Sending Money Overseas from Fiji: Tax Clearance and RBF Approval

Two approvals, two different questions

Money leaving Fiji is checked by two bodies. FRCS issues a tax clearance to confirm your tax affairs are in order and that any tax on the payment itself has been paid. The Reserve Bank of Fiji (RBF) controls foreign exchange under the Exchange Control Act. Your bank can process most payments itself, within limits the RBF delegates to it, but anything above those limits needs RBF approval first.

In practice the order is: tax clearance from FRCS first, then RBF approval if the amount is above your bank’s limit, then your bank sends the funds. Your bank will not release the payment until it has sighted both.

When you need FRCS tax clearance

• Payments for goods: FJD 20,000 and above needs a tax clearance. Below that, none is needed.
• Payments for services: any amount needs a tax clearance. This covers consultancy, management and professional fees, software, royalties, commission, advertising and similar services.
• Personal transfers: sale proceeds, savings, gifts, dividends and emigration funds generally need a tax clearance above FJD 20,000 a year.

FRCS does not require tax clearance for student fees paid to an education institution, medical bills, imports of goods already landed and cleared by FRCS (including freight and insurance shown on the same invoice), merchanted goods, and imports of fuel, oil and lubricants.

What FRCS checks before it clears a payment

FRCS will only issue a tax clearance if your returns are lodged and your tax is paid, or a payment arrangement is in place. It also wants to understand where the money came from, and whether tax applies to the payment itself, mainly non-resident withholding tax and VAT reverse charge on imported services.

Applications are made online through TPOS, the FRCS taxpayer portal. There are three types: Standard for occasional payments, Blanket for businesses that pay overseas suppliers frequently, and Migration for people leaving Fiji.

Documents FRCS usually asks for

• Paying an overseas supplier: the invoice addressed to the Fiji business making the payment, and proof that any withholding tax or VAT reverse charge has been paid.
• Property sale proceeds: transfer documents, the sale and purchase agreement, the CGT certificate, a bank statement and, where relevant, confirmation of funds held in a lawyer’s trust account.
• Dividends: the directors’ resolution, dividend certificate, latest financial statements and bank statement.
• Savings from salary: two years of bank statements, with an explanation for any irregular deposits.
• Migrating: two years of bank statements, resignation and acceptance letters, a tax return for the current year and your visa.
• Loan repayments: the loan agreement and repayment schedule.
• Gifts: a gift agreement.

When you also need Reserve Bank approval

Banks can process payments up to the RBF’s delegated limits once they have sighted the right documents. Common limits under the exchange control guidelines effective 1 January 2026 include:

• Services and most charges: up to $1,000,000 per invoice
• Dividends and profits to non-resident shareholders: up to $500,000 a year
• Withdrawal of investment (sale of shares or property, repayment of shareholder funds and intercompany loans): up to $250,000 a year
• Emigration allowance: up to $250,000 per family a year
• Overseas loan principal: up to $500,000 per scheduled repayment
• Gifts and family maintenance: up to $2,000 per beneficiary a year

Above these limits, the application is lodged online with the RBF, with the tax clearance and supporting documents attached. Offshore investment, such as buying property or shares overseas or opening an offshore account, is suspended for individuals and needs RBF approval for companies.

If your company brought money in from overseas, keep the bank confirmation that the funds came from offshore and, if it was a loan, a signed loan agreement. Without them, getting the money back out is much harder.

Common reasons payments get held up

• Missing tax returns, or VAT, PAYE or FNPF months not lodged, including nil periods.
• An invoice addressed to a parent or related company instead of the Fiji business that is paying it.
• A monthly statement supplied instead of the individual tax invoices.
• No bank account recorded against your TIN on TPOS, which stops the tax clearance application at the bank selection step.
• Withholding tax on a service payment not worked out or paid before applying.
• For property sale proceeds, no CGT certificate yet.

Most of these are quick to fix once you know about them. The delays come from finding out one at a time.

If you are selling Fiji property and live overseas

The order is: lodge the CGT return and get the CGT certificate, apply for tax clearance on the sale proceeds, then, if the amount is above your bank’s limit, apply for RBF approval. Up to $250,000 a year can usually be handled by the bank once it has the tax clearance, CGT certificate and sale documents. Talk to us before settlement so the paperwork is ready when the funds land.

How we can help

We handle the FRCS and Reserve Bank side end to end. We bring your returns up to date if needed, work out any withholding tax, lodge the tax clearance on TPOS, prepare the RBF application where one is needed, and follow both up until your bank can release the funds.

Tax clearance for an overseas payment starts from $500 + VAT and Reserve Bank approval from $750 + VAT. See our tax clearance and CGT on property sales pages, email [email protected] or WhatsApp +679 714 2741.