic-territorial-administration. Substantively contested status-framework persisting through 2020s."
    },
    {
      "year": 2024,
      "title": "Cour d'appel de Papeete + Cour de Cassation — interest-of-the-child substantive register",
      "description": "Court of Appeal of Papeete and French Court of Cassation continue to develop interest-of-the-child jurisprudence under Civil Code arts. 371-387 + Statute of Autonomy 2004 framework in custody disputes without adopting the 'parental alienation' label as a doctrinal term. Substantive analysis within French-civil-law-overseas-collectivity + customary-land-Tribunal-de-Terre framework."
    }
  ],
  "structural_findings": [
    "French Polynesia operates a French-civil-law family-law framework with substantial autonomy and customary-land (Tribunal de Terre) parallel jurisdiction — places French Polynesia in the French overseas collectivity cluster within the Pacific.",
    "Statute of Autonomy (2004) is structurally distinctive within French overseas territories — substantial local-law adaptation competence.",
    "Hague Convention 1980 applicability via French Republic territorial extension reflects overseas-collectivity Hague jurisdiction status.",
    "Bilingual official-language framework (French + Tahitian) reflects Pacific Polynesian linguistic heritage."
  ],
  "references": [
    "jurisdiction:france",
    "jurisdiction:new-caledonia",
    "jurisdiction:cook-islands",
    "evidence:cross-border-parental-abduction-and-pa-intersection",
    "evidence:childrens-rights-paramountcy-doctrine"
  ],
  "sources": [
    {
      "title": "Court of Appeal of Papeete",
      "url": "https://www.cour-appel-papeete.justice.fr/",
      "publisher": "Court of Appeal",
      "language": "fr"
    },
    {
      "title": "Légifrance",
      "url": "https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/",
      "publisher": "French Government",
      "language": "fr"
    }
  ],
  "editorial_notes": [
    "French Polynesia jurisdiction sidecar v1.1 — deepened 2026-06-09 from 2 to 10 key_developments with full protectorate-to-contemporary trajectory: 1842-French-protectorate-+-Tahiti-annexation + 1946-Overseas-territory-status-+-post-WWII + 1966-Centre-d'Expérimentation-du-Pacifique-+-nuclear-testing-era + 1977-Statute-of-Autonomy-1977 + 1983-Hague-Convention-1980-territorial-extension + 1990-UNCRC-+-Polynesia-extension + 1996-end-of-nuclear-testing-+-Loi-Morin-2010-compensation + 2004-Statute-of-Autonomy-Organic-Law-2004-192 + 2013-Re-listing-on-UN-Decolonization-List + 2024-Cour-d'appel-de-Papeete-+-Cour-de-Cassation-interest-of-the-child.",
    "Civil-law Pacific French overseas collectivity (French Civil Code + Statute of Autonomy 2004 + Tribunal de Terre customary-land + bilingual + Hague via French Republic territorial extension 1983).",
    "PA-recognition: silent statutory + no-apex-position + silent regulator — substantive interest-of-the-child analysis under Civil Code arts. 371-387 + customary-land-Tribunal-de-Terre framework without doctrinal 'parental alienation' label.",
    "Joins Pacific-Island + French-civil-law + French-overseas-collectivity-cluster + Centre-d'Expérimentation-du-Pacifique-nuclear-testing-193-tests-Moruroa-Fangataufa-1966-1996-distinctive-Pacific-pattern + Loi-Morin-2010-compensation-framework + Statute-of-Autonomy-2004-substantial-autonomy-distinctive + UN-Decolonization-List-2013-re-listing-contested-status + customary-land-Tribunal-de-Terre + Hague-via-French-Republic-territorial-extension clusters within the corpus."
  ]
}