A foreign couple can marry legally in Fiji with a special licence from the Registrar-General, two witnesses, a registered Fijian marriage officer and documents proving identity and single status. There is no residency requirement in the Marriage Act, no special visa, and the statutory fees total under FJ$100. The licence is valid for a maximum of 28 days from issue.
This is the complete process, taken from the Marriage Act and the Ministry of Justice rather than from wedding brochures — including the places where official sources contradict each other.
Guideline only. This is a publication, not legal advice. Confirm your own position with the Registrar-General, Births, Deaths and Marriages Registry, Ministry of Justice (Level 1, Suvavou House, Victoria Parade, Suva; helpdesk@justice.gov.fj) before you travel. Last reviewed 11 September 2026.
What law governs marriage in Fiji?
The Marriage Act [Cap 50], administered by the Registrar-General within the Ministry of Justice, operating as the Births, Deaths and Marriages Registry.
The Act was significantly amended by the Marriage Act (Amendment) Decree 2009, adopted 20 July 2009, which set the minimum marriageable age at 18 for both parties and made marriage of a minor a criminal offence. The old parental consent provision for parties under 21 was repealed. Several consular pages still reproduce it — ignore them.
Fiji also began a review of its civil registration laws in 2025, the first in fifty years. No new law has been enacted, so everything below is current, but it is a reason to confirm rather than assume.
Which route do foreign couples use?
There are two, and almost every visiting couple uses the second.
The standard route is a Notice of Intention to Marry, lodged with a district registrar and then posted publicly for twenty-one consecutive days before the marriage can be solemnised. Section 18 adds a limit few people notice: if the marriage has not taken place within three months of the notice being posted, the notice and any certificate granted on it become void.
The special licence route is what non-residents use. Section 21 empowers the Registrar-General to grant a special licence, and the Ministry of Justice states it is granted "only on special circumstances. For example, foreign visitors who are in the country for a short period of time." Both parties write to the Registrar-General setting out the reasons, with supporting documentation such as venue receipts and travel tickets.
A special licence authorises the marriage "within such time, not exceeding twenty-eight days, as shall be named therein." Note the wording: 28 days is the statutory maximum, not an automatic entitlement. The licence itself names the period, and it may be shorter.
What does it cost?
| Item | Fee |
|---|---|
| Notice of marriage and declaration | FJ$15 VAT-exclusive / FJ$16.35 VAT-inclusive |
| Application for special licence | FJ$54.50 |
| Registrar-General or district registrar solemnising, including the certificate | FJ$50 VAT-exclusive / FJ$54.50 VAT-inclusive |
| Same, outside office hours | FJ$109.00 |
| Certified copy of a marriage entry, including search | FJ$16.35 |
| Decorated certificate of marriage | FJ$54.50 |
| Certificate of marriage via Post Fiji | FJ$27.25 |
| Civil marriage celebrant registration | FJ$3,000 VAT-exclusive |
| Religious marriage officer registration | No fee |
The VAT-inclusive column comes from a gazetted fee notice effective 1 August 2019, built on a 9 per cent VAT rate. Fiji's VAT has changed twice since — to 15 per cent in August 2023 and to 12.5 per cent in August 2025 — and we could not locate a reissued notice, so those inclusive figures may be stale. Budget the higher number and confirm at the registry. Even at the top of the range, marrying legally in Fiji costs about NZ$55.
What documents do you need?
The Ministry of Justice lists the following for foreign parties:
- Passport with a valid permit — the ordinary visitor permit is sufficient; no marriage-specific visa exists
- Certified birth certificate for each party
- Single Status Certificate from your country of origin and residence, or a certificate of no legal impediment
- Divorce papers (decree absolute) if either party has been married before
- Death certificate of a former spouse, where relevant
- Recent passport photographs and valid photo identification
- Two witnesses with valid photo identification
Start the single status certificate early. In New Zealand it is a "Certificate of no impediment to marriage", applied for on form BDM 189 from the Registrar-General, and the NZ Government states it takes between three and five weeks to arrive. In Australia, state and territory registries issue the equivalent. Neither is instant, and it is the document most likely to delay a wedding.
Every document you need for a Fiji marriage licence has the full checklist including translations and edge cases.
How many witnesses, and how old must they be?
Two witnesses, and on age the official sources disagree — so we are going to lay out exactly who says what.
| Source | Position |
|---|---|
| Marriage Act, section 25 | "two or more witnesses" — no age specified |
| Ministry of Justice marriage page | "Two (2) witnesses & their valid photo IDs" — no age specified |
| Ministry of Justice FAQ | Two witnesses with valid photo ID — no age specified |
| Fiji Ministry of Foreign Affairs / Embassy Washington DC | Witnesses must be "21 years of age and over" |
| Fiji Embassy Japan | Witnesses must be "21 years of age or over" |
The statute imposes no age. The administering ministry imposes no age. Two diplomatic missions state 21 and over, in near-identical wording — and one of those pages also reproduces the parental-consent rule repealed in 2009, which suggests a legacy template rather than current law.
The practical advice: use witnesses aged 21 or over, which satisfies the strictest published requirement, and confirm with the registry if that is difficult. Eloping couples travelling alone should ask the resort in writing to provide witnesses — most will.
Who can actually perform the ceremony?
Only a registered marriage officer: the Registrar-General, a district registrar, or a registered minister of religion or other registered person. Section 22 requires registration, and section 35 makes falsely acting as a marriage officer an offence punishable by up to seven years' imprisonment.
No Fiji government page we could find addresses overseas celebrants directly. But the statutory position is clear enough: an unregistered overseas officiant cannot lawfully solemnise a marriage in Fiji. The workable arrangement, which the industry uses routinely, is that an overseas celebrant leads the vows and the ceremony while a Fiji-registered marriage officer performs the legal solemnisation and signs the certificate. Agree that split in writing with your property before anyone books a flight.
One useful piece of context on cost: the Ministry of Justice charges FJ$3,000 to register a civil marriage celebrant, while religious marriage officers pay nothing. That is why so many Fiji ceremonies are conducted by ministers, and why celebrant fees are not nominal.
How long do you need to be in Fiji?
No minimum stay is required by law. We reviewed sections 12 to 25 of the Marriage Act and every relevant Fiji government page, and none imposes a residency period or a minimum number of days.
The constraint is administrative, not legal. The special licence must be obtained in person before the ceremony, and the registry is open Monday to Friday only — the Ministry of Justice FAQ gives 8am to 4pm Monday to Thursday and 8am to 3pm on Friday, although consular pages give different hours for Suva, Lautoka and Labasa. All agree on weekdays only.
Industry practice is to arrive at least three working days before the ceremony, and that is sound advice — but it is guidance, not law, and a Saturday wedding needs the registry visit completed by Friday whatever happens to your flight.
What happens on the day, and afterwards?
Section 25 requires the marriage to be solemnised in the presence of two or more witnesses, who sign a certificate along with the marriage officer and both parties.
You receive an original certificate on the day. The second original goes to the Registrar-General's office with the licence, within seven days. The registry marriage fee includes the certificate.
Later copies are straightforward to order: a certified copy of a marriage entry including the search is FJ$16.35, a decorated certificate FJ$54.50, and the Ministry of Justice publishes an online Marriage Registry Reprint Form requiring both names, the date and place of marriage, applicant photo ID and a letter of authority. Processing time for reprints is not published, so if you need a certified copy for an immigration or name-change application, order it early.
Will the marriage be recognised at home?
Yes, in both New Zealand and Australia, and neither country registers it.
New Zealand. The Government states plainly that "most overseas marriages are valid in New Zealand" and that "your marriage will be registered in the country where it takes place" — there is nothing to file in New Zealand afterwards.
Australia. The Attorney-General's Department states that an overseas marriage "is generally recognised in Australia if it was a valid marriage in the overseas country, and would have been a valid marriage here", and that overseas marriages cannot be registered in Australia. The conditions are that the marriage was recognised where it took place, both parties were at least 18, and neither was already married. Keep the certificate safe, because it is your only evidence.
The apostille question, answered properly
A great deal of wedding-industry content states that Fiji is not an apostille country. That is wrong.
Fiji is a party to the Hague Apostille Convention, by succession on 29 March 1971, with effect from 10 October 1970 — Fiji's independence date. The designated competent authority is the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation in Suva.
The practical route, published by the Fiji High Commission in New Zealand: apostilles cover documents including marriage certificates and birth certificates, are issued by the Fiji Ministry of Foreign Affairs free of charge, require a completed Apostille Authentication Request Form and a self-addressed prepaid registered-post envelope, and are "usually completed within 20 working days".
You will not normally need one, because neither New Zealand nor Australia registers an overseas marriage. But if a bank, an immigration authority or a passport office asks for authentication of your Fiji marriage certificate, the apostille is the correct route — and it is free. The same office also handles apostilled single status certificates, for which Fiji's foreign ministry publishes a request template.
Can a same-sex couple marry in Fiji?
No. Section 15 of the Marriage Act provides that "marriage in Fiji shall be the voluntary union of one man to one woman to the exclusion of all others." Same-sex marriage is not legally recognised in Fiji and civil unions are not recognised either.
Fiji's 2013 Constitution does prohibit unfair discrimination on the ground of sexual orientation at section 26(3), but that has not changed the marriage position. A ceremony in Fiji without legal effect is a different thing entirely and should not be described as a marriage. Whether Fiji recognises a same-sex marriage contracted abroad is not addressed by any source we could find.
The verdict
- Use the special licence. It is the route for visiting couples and it waives the 21-day notice period.
- Twenty-eight days is the maximum validity, named on the licence, not an automatic entitlement.
- Start the single status certificate three months out. New Zealand's takes three to five weeks.
- Two witnesses. Use 21 and over; the sources conflict and that satisfies the strictest.
- Your officiant must be Fiji-registered. An overseas celebrant can lead the vows, not solemnise.
- No residency requirement in law — but arrive three working days early, because registries close at weekends.
- Fiji is an apostille country. Free, about 20 working days, from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Next step: order your single status certificate today, then write to the Registrar-General about the special licence once your dates and venue are confirmed. Every document you need for a Fiji marriage licence has the full checklist, do you need a visa to get married in Fiji? covers the immigration side, and the Fiji wedding planning timeline sequences everything else. Registered celebrants in the directory include Celebrant Fiji and Satya Nand; coordinators who handle the paperwork include Fiji Weddings and Silvestre Weddings. Browse suppliers in the directory.