Good news for Fijians traveling through New Zealand, as Fiji passport holders will soon no longer required to produce transit Visas.

This has been announced by the New Zealand’s Prime Minister Christopher Luxon following his visit to Fiji this week.

The visa, which was implemented following the 2006 coup, will be scrapped in the coming months.

Currently, Fijians who had not been successful in applying for the transit visa or had forgotten to do so, were not allowed to enter New Zealand.

Luxon said the change to allow Fijian nationals to enter New Zealand without the need for a transit visa was also a “tangible demonstration” of New Zealand’s commitment to Fiji.

“Many Fijian nationals travel through New Zealand to reach other destinations in the Pacific and around the world – we expect this will have a positive economic impact for the region.

“This change will mean that Fijian nationals will be able to transit New Zealand with a New Zealand Electronic Travel Authority (NZeTA), similar to many other Pacific countries,” he said.

The work to put the change in place was expected to be completed “in the coming months”.

Fijians would still need to apply for a New Zealand Electronic Travel Authority to transit New Zealand, and Fijians intending to visit, study or work in New Zealand would still need to apply for the appropriate visa.

Luxon says New Zealand is a transit hub for the Pacific, and removing this Visa will bring more opportunities for Fijians.

In the joint press conference this morning, Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka was thankful for the change, but continued to call for further changes allowing Fijians to apply for a visa on arrival in New Zealand.

Currently, Fijians intending to visit, study or work in New Zealand will still need to apply for the appropriate visa.