Fiji has approached Australia to gain access to its smart gate so that it will accept Fiji’s e-passports.

Immigration Director Amelia Komaisavai says that Australia is going through the process of accepting Fiji’s passport at the smart gates, and they have had a series of meetings.

Komaisavai says that during the last meeting, they gave Australia some test passports and also some sort of passport details.

“We have passed on the electronic details to Australia, and they are doing a series of tests. Fiji is in the next lot of countries to be accepted at the smart gates. So that’s how far we are from Australia. In New Zealand, the request is also around the table.”

Komaisavai states that they have asked Australians about the criteria for acceptance of e-passports at borders.

She adds that Abu Dhabi is one border that accepts everyone’s e-passport.

Every new passport issued by the Immigration Department is an e-passport, and they have stopped circulating old passports since 2019.