Any drone flown for payment in Fiji is a commercial operation, and the Civil Aviation Authority of Fiji requires written authorisation in your hands before the flight. Any filming for a production needs a Film Fiji permit as well, whether or not you claim the rebate. And Fiji's altitude ceiling is 200 feet, not the 400 you may be used to.
Guideline only. Aviation and film rules change, and neither regulator publishes a processing time. Confirm your position with the Civil Aviation Authority of Fiji (drones@caaf.org.fj) and Film Fiji (info@film-fiji.com) before you contract a crew. Last reviewed 28 September 2026.
Which permit do you actually need?
Two separate regulators, two separate approvals, and neither one handles the other on your behalf.
CAAF splits drone use by whether money changes hands. Its definition of recreational use is operating "for personal interest and enjoyment", and it goes on to say that using the same device to take photographs or video "for compensation or sale to another individual or entity would be considered a commercial operation or business use". A conference highlights reel, an incentive-trip promo and a tourism commercial are all commercial.
| Recreational | Commercial aerial work | |
|---|---|---|
| CAAF form | OP 137, applied for online | OP 138, emailed to drones@caaf.org.fj |
| Before the flight | Permit issued | "A written authorisation must be received from CAAF prior to the conduct of flights" |
| Pilot qualification | Not required | Required, by weight class |
| Insurance | Not required | Liability and third-party cover required |
| Film Fiji permit | Not applicable | Required, even with no rebate claim |
| Published fee | — | "Fees apply (from $365.63)" |
CAAF's weight bands are very small (under 2 kg), small (2 kg to under 7 kg), medium (7 to 25 kg) and large (over 25 kg), with the 7 kg threshold measured as net weight excluding payload. Under 2 kg you need "a sub 2K Basic Drone Course certification or equivalent", a letter of intent and insurance. From 2 kg you add a remote pilot licence, or evidence satisfying CAAF of the competence of the person flying. Most professional camera drones sit in that 2–7 kg band. Above 7 kg the paperwork multiplies: maintenance records, a flight manual, ground and flight test reports in a CAAF-approved format, and a company operations manual with a hazard and risk assessment.
What are Fiji's flying limits?
The number that catches every visiting operator is the ceiling. CAAF says "do not fly above 200 feet (about 61 metres) AGL", and that is not house style — it traces to section 78 of the Fiji Air Navigation Regulations, which caps aerial devices at "no more than 200 feet (approximately 61 meters) above the earth's surface".
- 200 ft / 61 m maximum altitude
- 30 m from people, vehicles and buildings for drones under 2 kg. CAAF indicates stricter requirements above 2 kg but does not publish the figure
- Visual line of sight at all times, unless specifically approved otherwise
- Night flying only where CAAF authorises it, and only in visual meteorological conditions
- 3 km from a domestic aerodrome reference point, 5 km from an international one
CAAF also publishes a no-fly list covering government buildings, police stations, military bases, prisons, hospitals, Parliament, national parks, public gatherings and sporting events — and, critically for corporate work, "any other public areas including resorts and hotels except with prior authorisation". If the shoot is at a resort, that is a permission you need on top of everything else.
CAAF does add that a device "may only be permitted to operate within and above the restrictions stated above under certain conditions and limitations imposed by the Authority". The limits are waivable case by case. They are not waivable by assumption.
Can you fly at Denarau, or near Nadi airport?
This is the biggest scheduling risk on a Fiji shoot and it deserves saying plainly. Nadi International is an international aerodrome, so the 5 km ring applies from its reference point — and that ring covers Denarau, Wailoaloa and much of the Nadi hotel strip, which is exactly where a conference reel or an incentive promo wants to be.
Flying there is not impossible, but it takes more than a CAAF authorisation. CAAF states that unmanned aircraft may not operate in controlled airspace "unless the operator has prior written permission from the Authority and the Air Traffic Control unit". Two written permissions, one of them from the tower.
CAAF publishes no airport-specific procedure or contact for Nadi or Nausori by name, and does not say which category it treats Nausori as. Work on 5 km for Nadi, ask CAAF about Nausori, and put the approval in the schedule rather than the shot list.
Do you need a Film Fiji permit for a conference video?
Yes. Film Fiji is unambiguous: "you will need to apply to Film Fiji for a filming permit, even if you are not applying for the Film Fiji rebate", and "all productions intending to film in Fiji are required to fill in the Application form for a Film Permit".
The application wants crew biodata, a synopsis or script, an equipment list, the flight itinerary and a budget. Film Fiji publishes no permit fee and no lead time — only that "the processing time of this Application is fast, provided that all the required documents mentioned above are submitted". Note too that the form hands the drone problem back to you: the applicant must "obtain all appropriate licenses and approvals (e.g. Location permits, drone licenses, city/town permits and native land permission)".
On the rebate, Fiji pays "a 20% on Total Fiji Expenditure" capped at "FJ$4 million" per production, but the threshold is a minimum Total Fiji Expenditure of FJ$250,000, and a television commercial must engage a licensed Fiji Audio-Visual Agent. A conference highlights reel will not come close. The permit is still mandatory.
How do you get the equipment through customs?
The genuinely useful part of the Film Fiji permit is the letter that comes with it. Film Fiji states that alongside the approval it provides "a supporting letter … a waiver of bond for customs in regards to the filming equipment you will bring along with the team". That is why the equipment list is a required permit document. List everything, airframes, batteries and spare props included.
Without that route, Fiji's Customs Regulations 1986 handle professional kit under temporary importation. Goods must be exported "within 12 months from the date of release from customs control", and customs "may require security to be given for the payment of duty" or require the duty to be deposited. Camera and drone equipment is not named in the regulations; the hooks are goods "imported solely for use in connection with some particular project or occasion" and goods "of a specialised nature". Fiji's acceptance of ATA Carnets is not published by FRCS — do not assume it. Bringing event equipment into Fiji covers the general case.
Does the crew need a work permit?
Fiji publishes no film or media immigration category, and no threshold or exemption for a short commercial shoot. The nearest published fit is the Short Term Work Permit, granted where "expertise is urgently needed in the country", for "one (1) year or less", at a base fee of FJD 650.05 plus card surcharges, lodged through the Immi Hub portal with a police report, medical report, CV, qualifications and a signed contract. On timing, Immigration says only that "actual processing times may vary due to individual circumstances".
Fijian news outlets reported in 2026 that an MoU between Immigration and Film Fiji had introduced a "film visa". No such category, form, fee or eligibility test appears on immigration.gov.fj or film-fiji.com, so treat it as announced rather than documented, and ask Immigration directly. Work permits for speakers, trainers and crew sets out the general position.
Whose permission do you need on the ground?
Three parties, none of them CAAF.
- The landowner. Film Fiji states its permit "does not provide permission or approval to occupy public and native land", and requires compliance with the Ministry of iTaukei Affairs and the iTaukei Land Trust Board. TLTB publishes no filming procedure, form, fee or lead time, so allow time to reach the right person.
- The village, where you are on or near village land. Sevusevu is custom, not regulation, and is owed as courtesy rather than ticked as a box.
- The resort. CAAF's restricted list names resorts and hotels, and some properties go further in their own terms. Musket Cove Island Resort's conditions prohibit "any drones used by media, wedding photographers or journalists operating above or within the island boundaries".
The verdict
Build the pipeline backwards from the flight, not forwards from the booking.
Film Fiji permit first, because it carries the customs letter and because its own form tells you to go and collect the drone approvals. CAAF form OP 138 next, with insurance and the pilot's qualification attached. Air traffic control permission if you are anywhere inside Nadi's 5 km ring — on Denarau, you are. Landowner, village and resort permission last in the paperwork and first in practice, because they are the slowest to reach.
Nobody publishes a lead time for any of it. That is the finding, and it is the reason to start the week the shoot is signed off rather than the month before.
Next step
If you are commissioning the film through a Fiji production or AV partner, ask to see the CAAF authorisation and the Film Fiji permit before you sign, not after. Browse AV and production suppliers in the directory, including Encore Event Technologies Fiji on Denarau Island and, on the stills and film side, Ocean Studio Fiji, Zoom Fiji Photography and Rolling Moments Fiji. A directory listing is not evidence of a drone authorisation. Ask for the paperwork.
More in this cluster: Visas, Permits, Customs and Duty of Care in Fiji · Visas and entry for conference delegates · and for the wedding case, drone footage at a Fiji wedding.
