For two foreign nationals marrying in Fiji, the Registrar-General requires both passports carrying a valid entry permit, a certified birth certificate each, a Single Status Certificate from your country of origin and your country of residence, and two witnesses with photo ID. Add divorce or death certificates if either of you was previously married. A Special Licence costs FJ$56.25.
That is the short answer. Below is what the Registrar publishes, what it does not publish, and where its own pages disagree.
Which licence route applies to you?
Fiji has two routes, and the difference between them is 21 days.
A Notice of Intention to Marry costs FJ$16.88. Both parties attend a Births, Deaths and Marriages Registry in person and the notice stands for 21 consecutive days. As the Registrar puts it: "Should no person contest this marriage, parties are able to get married after 21 days."
A Special Licence costs FJ$56.25 and exists to waive that wait. The Registrar states it "is granted only on special circumstances. For example, foreign visitors who are in the country for a short period of time." This is the route almost every destination couple uses.
What are the current Fiji marriage fees?
From the Ministry of Justice fee schedule headed "Births, Deaths & Marriage Office Service Fee (1st August 2025)". Figures include VAT at 12.5%.
| Item | Total FJD |
|---|---|
| Notice of Intention to Marry | 16.88 |
| Application for Special Licence | 56.25 |
| Court Marriage (in the registry) | 56.25 |
| Outside Marriage (at your venue) | 112.50 |
| Marriage Certificate | 16.88 |
| Decorated tapa marriage certificate | 56.25 |
| Searches, including issuance of letters | 5.63 |
Note the Outside Marriage fee of FJ$112.50. If your ceremony is on a beach or at a resort rather than inside a registry, that is the line that applies, and it is separate from the licence.
The document checklist
This is the Registrar's own list under the heading "Required documents for foreigners or local parties who reside in foreign countries".
| Document | Who needs it | Form required |
|---|---|---|
| Passport | Both parties | Original, "with valid VISA" — meaning a current Fiji entry permit |
| Birth certificate | Both parties | Certified copy for foreigners |
| Single Status Certificate | Non-residents marrying in Fiji; non-resident marrying a local; former Fiji citizens; Fiji citizens living abroad | From country of origin and country of residence |
| Two witnesses | Every couple | Present at the ceremony, with valid photo ID |
| Divorce papers | Either party divorced | Original or certified copy — the Registrar does not specify |
| Death certificate | Either party widowed | Original or certified copy — not specified |
| Statutory declaration | Former Fiji citizens, or those on work visas abroad under 2 years | Statutory declaration |
| Koseki – Shouhon | Applicants from Japan | "To certify their personal details" |
| Passport-size photos | Required on the notice route; ambiguous for foreign special-licence applicants | Recent, both parties |
| Request letter | Special licence applicants | Written to the Registrar-General giving reasons for the waiver |
On the notice-of-intention route the Registrar additionally asks for a recent passport photo of both parties, valid photo ID, the name of the Marriage Officer or denomination for a religious marriage, a booking 21 days in advance, and "Formal Dress Code".
Is there a residency or waiting period?
No residency period is published on any Fiji government source. This is the single most-asked question and the answer is a genuine gap rather than a number.
What exists is a notice period, not a residency period: 21 consecutive days on the notice route, waived by the Special Licence. And there is an implied presence requirement, because both parties must attend a registry office in person and produce a passport with a valid entry permit — so you must already have entered Fiji. No number of days is attached to that anywhere.
Be careful with third-party claims here. Some resort pages state a minimum number of days in Fiji or a lead time for documents. Those are venue operating practice, not law. Plantation Island Resort, for example, advises submitting documents "at least one month before your wedding" — sensible, but not a published legal requirement.
Where do you actually get the licence?
At a Births, Deaths and Marriages Registry. Opening hours across all offices are Monday to Thursday 8.00am to 4.00pm, and Friday 8.00am to 3.00pm.
The offices most relevant to destination couples:
- Nadi — Level One, GT Plaza, Vunavou Crescent, Nadi Town. (679) 6700312
- Lautoka — First Floor, Westfield Building, Tukani Street. (679) 6665133
- Suva — Suvavou House, Victoria Parade. (679) 3315280
- Sigatoka — Keasuna Buildings, Sigatoka. (679) 6500954
- Labasa — Ground Floor, Namuka House. (679) 8812477
- Savusavu — Justin Smith Building, Office 11, Main Street. (679) 8850006
Further offices operate at Nasinu, Nausori, Ba, Navua, Korovou, Levuka, Vunidawa, Lakeba and Vunisea. The head office is the Registrar-General, Level 1, Suvavou House, Victoria Parade, Suva — (679) 3308600, helpdesk@justice.gov.fj.
What does "certified" mean, and do you need an apostille?
The Registrar asks for a certified birth certificate but publishes no definition of who may certify one. Fiji operates a Justice of the Peace system and the Ministry of Justice publishes JP lists by division, describing a JP as someone who can "assist in witnessing documents (there are limitations for the documents they can witness)" — without publishing what those limitations are.
On apostilles: Fiji is a party to the Hague Apostille Convention, by succession dated 29 March 1971, with the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as the designated competent authority. But no Fiji government page requires an apostille for a marriage licence. The Registrar asks for "certified", not apostilled. Fiji's membership is more useful in the other direction: your Fiji marriage certificate can be apostilled by the MFA for use overseas.
If your documents are not in English, note that the Registrar's marriage pages publish no translation rule at all. Fiji Immigration, for a different application, requires documents not in English to be "translated into English by a registered translator" — a reasonable standard to meet, but it is Immigration's rule, not the Registrar's.
Who can marry you?
Three options. The registry itself performs civil marriages — that is the FJ$56.25 Court Marriage. Religious marriage officers are registered through the Registrar-General at no fee, but no public list is published, so you supply the officer's name and denomination on your application. Civil marriage celebrants are registered under section 5(A) of the Marriage Act, and Fiji does publish this list: 11 valid civil celebrants, with name, address and phone, on the Ministry of Justice website, last updated 24 June 2026.
Eleven is a small number for a country hosting this many destination weddings, which is why most resort weddings are conducted by a registered religious marriage officer rather than a civil celebrant. Mana Island, for instance, states weddings are conducted by its on-resort minister. Fiji's celebrants also appear in our supplier directory.
Where official Fiji pages contradict each other
Four conflicts, worth knowing because they explain why advice you have been given may differ.
Special licence fee. The Registrar's schedule says FJ$56.25. At least one resort page states FJ$57.50 — which looks like an old 15% VAT calculation on the same $50 base. Use the official figure.
Nadi office address. The Ministry of Justice publishes Level One, GT Plaza, Vunavou Crescent, Nadi Town. A resort page states Colonial Plaza Building, Namaka. Trust the Ministry and phone ahead.
Suva office floor. The BDM Registry page says Level 1 of Suvavou House; the Ministry's Contact Us page says Ground Floor. Same building either way.
Photos and the waiver letter for foreigners. The Registrar's FAQ includes passport photos and a letter to the Registrar-General from "both parties" in the special-licence requirements. The marriage page lists both only under local applicants. Carry photos and a short letter regardless — they cost nothing and remove a return trip.
Two things Fiji does not publish
How long the licence stays valid once issued. No Fiji source states a deadline by which the marriage must then be solemnised.
Parental consent for under-18s. The Registrar publishes only that applicants must have "attained the age of 18" under Marriage Act Cap 50. No consent provision appears on any page reviewed.
If either applies to you, contact the Registrar-General directly rather than relying on any third-party summary, including this one.
Getting the certificate afterwards
The marriage certificate costs FJ$16.88, or FJ$56.25 for the decorated tapa version. Since 3 February 2025, certificates can also be printed at post offices in Fiji. The Registrar publishes no processing time.
From overseas, order through your nearest Fiji mission. The Fiji High Commission in Wellington charges NZD 25, forwards applications to the Registrar-General fortnightly, and states "Requests are usually completed within 20 working days".
On recognition at home: New Zealand's official guidance is that "Most overseas marriages are valid in New Zealand" and there is no New Zealand registration step. If you need a Single Status Certificate for Fiji, New Zealand issues a Certificate of No Impediment on form BDM 189, which "takes between 3 and 5 weeks". Australia's Smartraveller and the UK's gov.uk publish nothing Fiji-specific on marriage, so do not expect your own government's Fiji travel page to carry the paperwork list.
Your practical next step
Order your Single Status Certificate first — it is the long-lead item at three to five weeks in New Zealand, and the one couples forget. Then get your birth certificates certified, confirm your venue's marriage officer, and email the Registrar-General to confirm the special-licence documents for your nationality.
Check the entry-permit side too, in do you need a visa to get married in Fiji, and slot these tasks into the Fiji wedding planning timeline.
Guideline only — confirm all requirements and fees with the Registrar-General's Office, Ministry of Justice, Fiji, before you travel. Last reviewed 10 September 2026.
