How to get Fiji citizenship as an investor: permit first, naturalisation after 8 years

Fiji has no law that grants citizenship in return for an investment, a donation or a property purchase. The Citizenship of Fiji Act 2009 recognises citizenship by birth, by registration (for example, children of citizens and spouses of citizens) and by naturalisation^[7]. None of these is tied to capital. Investor permits sit under the Immigration Act 2003 and Immigration Regulation 2007, a completely separate law run by the Ministry of Immigration.^[3][5]

The practical consequence is simple. An investment gives you a place to live and a business, and time spent living in Fiji lawfully is what later counts towards naturalisation. Anyone offering a Fijian passport for a fee is not describing a government programme. If you want a passport quickly through capital, the programmes that actually exist are listed on our pages for Vanuatu citizenship by investment and the cheapest citizenship-by-investment programmes. Fiji is a long-term residence-first route, not a shortcut.

The Ministry describes the investor permit as being for foreign nationals who plan to invest in and run a business in Fiji.^[9] The application is lodged online through the Immi Hub portal. Eligibility is narrower than many agent pages suggest:^[3]

• Who qualifies: a non-citizen aged over 18 who appears in the company's shareholding structure, is a sole trader or partner, or is a director or representative of a foreign company. Visitor-permit holders who declare an investment on arrival may apply.
• Who does not: holders of study, internship, research or residence permits, business visitors, overstayers and people with convictions.
• Funds and health: a legitimate source of funds, a clean police record and medical fitness are required.
• Capital: $300,000 in proof of funds or an approved waiver from the Ministry of Trade. The page does not say what a waiver depends on.

The permit's conditions are strict. The holder may not take employment or any profession, may not run business activities that are absent from the company registration certificate, and may not study full-time or do research. If you stop being an investor in Fiji, the permit is treated as expired from that date.^[4] You pay for your own repatriation and that of your dependants.

Behind the permit sits Investment Fiji's foreign-investment registration. A 2019 US State Department report says the old minimum of F$250,000 for foreign investment was removed, while restricted activities such as real-estate development, construction and inter-island shipping carry sector-specific floors.^[15] Because the permit thresholds are set through administrative policy rather than the regulation itself, check the current figure with Investment Fiji and the Ministry before wiring money.

Section 11 of the Citizenship of Fiji Act 2009, as replaced by the 2026 Act, sets these conditions once the Act is in force and until 1 January 2035:^[1]

• Lawful presence: a total of 8 of the 10 years immediately before the application (the earlier rule, still described by law firms as the operating test, is 5 of 10).^[11]
• Good character: generally shown by a clean police record.
• Intention to remain: you must intend to continue to reside in Fiji.
• Language and civic knowledge: adequate English and knowledge of the responsibilities and privileges of citizenship, "in accordance with rules and guidelines which may be prescribed by regulations". We found no published test format.

From 1 January 2035 the applicant must also hold a valid permanent residence permit, and the 8-of-10 count may only include periods on such a permit. Where you have held several permanent residence permits, only consecutive periods count.^[1]

Which time counts as lawful presence

The Act as amended tells the Minister to ignore time spent on visitor, study, research or training permits, special purpose permits, and the residence permit that goes with a student permit.^[1] The investor permit is not on that list. Even so, the Act does not say in terms that investor-permit time counts, so ask the Ministry to confirm in writing how it will treat your permit history. Time under the investor permit also depends on you staying in Fiji: the test is lawful presence, not merely holding a permit.

The 2020 and 2022 amendments that never started

Earlier amendments in 2020 and 2022 would have required 15 of the last 20 years and a permanent residence permit. They never commenced and the 2026 Act repeals both.^[1][2] Older articles, and agents quoting 15 years, are describing law that never came into force.

An investor permit covers the legal spouse and children under 18. De facto partners and older children need their own residence permit. Each dependant pays F$185.00 and needs a medical report, a certified passport page and photo, birth certificates, and for the spouse a marriage certificate and police report.^[3]

Two separate points matter for citizenship. Naturalisation is an individual application, so each adult in the family must meet the residence test on their own record. A child under 18 is dealt with under the registration provisions of the Act rather than naturalisation. A spouse of a Fijian citizen has a quicker route: under the 2026 Act, registration needs 3 of the last 5 years of lawful presence until 1 January 2030, and from that date a permanent residence permit as well.^[1] Unless you marry a Fijian citizen, that does not help an investor family.

The sequence below combines Ministry guidance with the Act. Steps 7 and 8 depend on the 2026 Act being brought into force.^[1][3]

The honest answer has three parts. First, the test still described by law firms and the High Commission is 5 years of lawful presence in the last 10.^[7][11] Second, the 2026 Act raises this to 8 of the last 10 when it starts, and the parliamentary committee confirms that figure.^[1][2] Third, pending applications at commencement are processed under the earlier law.^[1] Someone who has already filed under the 5-of-10 test would therefore keep it, but that matters only if the Ministry is accepting applications.

Because the 2026 Act has no start date yet, an investor who arrives today should plan for the 8-year test. If you apply before 1 January 2035 you will not need permanent residence. After it, you will need a permanent residence permit and the 8 years must be on that permit, so the clock for permit-based time may effectively restart for people who obtain permanent residence late. This is the main planning risk in the new law, and a reason to ask early how the Ministry will treat time already spent on an investor permit.

Residents are taxed on worldwide income and non-residents on Fiji-source income, with residence generally decided by a 183-day test in a 12-month period.^[17] The resident bands run from 0% on the first F$30,000 upwards in steps, and one payroll guide lists a top rate of 30% above F$5,000,000. That table comes from a secondary source, so confirm the bands with the Fiji Revenue and Customs Service. Because tax residence is a separate question from immigration status, moving to Fiji can bring your worldwide income into the Fijian tax net.

Land is also restricted. A non-resident needs the Minister of Lands' prior consent for holdings above one acre, and 2014 amendments restrict residential land inside town boundaries. Property developers often use strata units or integrated resorts instead.^[16] An investor who plans to buy property should take local advice before relying on it, for example on the cheapest residency-by-investment options elsewhere if property ownership is the goal.

Fiji recognises dual nationality. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs says applicants for naturalisation do not need to give up another citizenship under the multiple-citizenship policy, and that former Fiji citizens who became citizens elsewhere can reapply under section 14 of the 2009 Act.^[7] Law firm guidance states that Fiji has allowed dual citizenship since 2009.^[11]

One caution. The High Commission page cites section 11(2) for the no-renunciation statement, and the 2026 Act deletes and replaces section 11(2). The new text lists four conditions (five after 2035) and none is renunciation, so we read dual nationality as continuing. But your home country decides whether it lets you keep your nationality. Some countries, such as Japan, do not. For a country with strict rules, see our Japan citizenship guide for investors, and for holding three passports our page on whether you can have triple citizenship.

A naturalised citizen is entitled to apply for a Fijian passport once the certificate of naturalisation is issued.^[11] The passport is a modest one by global standards. The Fiji Times reports a Henley Passport Index 2026 rank of 54th, up from 55th, but we could not retrieve Henley's own destination count.^[13] Wikipedia's lead lists 87 destinations with visa-free or visa-on-arrival access (eVisa excluded) and cites a Henley rank of 51st, which differs from the Fiji Times figure and probably reflects a different edition.^[14] Because the sources disagree and we could not confirm the count against Henley, treat the 87 as indicative only.

Fiji gives its citizens access to Pacific neighbours and many Commonwealth states, but not to the Schengen area, the United Kingdom, the United States or Canada without a visa. If a stronger passport is the aim, compare it with the strongest passports available by investment. A Fijian passport mainly suits someone who lives in Fiji and wants the vote, secure tenure and a local identity.

• 28 May 2026: Parliament passed the Citizenship of Fiji (Amendment) Act 2026, assented to on 2 June 2026.^[1]
• Commencement notice: the Act begins on a date or dates the Minister appoints. When it begins, pending applications stay under the old law.^[1]
• Companion bills: a law firm reported Immigration (Amendment) and Passports (Amendment) bills before Parliament in May 2026, with proposals that could change visitor-permit work rights and the definition of a child.^[10]
• 1 January 2030: permanent residence becomes required for spouse registrations.^[1]
• 1 January 2035: permanent residence becomes required for naturalisation.^[1]
• Permit thresholds: the investor permit capital is set by policy and could change without a new regulation.^[15]

It suits entrepreneurs, tourism and agribusiness investors, and retirees who want to live in Fiji and are prepared to wait about nine years for a passport they may use mainly to stay. It also suits someone with a Fijian partner, for whom the spouse route is faster.

Look elsewhere if you want a passport within a year, easy travel to Europe or the United States, or certainty about the rules. Fast routes exist, but they come with their own risk; see citizenship by investment compared with residency programmes and residency routes with the fastest citizenship.

For a quick passport, Vanuatu and Nauru run actual citizenship programmes, and the newer ones are tracked on our page about new citizenship-by-investment programmes. For a Pacific residence route that leads to a respected passport, look at Australian investor visas and New Zealand residency by investment. For an Asian base, compare Malaysia and Singapore. Browse everything on the citizenship hub.