Fiji’s borders have been largely closed since the start of the pandemic, but that’s about to change.
In this post:
Fiji reopening to travelers on December 1, 2021
Fiji’s government has announced that as of December 1, 2021, quarantine-free travel will be allowed for vaccinated residents of the following countries:
- Australia
- Canada
- France
- Germany
- Japan
- New Zealand
- Qatar
- Singapore
- South Korea
- Spain
- Switzerland
- United Arab Emirates
- United Kingdom
- United States
- Most Pacific Island countries and territories
There are relatively few restrictions beyond that, though there are a few things to note:
- For the purposes of vaccination, Fiji recognizes Astra-Zeneca, Johnson & Johnson, Moderna, and Pfizer
- Travelers will need a negative RT PCR coronavirus test within three days of departing to Fiji
- Travelers will need a coronavirus test upon arrival at their accommodation in Fiji
So yeah, if you’re vaccinated and from select countries, you’ll be able to visit Fiji with two tests. In the grand scheme of things, that seems like a fair requirement.
Fiji is awesome, but I’m waiting for Australia or New Zealand to open
I only briefly visited Fiji once, and would love to return. It’s a gorgeous country with some of the world’s friendliest people.
However, I think I’ll wait until Australia and/or New Zealand reopen to travelers before making the trip. Why? One of the best uses of Alaska Mileage Plan miles is to travel on Fiji Airways. For just 55,000 miles one-way you can fly from Los Angeles to Australia or New Zealand via Fiji, with a stopover there for as long as you’d like. That’s an incredible value.
For context, Fiji Airways flies from Nadi (NAN) to both Los Angeles (LAX) and San Francisco (SFO). The LAX route is operated by the carrier’s new Airbus A350, while the SFO route is operated by the A330.
Bottom line
Fiji is planing to open to vaccinated travelers from many countries (including the United States) as of December 1, 2021. Vaccinated travelers will just have to be tested before travel and upon arrival, and then won’t be subjected to any sort of quarantine.
Most of the South Pacific has been closed for the past 18+ months due to the pandemic, so it’s cool to see these countries slowly start to open.
Anyone planning a trip to Fiji in the coming months?
One question about these recent reopening news: how are "residents" defined? Do they only allow citizens of the specified countries to travel, or are foreign students and workers currently residing in these countries also eligible? Wondering how they would validate that as well, or maybe it just means anyone departing from these countries, even if you are coming from another country and transiting through US?
@Ben - Thailand just announced they plan to fully open the country to vaccinated tourists from 10 "low risk countries" on November 1, with no quarantine required. Interestingly, the "low-risk" countries mentioned include the USA, UK, Germany, Singapore...and China.
One important restriction (that you failed to mention) will remain: fully vaccinated tourists from the list of "safe" countries will be required to remain on the grounds of their resort for their first two days after arrival. They're explicitly saying this isn't a quarantine -- because you won't have to stay in your room, you will be free to go to the beach, eat in the resort restaurant, and do activities -- but you will...
One important restriction (that you failed to mention) will remain: fully vaccinated tourists from the list of "safe" countries will be required to remain on the grounds of their resort for their first two days after arrival. They're explicitly saying this isn't a quarantine -- because you won't have to stay in your room, you will be free to go to the beach, eat in the resort restaurant, and do activities -- but you will need to go straight from the airport to your resort, and will NOT be able to leave the premises for 2 days. That sure sounds like a "quarantine" to me, albeit a pretty minor one. It's for 2 days, after which you get a rapid test. Assuming you test negative after those 2 days in the soft quarantine, then you are free to go anywhere and there are no additional restrictions or tests required. They have not provided full details (like, what if your resort destination isn't on the same island you arrive to? How are they going to enforce this or track people if they're not getting on a bus to their big resort upon arrival?). Fiji has resorts on many islands. Unless they have a provision for such options, it seems this will only work for those who are going to a major resort near the airport. I'm sure the exact policy will evolve, because it does not seem practical except for those going to a big resort that's easily and directly accessible from NAN, and that leaves out much of the country. Once things start up, I would not be surprised if this "not-a-quarantine quarantine" is quietly ignored or forgotten -- but it was definitely mentioned in the government announcement, so we will have to see how it works in practice.
Still, this is good news. I would not hold your breath waiting for similar openings from New Zealand and Australia.
The Fijian government can be pretty damn draconian when it wants to so I wouldn’t want to be the one to test the limits of its requirements.
HELLO!! I LIKE FIJI YAY! I am so happy be at fiji for ftpt.
J award availability all the way from USA to Australia/NZ is very, very difficult to find.
But not impossible. I've had 2 J awards SFO-NAD-AKL with stopover in NAD booked using AS miles for several months now, for travel in Feb 2022. But NZ needs to open.....