Business Customs
Business in Fiji tends to be conducted in a less formal manner than in many other countries. The use of first names is common. Business meetings often begin with small talk and sometimes proceed more slowly than an equivalent meeting in the United States. It is advisable to reconfirm business appointments and meeting arrangements. However, U.S. businesspeople should not be unduly surprised when kept waiting beyond scheduled times. In the government and for meetings with senior executives, men usually wear collared shirts and blazers with ties and paired with either long pants or sulu-vakataga (pocket sulus), a kilt-like garment which is considered to be Fijian formal attire. Very casual attire, including shorts, should be avoided. Evening functions are normally informal, unless otherwise specified. It is common for employees in many offices to wear bula/aloha shirts during workdays and particularly on Fridays.
Fiji adopts a generally conservative approach toward Sunday religious observance. A number of shopping centers in major urban areas in Suva, Nadi, and Lautoka are only open for a limited number of hours on Sunday, if at all. There are sizable minorities of Hindus and Muslims in the population who have special religious observances regarding food and drink.
Fiji uses the metric system of weights and measures. Dates are written in the order of day, month, year (for example, 10 January 2023 or 10/01/23). In writing numbers, commas denote thousands and periods denote fractions as follows: $1,000.50, as in the United States.
Travel Advisory
AnchorState Department Fiji Travel Advisory
Visa requirements
A passport valid for at least six months beyond the intended period of stay, a ticket for return or onward travel, and proof of sufficient funds to cover travel expenses are required for entry into Fiji. Entry visas are granted on arrival for a stay of up to four months for U.S. nationals. Business travelers do not require special visas to visit Fiji. Visas may be extended for up to six months on application to the Department of Immigration in Suva, Lautoka, or Nadi. Those wishing to reside and work in Fiji, even on a temporary basis, require proper authority to do so before arrival. In most cases, prospective employers will make necessary arrangements to sponsor such people.
“U.S. Companies that require travel of foreign businesspeople to the United States are advised that security evaluations are handled via an interagency process. Visa applicants should go to the following link(s): State Department Visa Website”
Currency
The Fiji dollar is the basic unit of currency. Other currencies from Australia, Europe, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States are commonly accepted and may be exchanged at hotels, banks, and foreign exchange counters. Credit cards are accepted at most hotels, restaurants, and shopping areas. ATMs and EFTPOS machines can also be found in most of the urban areas. Currencies amounting to or over the equivalent of FJ$10,000, (around $4,508) must be declared by travelers on arrival in Fiji.
Telecommunications/Electronics
Fiji’s telecommunication systems are fairly developed. Fiji has international connectivity through satellite and extensive submarine cable networks. The high-speed network can deliver a 240Gbps (capacity of submarine cable system) through a direct and secure bandwidth from Australia, New Zealand, and Hawaii. Fiji’s data rates are considered to be one of the cheapest in the world in terms of average cost of 1GB of mobile data at $0.15 cents. Fiji’s internet penetration rate stood at 74.6 percent of the total population at the start of 2022.
Mobile phone service is the most popular means of communication but may provide limited or no connectivity in remote areas or on the outer islands. The three mobile service providers include Vodafone Fiji, Digicel, and Inkk Mobile, providing 3G/4G long-term evolution mobile technology for data, voice, and text-message services. SIM and customer registration is mandatory in Fiji as part of government regulations. Wi-Fi is also available in most major resorts, hotels, and urban areas.
Telecom Fiji Limited (TFL) is one of the largest facilities-based providers of fixed line communications and network services in Fiji. Its 4G+ network complements its fixed broadband or fixed line infrastructure. The range of products and services offered by TFL includes data networking services, managed services, colocation, cloud services and voice products.
Household electrical current is 220 volts, 50 cycle and the plugs are three pronged, the same as used in Australia and New Zealand.
Transportation
Commercial transportation is available for U.S. business travelers to Fiji with two direct flights to Nadi from Los Angeles and San Francisco on Fiji’s national carrier, Fiji Airways. Domestic air and sea travel transportation services have normalized from Viti Levu to the outer islands.
By May 2023, Fiji Airways restored all international flights returning to 100 percent of pre-COVID destinations. Fiji Airways also offers code-share flights with American Airlines between Fiji and the United States. Other airlines that service Fiji include Air New Zealand, Jetstar, Qantas, and Virgin Australia. Fiji Link and Northern Air are the main providers of domestic airline services. Special chartered flights for specific inter-island routes are also available by helicopter, seaplane or small aircraft by Island Hoppers, Joyce Aviation, and Pacific Island Air.
Visitors to Fiji may drive on a valid driver’s license from their home country for the same class of vehicle or with a valid international driver’s license. Vehicles in Fiji are right-hand drive, driven on the left side of the road. Roads are often poorly maintained and usually worsen during wet seasons. The maximum speed limit on the open road is 80 kilometers per hour (50 mph), and 50 kilometers per hour (30 mph) in urban areas. In specified areas for villages, schools and industrial areas, the speed limit may range from 20-30 kilometers per hour (12-19 mph). Rental cars are available from internationally known companies at Fiji’s gateway airports and in major urban areas, but arrangements should be made in advance.
Language
Fiji is an English-speaking country, aligned to UK English in both spoken and written forms. Fijian/iTaukei is the language of the indigenous people of Fiji and is an official language. Hindi is the third official language.
Health
Fiji is free from malaria, yellow fever, and many tropical diseases endemic to tropical countries. Typhoid, dengue fever, chikungunya, and leptospirosis are periodically reported. Travelers to Fiji are not required to show proof of COVID-19 vaccination and travel insurance. Tap water in Suva, Lautoka, and the other major towns has been treated but may not always be safe to drink. Bottled water is readily available. Outside of these urban centers and large resorts, tap water should not be considered potable.
Local time, business hours, and holidays
The Fiji government and businesses operate on a five-day (Monday through Friday) work week and is 12 hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). The government’s business hours are 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. from Monday to Thursday, with an hour for lunch generally between 12 noon and 2:00 p.m. On Fridays, the government closes early at 4:00 p.m. However, private businesses are usually open from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., while banks operate daily from 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Some shopping centers and supermarkets open until 8:00 p.m. A list of holidays in Fiji can be found on the Fiji government’s website.
Fiji is not using Daylight Saving Time (DST) but used to in the past. The last DST transition ended early 2021.
Fiji is located south of the equator and has a tropical climate, with a hot, humid, and rainy season from December to April and a cooler season from June to October.
Temporary Entry of Materials and Personal Belongings
Machinery and equipment imported for temporary use and a specific project and then re-exported within a 12-month period, may be allowed as “Privileged Goods”, and processed as a formal import entry. Security in the form of a cash or bond must be deposited with the Fiji Revenue and Customs Service at the time of importation. Upon re-exportation of such goods, the cash deposit will be refunded, or bond cancelled. Alternatively, payment of all duties may be made on entry of goods, and claims submitted at the end of project, prior to re-export.
Personal and household effects category (separate from the “Privileged Goods” category) may be imported free of fiscal/excise duty, though this is subject to conditions set out by the Fiji Revenue and Customs Service. For the importation of personal motor vehicles, normal duties must be paid.