The High Commission of India in Suva announced on 29 June a blanket fee waiver for Fijian nationals applying for Indian tourist, medical and medical-attendant visas. Effective immediately, applicants will pay zero consular fees, a saving of up to FJ$185 per person. Other visa categories – business, conference and employment – remain at the prevailing rates. The initiative, timed to coincide with the reopening of post-pandemic direct services between Nadi and Delhi, aims to stimulate inbound medical tourism and VFR (visiting friends and relatives) traffic ahead of the southern-hemisphere school holidays. Fiji sends more than 6,000 medical travellers to India each year, mainly for cardiac and oncology procedures at hospitals in Chennai, Delhi and Hyderabad. Officials said the measure will be reviewed after six months but could be extended or replicated for other Pacific Island nations if uptake is strong. Travel agents have already reported a spike in queries, while Fiji Airways is expected to add capacity on its twice-weekly A330 service.
![India waives tourist and medical visa fees for Fijian nationals]()
Prospective travellers looking for an easy way to capitalise on the waiver can turn to VisaHQ, whose step-by-step online portal simplifies the Indian visa application, checks documents for compliance and even arranges courier collection of passports; full details are available at https://www.visahq.com/india/
For Indian hospitals courting international patients, the waiver removes a key cost hurdle and may help restore volumes that are still 18 per cent below 2019 levels. Corporates with projects in Fiji should note that business-visa fees are unchanged, but accompanying family members can benefit if they combine the trip with leisure travel. Travellers must still submit biometrics and a physical passport, but processing times are averaging three working days. Applicants are advised to write “Fee Waiver – Fiji” on the top of the application form to expedite handling.
Prospective travellers looking for an easy way to capitalise on the waiver can turn to VisaHQ, whose step-by-step online portal simplifies the Indian visa application, checks documents for compliance and even arranges courier collection of passports; full details are available at https://www.visahq.com/india/
For Indian hospitals courting international patients, the waiver removes a key cost hurdle and may help restore volumes that are still 18 per cent below 2019 levels. Corporates with projects in Fiji should note that business-visa fees are unchanged, but accompanying family members can benefit if they combine the trip with leisure travel. Travellers must still submit biometrics and a physical passport, but processing times are averaging three working days. Applicants are advised to write “Fee Waiver – Fiji” on the top of the application form to expedite handling.
