The United States embassy in Suva says all applicants for non-immigrant visas now have to be fingerprinted as part of the application process.
An embassy spokesman says the process is inkless and should add no more than 30 seconds to each visa interview.
Fingerprinting was mandated by the US Congress after the 9/11 terrorist attacks on New York and Washington.
When travellers arrive in the US the fingerprinting process will be repeated to be sure they match those provided during the visa interview.
The new requirements do not apply to citizens of countries such as Australia and Japan which are members of the Visa Waiver Programme
