Apostille or Embassy Legalisation: What Fiji Requires

Last reviewed: 26 September 2026. Country requirements change. This page is re-checked periodically, and nothing on it replaces confirming the position with the Fijian office that will receive your document.

Fiji has been inside the Apostille Convention for longer than it has been independent, so an Australian document bound for Fiji is apostilled by DFAT, not legalised at the Fiji High Commission. Most Australians sending paperwork to Fiji are doing one of two things: getting married there, or dealing with the Fijian Government as a former or dual citizen. For the second, the Fiji High Commission in Canberra asks for a Justice of the Peace, not a notary.

Check the current position before acting on this or any other page. Confirm Fiji's status, and any objections, against the HCCH status table for the Apostille Convention on the day you start.

Fiji and the Apostille Convention

The HCCH status table records Fiji as a party by succession, with the Convention in force from 10 October 1970, the day Fiji became independent. Fiji's Ministry of Foreign Affairs describes Fiji as a signatory and issues apostilles on Fijian Government documents such as birth, marriage and death certificates.

For an Australian document within the Convention's scope, the certificate Fiji expects is an Australian apostille, which only DFAT issues.

The chain

1. Notarise in Australia, if the document is a private one (a power of attorney, a declaration) or you are sending a copy
2. DFAT apostille

English is an official language in Fiji, and Australian documents are in English, so translation rarely arises.

Australian registry certificates and other public documents may go to DFAT directly, without a notary. Confirm with DFAT for your document.

Getting married in Fiji

Fiji's Ministry of Foreign Affairs publishes the requirements for marrying in Fiji. For foreign nationals they include:

• passports for both parties
• divorce papers, if either party has been divorced
• a death certificate, if either party is widowed
• two witnesses with valid photo identification
• a Certificate of Single Status, Certificate of Search, or Certificate of No Legal Impediment

The Ministry says that last certificate is required of all foreign nationals, and of couples where one party is Fijian and the other is not. Former Fijian citizens who have lived abroad for two years or more also need one; some other Fijian citizens abroad provide a statutory declaration instead.

For an Australian, the certificate that fits is the Certificate of No Impediment to Marriage, issued by the Australian Government for Australians marrying overseas. It is not a notarial document, and a notary cannot issue it. Our guide to getting married overseas explains where it comes from.

The Ministry also sets out the timing. The standard route is a Notice of Intention to Marry, displayed for 21 consecutive days. A Special Licence can waive the waiting period, including for short-term foreign visitors. Marriage licences are issued by the Registrar General's Office and divisional and district registrars.

What the Ministry's page does not say is whether the Certificate of No Impediment, or an Australian divorce order, must carry an apostille when it is produced to the registrar. Ask the Registrar General's Office, or your wedding organiser to ask on your behalf, before you order anything. If an apostille is wanted, DFAT can apply it to the original certificate or court order.

After a wedding in Fiji

The Ministry says it apostilles Fijian marriage certificates for recognition abroad. If you need to use your Fijian marriage certificate in Australia — for a partner visa, a change of name, or with a bank — ask the receiving body whether it wants that apostille. It is arranged in Fiji, not in Australia. An Australian notary cannot vouch for a Fijian registry's document.

Dealing with the Fijian Government from Australia

Former Fijian citizens and dual citizens in Australia deal with Fiji through the Fiji High Commission in Canberra. Its published answers are worth reading before you pay anyone:

• Citizenship. For an application for Fijian citizenship, the High Commission asks for the passport application form to be witnessed by a Justice of the Peace, with the JP's signature and stamp, and for two passport photographs to be certified by the same JP.
• Police clearance. It asks for certified copies of the passport bio page, birth certificate and photo identification.

For these applications, the High Commission is the receiving authority, and it has said what it accepts. You do not need a notary, and you do not need an apostille, unless the High Commission tells you otherwise for your case.

Powers of attorney and property

A power of attorney signed in Australia for use in Fiji — to manage land, deal with a bank, or act in an estate — is a private document. The usual route is to sign before an Australian notary and have DFAT apostille the notarial certificate. Land in Fiji is held under several different systems, and the Fijian side decides the form it will accept. Before signing, ask the Fijian lawyer or body that will act on it for the exact wording, what must be attached, and whether anything must be done in Fiji once it arrives.

Frequently asked questions

Does the Fiji High Commission need to legalise my Australian document? Not for a document within the Convention's scope. An apostille from DFAT replaces embassy legalisation.

Can a Justice of the Peace sign my documents for Fiji? For the Fiji High Commission's own citizenship and passport applications, it asks for a JP. For documents going into Fiji that need an apostille, no: a JP certification cannot be apostilled.

Do I need a notary to marry in Fiji? Usually not. The key document is the Certificate of No Impediment, which comes from the Australian Government.

How long does it take? It depends on DFAT processing and the Fijian office. Do not plan to a figure quoted on a blog, including this one.