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Pathway

Fijian Citizenship by Birth or Parent

Fiji Citizenship
Pathway overview

At a glance

People born in Fiji from April 10, 2009 are generally citizens at birth, subject to the diplomat exception. Those born abroad to a Fiji-citizen parent must apply; adults also need three qualifying years in Fiji out of the previous five.

Birth in Fiji
Generally citizenship at birth from April 10, 2009, with a diplomat exception
Birth abroad
A parent must have been a Fiji citizen when you were born
Adult residence
Applicants eighteen or older generally need three qualifying years in the last five; visitor and student stays do not count

Summary

People born in Fiji on or after April 10, 2009 are generally citizens at birth, with a narrow exception for children of foreign diplomats. People born abroad to a Fiji citizen parent must apply for citizenship by registration. The parent must have been a citizen when the child was born.

An applicant age 18 or older generally needs three qualifying years in Fiji within the previous five years; visitor and student stays do not count. Births before April 10, 2009 require a check of the law that applied then.

Checking Fiji citizenship through birth or a parent
  1. Identify the correct birth or family category Your birthplace, birth date, and parent’s citizenship determine the rules.
  2. Check registration and any residence requirement Adults applying through a parent need three qualifying years in the previous five.
  3. Obtain official citizenship confirmation Complete any required application before seeking a Fiji passport.

Birth in Fiji and birth abroad to a citizen parent use different processes.

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Eligibility

Birth in Fiji on or after 10 April 2009

A person born in Fiji on or after the Act commenced is a citizen by birth unless both parts of this legal exception apply:

  1. A parent had diplomatic immunity at the time of birth; and
  2. Neither parent was a Fiji citizen.

The Act also treats an infant found abandoned in Fiji as born in Fiji unless the contrary is proved. A birth certificate is important evidence, but it does not replace checking the exception and the rules that applied on the actual birth date.

Birth outside Fiji to a Fiji citizen parent

Section 8 allows an application for registration for a child born outside Fiji if either parent was a Fiji citizen when the child was born. You can apply while under 18 or later in life. If you apply as an adult, you must also meet a residence requirement.

If the applicant is already 18 or older, the law requires a total of three qualifying years of legal stay in Fiji during the five years immediately before applying. Current Immigration guidance says time in Fiji as a visitor or student does not count toward that total. The applicant should obtain an official immigration-record search or calculation showing which periods count, rather than relying only on passport stamps.

The Act also contains registration routes for:

Those are related registration categories, but their facts and forms differ from being born abroad to a citizen parent.

Typical evidence includes the applicant's full birth certificate, passport, photographs, and name-change records; the parent's Fiji passport, citizenship certificate, or other proof of citizenship; and birth, marriage, or other official records proving the parent-child relationship. Adult applicants may also need police reports, the required oath or formal declaration, proof of qualifying lawful presence, and referee or good-character materials under the current checklist.

What This Route Allows

A person who acquired citizenship automatically by birth can seek official proof of that citizenship. A person using the parent-based route becomes a citizen only when the registration application is granted and the required process is completed. After receiving a Fiji citizenship certificate, the person may apply separately for a Fiji passport.

Fiji permits dual citizenship. Fiji law does not generally require a new Fiji citizen to give up another citizenship, but the other country may have its own loss or reporting rules. Check those rules independently before applying or taking an oath.

Citizenship is not an immigration permit. Once documented, it provides the person's national status and the right to live in Fiji without maintaining a foreign-national residence permit.

What This Route Is Not

This route is not a general grandparent or ancestry pathway. A Fiji-born parent is not automatically the same thing as a Fiji-citizen parent, and a Fiji-born grandparent does not by itself satisfy section 8.

It is also not automatic citizenship for every person born abroad to a Fiji citizen. Section 8 describes citizenship by registration, which requires an application and decision. For an applicant who waits until adulthood, the requirement for three qualifying years of stay out of the previous five is essential.

Visitor and student stays do not count toward the adult applicant's qualifying presence under current Immigration guidance. Holding a Fiji birth certificate, having a citizen relative, or being eligible for an immigration exemption is not a substitute for the citizenship certificate or registration decision.

Finally, this page does not determine claims arising under the laws that applied before 10 April 2009. For older births, check the rules at that time and whether citizenship was later lost or restored.

Next Steps

  1. Identify the exact basis: birth in Fiji, birth abroad to a citizen parent, adoption by a citizen, or a parent who became a citizen while you were under 18.
  2. Build a timeline showing the applicant's birth date and place and the parent's citizenship status on that date.
  3. Obtain official evidence of the parent's citizenship; do not rely only on the parent's Fiji birthplace.
  4. If the applicant is 18 or older, ask Immigration for the official record search or calculation of time that counts and exclude visitor and student time.
  5. Download the current citizenship application and category checklist. Check whether the application can be submitted at an Immigration office or Fiji embassy or consulate for the applicant's circumstances.
  6. Prepare certified copies, current police records where required, translations, photographs, and name-linking records.
  7. Pay only the fee shown for the correct category on the current fees page. Application, oath, and certificate charges can be listed separately.
  8. Apply for a Fiji passport only after citizenship is confirmed and the citizenship certificate has been issued.

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Other routes in Fiji.

Sources