If you have been divorced, Fiji's Registrar-General wants one extra thing: proof the previous marriage is legally over. The Ministry of Justice lists it simply as "Divorce Papers (if other party is divorced)". There is no waiting period published, no extra fee, and no separate application — but there is a terminology trap that catches Australian and New Zealand couples.
This is the document set, the wording to ask for, and the places where Fiji's own official pages disagree with each other.
Guideline only — confirm your own documents with the Registrar-General, Births, Deaths and Marriages Registry, Ministry of Justice, Level 1 Suvavou House, Victoria Parade, Suva, before you book anything.
What documents does a divorced person need for a Fiji marriage licence?
Fiji publishes three slightly different versions of the same list, depending which government page you land on. Taken together:
| Document | Who needs it | Published wording |
|---|---|---|
| Divorce papers / final order | Either party previously married | "Divorce Papers (if other party is divorced)" — Ministry of Justice |
| Decree absolute | Same, framed for overseas documents | "Decree Absolute document if divorced" — Fiji Embassy, Tokyo |
| Divorce certificate | Same | "If applicable, divorce certificate" — Tourism Fiji |
| Death certificate | Widowed party | "Death Certificate (if either party's spouse is deceased)" |
| Birth certificate | Both parties | "Original or certified copy of birth certificates" |
| Valid photo ID and passport | Both parties | "Passport with valid visa (For Foreigners)" |
| Passport photographs | Both parties | "Recent passport size photo of both parties" |
| Single status certificate | Foreign nationals | "Single Status Certificate from country of origin & Country of Residence" |
| Witness ID | Two witnesses | "Both Witness ID" |
| Certified English translation | Any non-English document | "certified translated copies in English language must be provided" |
The single status certificate is the item most couples miss. Fiji's own FAQ applies it to foreign nationals generally, to a local marrying a foreigner, and to former Fiji citizens who have lived abroad for two years or more. It is sometimes called a certificate of no impediment or a certificate of search. If you are divorced, you will usually be producing both that and your divorce document.
Is it a "decree absolute" or a "final order"?
This is the trap. Fiji's own consular page in Tokyo asks for a "Decree Absolute", which is the older British term. Fiji's current law is the Family Law Act 2003, under which the Magistrates Court Family Division issues a Conditional Order and then a Final Order. The Fiji Judiciary publishes "Form 9 Application for Final Orders" accordingly.
So:
- If you were divorced in Fiji, the document you need is the Final Order, from the Family Division of the Magistrates Court where the proceedings were heard. Certified copies are available from that court.
- If you were divorced in England or Wales, you will hold a decree absolute or, since 2022, a final order — either satisfies the description.
- If you were divorced in Australia, you hold a Divorce Order from the Federal Circuit and Family Court. In New Zealand, it is an Order Dissolving a Marriage from the Family Court.
None of those names appear on Fiji's published lists, which is why couples ring the registry confused. Bring the court-sealed order that ends the marriage, whatever your country calls it, and bring it in the form the court issued or sealed.
What Fiji does not publish anywhere is whether the original or a certified copy is required. The only "certified copy" wording on any Fiji Government page relates to birth certificates. Ask the registry directly for your case, and travel with the sealed original if you can.
Do documents in another language need translating?
Yes, and only one official source says so. Tourism Fiji states that "if documents are in other languages, certified translated copies in English language must be provided". Neither the Ministry of Justice marriage page nor its FAQ mentions translation at all, and no Fiji source states who must certify the translation — whether a sworn translator, a notary, or an embassy. That gap is unresolved, so confirm it with the registry rather than paying for the wrong kind of translation.
Japanese nationals have a specific additional requirement: a Koseki – Shouhon to certify personal details.
How long after a divorce can you remarry in Fiji?
No Fiji Government publication states a waiting period. The closest sourced description of the sequence comes from the United States Department of State's reciprocity schedule for Fiji, which says a Final Order "will be issued by the Court one month and one day after the date of the Conditional Order" and that "a person can re-marry after the Final Order is granted."
Note what that is and is not: it is a US Government description of Fiji's process, not a Fiji source, and it describes when a Fijian divorce becomes final rather than imposing a wait before remarriage. If your divorce is already final in your own country, the practical answer is that Fiji does not make you wait — it makes you prove.
What does it cost, and why do the fees conflict?
This is the least satisfying part of the research, and worth knowing before you budget.
| Item | Ministry of Justice page | 2019 Ministry fee notice | US State Dept schedule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Notice of intention to marry | $15 | $16.35 | — |
| Special licence application | not listed | $54.50 | — |
| Registrar solemnising marriage, with certificate | $50 (court marriage) | $54.50 | — |
| Same, outside office hours | — | $109.00 | — |
| Certified copy of marriage entry | — | $16.35 | — |
| Marriage certificate | — | — | FJD$5.45 |
| Decorated / Tapa design certificate | — | $54.50 | FJD$14.90 |
All figures in FJD. The newest official Fiji fee schedule we could locate is the Ministry of Justice public notice effective 1 August 2019; the figures on the Ministry's current marriage page differ from it, and the US reciprocity schedule differs from both. There is no published 2026 schedule. A superseded Fiji Embassy page in Tokyo still quotes a special licence at F$19.80, which is clearly out of date.
The headline, though, holds: Fiji's statutory marriage fees are small — tens of dollars, not thousands. Being divorced adds no fee at all. If a package quotes you a large "licence and documentation" line, you are paying for someone's time, not the state's.
Do you need the 21-day notice or a special licence?
Standard route: notice of marriage is posted for 21 consecutive days under the Marriage Act, and the certificate may issue not less than 21 clear days and not more than three months after that posting. Most visiting couples cannot wait 21 days, so they use a special licence, granted by the Registrar-General only, which waives the notice period.
A special licence requires a written application from both parties with, in the registry's words, "ample reasons" and "evidentiary support" — venue receipts or travel tickets will do. Both parties must attend in person at a BDM registry to lodge it, with photo ID.
Validity is another published conflict: the Marriage Act says a special licence authorises solemnisation within 28 days, while Fiji's embassy page in Tokyo says it is "valid for 21 days from the date of issue". Plan to the shorter figure.
There is no published minimum number of days you must be in Fiji before marrying. Tourism Fiji simply advises arriving "a few days prior" to process the application; registry hours are 8am to 4pm Monday to Thursday and 8am to 3pm Friday. Registries sit in Suva, Nadi, Lautoka, Nasinu, Nausori, Navua, Sigatoka, Ba, Tavua, Labasa, Savusavu, Taveuni and elsewhere, so you can lodge near your venue. More on timing in how long before the wedding do you need to be in Fiji.
One more conflict worth flagging: witnesses. Fiji's Ministry of Foreign Affairs says witnesses must be "21 years of age and over"; Tourism Fiji says "18 or older". Use someone over 21 and the question disappears.
What to do next
Order a sealed copy of your divorce order now, not later — overseas courts are the slow link in this chain, not Fiji. Then check the full document list in every document you need for a Fiji marriage licence, read the marriage licence guide for the process end to end, and the legal FAQ for the questions that come after the ceremony. If you will need the certificate recognised at home, copies, apostilles and legalisation covers that.
A resort coordinator or a planner will usually lodge the paperwork with you. Rosie Holidays, Events Fiji, Fiji Weddings and Paradise Bride Weddings & Events Fiji all work across the licence process, and Celebrant Fiji is listed among Fiji's registered celebrants. Browse the full list of celebrants.