Thailand to New Caledonia visa requirements

Yes. Thai ordinary passport holders need a short-stay visa to visit New Caledonia for tourism. New Caledonia is a French overseas territory but is NOT in the Schengen Area, so you apply for a short-stay visa for "Overseas France" at the French Embassy in Bangkok (via TLScontact) before you travel. Only direct stopovers of under 24 hours without leaving the airport may be visa-exempt. New Caledonia (Nouvelle-Caledonie) is a French sui generis collectivity in the South Pacific. Although it is French territory, it is OUTSIDE the Schengen Area and outside the EU customs/visa zone, so a Schengen visa is NOT valid there and ETIAS does not apply. France maintains a separate visa regime for its overseas territories. Thailand is on France's list of nationalities that require a short-stay visa to enter Overseas France (the same general list as Schengen, since Thailand is a Schengen visa-required nationality). Thai citizens are therefore required to obtain a short-stay visa valid for New Caledonia before departure. Applications are lodged at the French Embassy in Bangkok through the official TLScontact visa application centre using the France-Visas platform. The visa permits a short tourist stay (up to 90 days within a 180-day period for the short-stay category). The standard adult short-stay visa fee is EUR 90 (recently raised from EUR 80), payable in Thai baht, plus a TLScontact service fee. A limited carve-out exists: a transit/stopover of less than 24 consecutive hours without leaving the international transit area may be exempt. Travelers holding a valid multiple-entry French/Schengen visa (validity 6 months to 5 years) may in some cases enter the overseas territories without a separate visa, but this should be confirmed with the consulate. Conservatively, the default for a normal tourist visit is visa-required.