Funafuti International Airport on Fongafale islet receives two flights weekly from Suva on Fiji Airways, operating Tuesday and Thursday with a Boeing 737. The runway measures 1524 meters. No other commercial airline serves Tuvalu. The flight from Suva takes approximately two hours. The airport terminal consists of one room with no jet bridge or baggage carousel. Immigration officers process arrivals manually with paper forms. No visa requirement exists for stays under 30 days for most nationalities, though officials check confirmed onward tickets and accommodation details before stamping passports. The airport lies 500 meters from Vaiaku government center.
Inter-island travel depends on the government vessel Nivaga III, which sails an irregular circuit visiting all atolls every three to four weeks depending on weather and cargo schedules. The vessel carries passengers and freight simultaneously. Travel between Funafuti and the northernmost atoll Nanumea takes 36 to 48 hours in normal sea conditions. No fixed timetable exists. The vessel departs when loading completes. Booking requires presenting passport details at the shipping office in Vaiaku minimum three days before anticipated departure. Rough seas between June and September frequently delay sailings. No alternative commercial maritime service operates.
Tuvalu uses Australian dollars as official currency. The country produces its own coins in denominations matching Australian coins, which circulate alongside Australian currency at equal value. No Tuvaluan banknotes exist. The National Bank of Tuvalu in Vaiaku operates the only bank branch in the country, open Monday through Thursday 0930 to 1500, Friday 0930 to 1600. One ATM exists outside this bank, accepting Visa and MasterCard. The ATM frequently runs out of cash between ship arrivals. No other ATM operates in Tuvalu. The outer atolls have no banking services. Credit cards see acceptance only at the two guesthouses on Funafuti and the airport for departure tax. All transactions outside Funafuti occur in cash.
The National Bank of Tuvalu charges 5 Australian dollars per ATM withdrawal plus whatever foreign transaction fee the card issuer applies. Daily withdrawal limits sit at 400 Australian dollars. Currency exchange occurs only at the bank during business hours, accepting US dollars, euros, and New Zealand dollars. Exchange transactions require passport presentation. No currency exchange operates at the airport. Travelers arriving outside bank hours without Australian dollars face immediate problems. The bank closes for all Tuvaluan public holidays including Independence Day October 1.
Mobile phone coverage exists only on Funafuti through the Tuvalu Telecommunications Corporation network. A SIM card costs 10 Australian dollars with prepaid data packages starting at 20 dollars for 2 gigabytes valid 30 days. Purchase requires passport. The TTC office in Vaiaku opens Monday to Friday 0800 to 1630. Network technology operates on 2G and 3G only. No 4G service exists. Data speeds measure approximately 1 to 2 megabits per second when the network functions properly. Signal drops frequently. The outer atolls have no mobile coverage except Vaitupu, which received limited service in 2022. Satellite phones work throughout Tuvalu.
Internet access comes through a single satellite connection serving the entire country. The bandwidth capacity measured 2.4 megabits per second in 2021 before an upgrade increased capacity to approximately 8 megabits per second shared across all users. Connection speed slows to unusable levels during peak evening hours. The Vaiaku government complex offers public WiFi at no charge but with frequent outages. The two guesthouses provide WiFi included in room rates but cannot guarantee functionality. No internet cafes operate. The outer atolls have no internet access except government offices with satellite terminals.
Electricity runs on 240 volts 50 hertz using Australian-style Type I plugs with two flat pins and ground. Power generation on Funafuti comes from diesel generators producing inconsistent supply. Blackouts occur multiple times weekly, lasting anywhere from minutes to six hours. The generators typically run 24 hours but fuel shortages cause extended outages. Solar panels supplement some government buildings and both guesthouses. The outer atolls receive electricity from small diesel generators running limited hours, typically 1800 to 2300 only. Niulakita has no generator and no electricity. Bringing a flashlight qualifies as essential rather than precautionary.
Tap water comes from rainwater catchment systems. The Funafuti system dates to New Zealand aid construction in the 1980s with underground lenses storing rainwater. Drought stress the system severely. During the 2011 drought, New Zealand and Australia flew in emergency desalination equipment and water supplies. Locals boil all drinking water as standard practice. The outer atolls depend entirely on household rainwater collection with no municipal system. Visitors should bring water purification tablets or filters. Both guesthouses provide boiled or bottled water but cannot guarantee continuous supply. No public water fountains exist anywhere in Tuvalu.