Travel to Fiji will open on December 1. If you’re planning a trip to Paradise for a well-earned holiday or to reconnect with family, you will need to follow strict travel rules.
It’s the news that so many families have been waiting for. Fiji will allow quarantine-free travel for fully vaccinated Australian tourists from December 1.
But before you sip that first poolside cocktail you will have to follow the Fiji travel rules. We’ve done our best to explain everything you need to know with links to all the documents you will need.
You must book accommodation
To qualify for quarantine free travel to Fiji you must book and show proof of three nights accommodation in a Care Fiji Commitment (CFC) resort.
This rule applies even if you travel to Fiji to stay with family and friends.
Families can choose from more than 170 resorts including the Sheraton, Manna Island and the Holiday Inn. Use the link above to search for your favourite Fiji hotel.
The good news is that you are free to enjoy the resort facilities while you await your test result.
You need to show proof of vaccination
Australians will need to download their International COVID-19 Vaccination Certificate and present it at check-in. It’s not enough to just show the certificate on the Service NSW app for example. You can find further information on the Services Australia website.
When you return to Australia, you must also complete the Australia Travel Declaration (ATD) at least 72 hours before your departure.
The ATD collects your contact details in Australia, flight details, quarantine requirements and your health status.
Can unvaccinated children travel to Fiji?
From December 1, unvaccinated children under 18 can travel to Fiji with their parents or guardians. Yes, that did say 18. Not 12.
It’s worth noting, that Fiji will open the border to 27 countries from December 1. Travel with an unvaccinated child in this age group could increase your risk of testing positive to COVID-19.
Can unvaccinated children get back home to Australia?
On Friday, Australia also changed the travel rules for the 12-17 year age group to allow them to travel internationally and return home. This occurred because children in the United Kingdom can only access one shot of COVID-19 vaccination. And hundreds of people complained that travel rules barring children who’d only had one shot weren’t fair.
According to the Federal Department of Health, Australians aged 12–17, who are travelling to Australia with fully vaccinated adults, arriving in NSW, Victoria and the ACT who do not meet the criteria for fully vaccinated will form a special class of traveller.
“This age group will be required to undertake a PCR test within 24 hours of arrival into Australia and will need to quarantine at home for 7 days,” Health.gov.au said.
So you can travel to Fiji with unvaccinated 12-17-year-olds, but they will need to quarantine at home for 7 days when you return back to Australia.
Unvaccinated children under 12 do not need to quarantine if they travel with vaccinated parents.
You must have travel insurance
Just like Singapore, Fiji has mandated travel insurance for international visitors.
Under the Fiji Travel rules, if you do test positive for COVID-19 during your stay, your travel insurance must cover “room relocation and booking extensions, rebooking airline tickets and any associated medical costs.”
On Monday few travel insurance companies offered cover for COVID. However, we expect this will grow as international travel resumes. For now, try Allianz, Covermore and airlines such as Qantas.
You need COVID tests and you will pay for them.
All travellers must show proof of a negative PCR test taken 48 hours before their arrival in Fiji.
When you arrive in Fiji you will also need to take a COVID-19 Diagnostic Test within 48 hours. The cost for this test is between FJD $35 (AUD $22) and FJD $350 (AUD $225) depending on the provider.
Before you leave Fiji, you will need to take another COVID-19 test to board your flight and enter Australia. This must be a PCR test.
For a family of four, you should budget up to $2000 extra for COVID-19 testing.
What if I have recovered from COVID-19?
If you have tested positive to COVID-19 within 90 days of your travel to Fiji you will need to provide proof of a negative Covid-19 test and proof of your “isolation period served by a credible institution”.
Anyone who has recovered from COVID-19 previous to the 90 days will only need to show proof of a negative COVID-19 test, and vaccination.
You must have been in a “travel partner” country for 10 days
To travel to Fiji you will need to prove that you have been in a “travel partner” country for the 10 days prior to your arrival. That’s easy if you have been in Australia, but if you have flown to Europe, it could get tricky.
The Fiji travel partner countries are: Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, Qatar, Republic of Korea, Singapore, Spain, Switzerland, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, United Arab Emirates, United States of America, New Zealand, Cook Islands, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Nauru, New Caledonia, Palau, Samoa, Solomon Islands, French Polynesia, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu.
So if you decided to travel to Italy and you wanted a Fiji holiday on the way home, you won’t be able to do that.
You must download the careFIJI app
Before you travel to Fiji, use this link to download the careFIJI app.
Fiji will use this app to contract trace all tourists on the islands and you will need to show proof that you have downloaded it to enter the country.
You must also have Bluetooth on for it to work.
What happens if you test positive to COVID-19 in Fiji
If you test positive you will need to do 10 days of isolation.
That will probably mean you will need to rebook flights and extend your accommodation. Fiji will allow travellers who test positive to stay in their hotel rooms. Depending on the severity of the illness you may need to move to dedicated medical facilities for further monitoring and care.
Once you test negative, post the isolation stay, you will be free to return home.
Note too that if you are a “close contact” of a positive case, you will need to isolate as well.
Fiji’s COVID-19 rules
While you are in Fiji, you must follow the health rules which include wearing a mask and physical distancing of 2 metres.
If you break the rules, you could be fined up to FJD$10,000 or face up to 5 years imprisonment depending on the severity of the offence under the Public Health Act 1935.
Say bulla to Fiji
We expect hundreds of Aussie families to book accommodation in Fiji in the next few weeks.
Once you have your head around the red tape and you know what the extra costs are, then you can just relax and enjoy your holiday.
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