Major change : People from Fiji can be granted a Visitor Visa to be able to visit New Zealand multiple times within a 24-month period

Great news for the people of Fiji and our fellow Pacific islanders as the New Zealand government has announced that from 6th July this year, people from Pacific Islands forum countries can be granted a Visitor Visa to be able to visit New Zealand multiple times within a 24-month period.

Immigration New Zealand says Fijians and other Pacific islanders will be able to stay in New Zealand for a total of up to 6 months in any 12-month period within that time (but no more than 9-months in an 18-month period).

We will still need to meet the requirements to be granted a Visitor Visa, and may be granted a shorter visa length if our passport is expiring soon, or there are other concerns.

With this visa you can holiday in New Zealand, visit family and friends in New Zealand, study for up to 3 months, and include your partner and dependent children in your visa application.

Pacific Islands Forum country passport holders travelling to New Zealand from Australia (unless they are travelling on a transit visa) will also be able to travel visa-free as a trial for 12 months, beginning in November 2025.

From this time, anyone holding a passport from a Pacific Islands Forum country with a valid Australian visitor, work, student, or family visa, will be able to go to New Zealand from Australia with a New Zealand Electronic Travel Authority (NZeTA) for up to 3 months, rather than applying for a visa.

This does not include people transiting through Australia.

Until then, people from a Pacific Islands Forum country will still need the appropriate visa to go to New Zealand.

More information will be available in the coming months.

The Pacific Islands forum countries are Fiji, the Federated States of Micronesia, Kiribati, Nauru, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Republic of the Marshall Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu.