United States Virtual Presence Post Kingdom of Tonga

Malo e Lelei & Welcome

The embassy in Suva, Fiji is accredited to the Kingdom of Tonga and can assist U.S. companies do business in Tonga by finding distributors, representatives and end users for U.S. products and services. This section provides practical steps and resources to help you.

1. Access the Tonga Country Commercial Guide at the U.S. Commercial Service Market Research Library containing more than 100,000 industry and country-specific market reports. The Country Commercial Guide Tonga (PDF 561 KB) provides an overview of economic conditions and opportunities. Contact your local Small Business Development Center (SBDCs). Starting a business can be a challenge, but there is help for you in your area. Small Business Development Centers (SBDCs) are partnerships primarily between the government and colleges/universities administered by the Small Business Administration and aims at giving educational services for small business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs.
2. Contact the Tonga Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the main private sector and business support organization in Tonga http://www.tongachamber.org
3. Set up a meeting with our economic or commercial team to discuss any issues that arise.

Working in Tonga

Business Visas

U.S. citizens do not need a visa to enter Tonga. For long-term business visas for Tonga, contact the Tonga Consulate General, San Francisco or Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Travel Advisories

Make sure to check the current State Department travel advisory for Tonga.

FCPA

The Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) is an important anti-corruption tool designed to discourage corrupt business practices in favor of free and fair markets.  The FCPA prohibits promising, offering, giving or authorizing giving anything of value to a foreign government official where the purpose is to obtain or retain business. These prohibitions apply to U.S. persons, both individuals and companies, and companies that are listed on U.S. exchanges. The statute also requires companies publicly traded in the U.S. to keep accurate books and records and implement appropriate internal controls.

• More information on the FCPA can be found here.

A party to a transaction seeking to know whether a proposed course of conduct would violate the FCPA can take advantage of the opinion procedure established by the statue. Within 30 days of receiving a description of a proposed course of conduct in writing, the Attorney General will provide the party with a written opinion on whether the proposed conduct would violate the FCPA. Not only do opinions provide the requesting party with a rebuttable presumption that the conduct does not violate the FCPA, but DOJ publishes past opinions which can provide guidance for other companies facing similar situations.

• More information on the DOJ opinion procedure can be found here. (PDF 136 KB)