Fiji · Business & founder
Investor Permit for Non-Citizen Investors
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Administered by the Ministry of Immigration under sections 39 to 41 of the Immigration Regulations 2007. This is an operating-business permit, not a passive investment scheme: the investor holds shares in a company registered in Fiji, and the capital goes into a venture that actually trades.
Fiji is the only Pacific jurisdiction on this list where a UHNW family could plausibly live year-round and reach a passport in five years without buying one. The trade-off is that Fiji actually taxes worldwide income, so this is a lifestyle-and-mobility decision, not a tax one.
Qualifying routes
300k FJD
Investor permit — 3 years
one year is issued first and the balance on application 30 days before it expires
The facts
- Minimum investment
- 300k FJD
- Total landed cost
- FJD 300,000 of business capital, a permit fee of FJD 650.05 for the principal and FJD 185 for each dependant, plus the cost of actually operating the venture.
- Route type
- Business & founder
- Timeline
- 3–9 months (The company must be registered and the shares issued before the permit application. Each stage has its own queue.)
- Physical presence
- The permit is tied to operating the business in Fiji. There is no token-presence option.
- Family
- Legal spouseChildren under 18
- Permanent residency
- residence permits are renewable; permanent residence is discretionary
- Citizenship
- naturalisation after 5 cumulative years of residence within any 10-year period
- Language test
- English is an official language of Fiji.
- Dual citizenship
- Permitted
- Requirements
- Shares in a company registered with the Registrar of Companies, with a Reserve Bank of Fiji letter on the share issueProof of FJD 300,000 for the share contribution, or a waiver from the Ministry of TradeA police report from every country where you have lived for 12 months or moreMedical clearance within 3 months of applying
What can go wrong
- The FJD 300,000 must be shown in an offshore bank statement or other proof of investment, unless the Ministry of Trade grants a waiver.
- You must bring the full investment in from offshore and keep it in the venture for as long as the permit lasts. This is not recoverable capital.
- Certain sectors are reserved for Fijian citizens, and restricted activities carry higher thresholds: FJD 500,000 for a bar outside a hotel or resort and FJD 2,000,000 for real estate activities.
- Fiji taxes residents on their worldwide income at rates rising to 39% above FJD 1,000,000, and applies a 10% capital gains tax on Fijian assets. Anyone arriving from a zero-tax base will find their tax bill going up, not down.
- Applicants need a certified police report from every country where they have lived for 12 months or more. For globally mobile families, that can be a real obstacle.
- Political history matters here. Fiji has had four coups since 1987, so sovereign risk is not zero.
- Cyclone exposure is severe and getting worse, and insurance costs reflect that.