Office of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Fiji

08/05/2022 | Press release | Archived content

PASSPORT SERVICES TO BE PROVIDED IN SAN FRANCISCO-(05-08-2022)

Passport services have been made easier for Fijian passport holders in the United States of America.

The Fijian Government through the Department of Immigration will install state-of-the-art e-passport biometric equipment at the Fijian Trade Commission in San Francisco in two weeks time.

Prime Minister Josaia Voreqe Bainimarama assured the Fijian diaspora that services to Fijians will commence at the earliest possible time.

As a result, Fijians in California and nearby states won't have to travel all the way to Washington D.C, sometimes for days by road to have their passports renewed or to apply for new passports.

Prime Minister Bainimarama, while on his official visit to the U.S, witnessed first-hand the growing need for these services in the West Coast, where the majority of the Fijian diaspora live and work in the USA.

The Prime Minister said the Trade Office was a fitting location for our decentralised passport issuance system to cater to the large number of Fijians living in California and nearby states.

Permanent Secretary for the Office of the Prime Minister and Immigration, Mr Yogesh Karan said Immigration officials will be in San Francisco in two weeks time to install the e-passport biometric equipment and also to train the Trade Commission and Fiji Mission staff on how to operate the new equipment.

Fiji's new e-Passports contain a range of enhanced security features that will make it far more difficult for people to enter the country illegally, establishing a more secure Fijian passport and bringing greater integrity to our immigration system.

Fijian e-passport holders will also be protected against forgery, identity theft, passport tampering, and reproduction.

Prime Minister Bainimarama is accompanied on this visit to San Francisco by Permanent Secretary Karan and Fiji's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Satyendra Prasad.

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