Yes, but not on an ATA Carnet — Fiji does not accept them. Event and AV equipment enters temporarily as "privileged goods" under Part XII of Fiji's Customs Regulations 1986, with customs able to require a security or a cash deposit of the duty, and re-export within three months. Wireless microphones and radio comms need a separate import permit from the Telecommunications Authority of Fiji.
Guideline only. Confirm current requirements with the Fiji Revenue & Customs Service, the Telecommunications Authority of Fiji, the Civil Aviation Authority of Fiji and the Biosecurity Authority of Fiji before shipping.
Does Fiji accept ATA Carnets?
No. Fiji is not part of the ATA Carnet system. One major carnet-issuing authority lists "Fiji Islands" explicitly under countries not covered, and Fiji is absent from the country lists published by two others. Across Oceania, only Australia, New Zealand and French Polynesia accept carnets.
This matters because a carnet is the default assumption for touring production. If your freight forwarder or crew chief is planning on one, correct it now: it will be worthless at a Fijian border, and you will be arranging a temporary import entry from scratch under time pressure.
So how does temporary importation work in Fiji?
Through the domestic regime. Fiji's Customs Regulations 1986 use the term "privileged goods", and Regulation 97 lists what qualifies. Two limbs cover event kit directly:
"(a) goods for display or use at exhibitions, fairs, meetings or similar events" "(d) goods which are imported solely for use in connection with some particular project or occasion"
Three rules follow.
| Rule | What the regulation says | What it means for you |
|---|---|---|
| Security (Reg 100) | "The proper officer may require security to be given for the payment of duty on privileged goods or may, in his discretion, require that the duty payable on such goods be deposited with him" | Budget for the possibility of a cash deposit equal to the full duty. It is discretionary, not automatic, and there is no published percentage |
| Time limit (Reg 101) | Goods "shall be exported from Fiji within 3 months from the date of release from customs control or within such further period not exceeding 12 months from the date of importation as the Comptroller in his absolute discretion may allow" | Three months as standard, twelve months absolute maximum, extension entirely at the Comptroller's discretion |
| Failure (Reg 102) | "the duty deposited shall be forfeited or the security accepted... shall be enforced" | Miss the re-export date and you have effectively bought the equipment at duty-paid value |
What will it cost if duty is assessed?
VAT is 12.5%, reduced from 15% effective 1 August 2025. Value for Duty is calculated on cost, insurance and freight, and — this is the part people miss — the value for VAT includes the fiscal duty and import excise already added. Tax is charged on tax, so the effective landed percentage is higher than 12.5% looks.
FRCS's own worked example for an LCD screen, the closest published analogue to AV kit, applies fiscal duty at 15% and import excise at 10% of the value for duty. No gazetted tariff line specific to professional audio, lighting or video equipment could be found, so treat 15/10 as indicative of the electronics band rather than a quoted rate, and have a broker classify your actual manifest.
Do wireless microphones need a permit?
Yes, and this is the requirement most likely to be overlooked. The Telecommunications Authority of Fiji requires an import permit and type approval for "any telecommunications equipment or apparatus including radio transmitting devices," covering anything that "transmits radio waves" — so wireless mics, in-ear monitors and crew comms all qualify.
- Fee: FJ$11.25 per model or type approval, charged per model regardless of how many identical units you carry. TAF's gazetted schedule shows the base fee as $10.
- Lead time: "1-2 days," per TAF.
- Documentation: technical documentation and invoices, plus brand, model and serial numbers for radio communication devices.
- Where: TAF, 76 Gordon Street, Suva.
One trap worth flagging: an approved radio network "is specific to a site or radius, and cannot be transferred to another site or other users without the approval of the Authority." A two-venue programme — plenary at the resort, gala on a beach — may need more than one authorisation.
Fiji publishes no band plan for wireless microphone frequencies that we could locate. If your package is frequency-sensitive, raise it with TAF early rather than assuming your home-market frequencies are clear.
What about drones?
The Civil Aviation Authority of Fiji regulates them. Recreational operators register using CAAF form OP-137; commercial operators apply for an authorisation using form OP-138, with fees from $365.63 and supporting documents generally including RPAS training certification and liability insurance.
The operating limits bite hard on event work: no flying within 5 km of an international aerodrome or 3 km of a domestic aerodrome, a 200-foot AGL ceiling, visual line of sight at all times, and no operation over public gatherings without prior authorisation from property management, CAAF and other relevant authorities. The 5 km rule alone rules out most of the Nadi and Denarau hotel strip without prior approval, and "public gatherings" is exactly what a gala dinner is.
Will biosecurity stop the road cases?
Not the cases themselves — the timber. The Biosecurity Authority of Fiji requires that "All timber used for packing in shipping containers is International Standards for Phytosanitary Measures No. 15 (ISPM 15) certified," covering wood over 6 mm including pallets, crates and dunnage. Moulded plastic and aluminium road cases fall outside it. Timber crates and pallets under staging or LED do not.
How long does clearance take, and who should handle it?
Use a broker on the FRCS Approved Customs Brokers Listing — the official register, with around 43 brokers at Suva, 17 or more at Nadi and 31 at Lautoka. Names on it include Bollore Logistics (Fiji), Carpenters Shipping, DHL Express (Fiji), DHL Global Forwarding, Express Freight Management (Fiji), Gibson Freight International (Fiji), Williams & Gosling, Pacific Agencies Fiji and Air Terminal Services (Fiji).
On timing, the only published data is FRCS's National Time Release Study 2023, which measured containerised sea cargo in the green and blue lanes at 2 days 1 hour 45 minutes at Suva and 2 days 13 hours 32 minutes at Lautoka. It did not cover air cargo and did not cover Nadi, so do not plan an air freight arrival against those numbers. Note also that if an entry is not collected within four working days, a late fee of $115 applies.
Is it worth shipping at all?
Often, no. Fiji runs on 240V, 50Hz with type I plugs, the same as Australia and New Zealand, so Australasian kit plugs straight in. And there is real in-country capability — Encore Event Technologies Fiji, Stage Tech Fiji, SPR Audio Visual Fiji, Microhire and Audio Visual Logistics among them.
The honest decision rule: hire locally unless the show genuinely needs something the market cannot supply. Then ship only that, under a temporary import entry arranged by a listed broker, with the radio licences applied for separately and the re-export date in the run sheet — not in someone's inbox.
Next step
Read bringing event equipment into Fiji: customs and carnets for the full process, AV and production in Fiji: what's available in-country before you decide to ship, and staging, rigging and set build in Fiji and live streaming and hybrid delivery from Fiji for what the local market can actually deliver. Start at the business events hub or browse the AV and staging directory.
Last reviewed 23 September 2026.