(SUVA, FIJI) — The High Commission of India in Suva has waived visa fees for Fijian nationals applying for tourist, medical and medical attendant visas, effective June 29, 2026.

The change applies to physical visas issued through the Suva mission. Fees for all other visa categories remain unchanged.

The India Visa Fee Waiver covers Fijian nationals travelling to India for holidays, family visits, medical treatment and support for patients receiving care in Indian hospitals.

Eligible applicants in the three covered categories now receive visas on a gratis basis, with no visa fee charged.

That relief is limited to a defined group of travellers. Business, employment, student, conference, research, film and transit visas are not included, and other consular or visa services remain outside the waiver.

The covered tourist visa applies to Fijian nationals travelling for tourism, sightseeing, casual visits or other permitted tourism purposes.

Medical visas remain for those travelling for recognised medical treatment, while medical attendant visas cover eligible attendants accompanying a patient.

Families are among those likely to benefit. Patients travelling for treatment in India often need a relative or support person to travel with them, and visa costs can add to flights, accommodation and hospital expenses.

Before the waiver, a tourist visa valid up to 1 year cost FJ$230, while a tourist visa valid from 1-5 years cost FJ$452.

Medical visas cost FJ$185 for up to 6 months and FJ$274 for visas valid between 6 months and 1 year.

Those figures applied to physical tourist and medical visas for Fijian nationals. The waiver removes those fees for the covered categories issued through the High Commission of India in Suva.

The route used to apply still matters. India also runs an eVisa system through its online visa portal, where travellers apply online, pay online where applicable, receive electronic travel authorisation and travel with the ETA.

That means the fee position depends on how the application is filed. The waiver announced in Suva applies to physical visas handled by the mission, not automatically to every application made through the separate eVisa system.

Applicants still need to choose the correct category before filing. A traveller seeking treatment must apply for a medical visa, while a person accompanying that patient should use the medical attendant category rather than another visa type.

General application requirements continue to apply across the covered categories, including a valid passport, an online visa application form, a recent photograph and a travel itinerary. Passport validity remains one of the first checks before submission.

Tourist visa applicants should also prepare return or onward ticket details, proof of accommodation if required, financial proof if required, and any additional documents the mission requests. Peak travel periods can tighten timelines, making early filing more practical than last-minute submission.

Medical visa applicants face a heavier documentary burden because the travel purpose is treatment. Their paperwork may include a medical report from Fiji, a referral or recommendation from a doctor, an appointment or admission letter from an Indian hospital, estimated treatment details, proof of funds for treatment and stay, and details of any accompanying medical attendant.

Medical attendant applicants usually need documents linking them to the patient’s treatment journey, including a copy of the patient’s medical visa application or visa, proof of relationship or connection to the patient, a hospital letter mentioning the need for an attendant if available, and a travel plan that matches the patient’s journey.

The waiver does not remove the need for supporting documents, and it does not make visa approval automatic. Fijian nationals still need to meet the requirements for the category they choose and submit the correct records with the application.

Service charges can also remain relevant even when the visa fee itself is waived. Applicants are still expected to check whether courier charges or emergency charges apply before they file.

Nationality is another threshold question. The waiver applies to Fijian nationals applying through the High Commission of India in Suva, not to all applicants in Fiji and not to all nationalities using the mission.

Travellers also need to match the visa duration to the purpose of the trip. A short holiday, a longer family visit and a treatment schedule tied to hospital appointments can each require different planning before the application goes in.

The practical effect is clearest in treatment-related travel, where several costs often arrive at once. Flights, accommodation, hospital deposits and support-person travel can strain household budgets before treatment even begins, and the removal of visa fees cuts one part of that expense.

India remains a destination for tourism, cultural visits and medical treatment, and the new arrangement lowers the upfront cost for some Fijian applicants using the Suva mission. It does not create a universal free-entry system.

Anyone relying on the India Visa Fee Waiver must clear a short set of checks before filing: confirm Fijian nationality, confirm that the visa sought is tourist, medical or medical attendant, confirm that the application is going through the High Commission of India in Suva, and confirm that passport validity and supporting documents are in order.

That leaves the waiver as a narrow but concrete change. From June 29, 2026, tourist, medical and medical attendant physical visas issued in Suva to Fijian nationals are free, while the rest of India’s visa schedule remains in place.