Emergency Fiji passports will be issued from next week for people who need to travel immediately.

Director of Immigration, Major Nemani Vuniwaqa said the 17,500 passports that were due to arrive today, has been delayed because suppliers De La Rue from the United Kingdom, has not prioritized the making of Fiji passports.

To date there are more than 7,000 passport applications waiting to be processed.

Emergency passports that will be produced by Government Printing, is highly likely to receive approval by regional embassies and consulates after they receive specimen emergency passports by Monday.

Vuniwaqa said priority of emergency passports will be given to people who need to travel within an immediate time frame and they will be working from the backlog in January.

Emergency passports will have a five working day turn around period to process and government printing will be making 200 passports a day.

Passports that have expired in 2010 or this year will be endorsed to be valid for another two years.

People who are simply renewing passports will have to wait until mid June when the 17,500 would arrive from the UK.


Story by: William Waqavakatoga