Pacific / Fiji

Fijians seek EU help on visas

17:27 pm on 15 January 2019

The Fiji government has called on the European Union to ease the process of obtaining a visa for the islanders to travel to Europe.

Photo: Supplied

Fiji's Ambassador to Brussels, Deo Saran, told FijiVillage he wants the EU to open an office in Fiji to process the visas.

He said Fijians currently have to travel to Wellington or Vanuatu to apply for a visa to visit Europe.

In 2016, Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama urged the EU to grant Fiji citizens visa-free access to its member states.

The EU has eased travel for Pacific islanders except for Fiji and Papua New Guinea.

European countries accessible for Fiji passport holders without a visa are Ireland and Russia.

In Asia, no visa is needed for China, Indonesia, the Philippines, Singapore, Malaysia, Bangladesh and South Korea.

However, visas are needed for Australia and New Zealand.