France Eases Travel Restrictions For Indian Students And Researchers

The French embassy official on Monday said that France has eased travel restrictions for Indian students and researchers.

It must be noted that on July 23, France has put India on the ‘amber’ list, which includes countries whose residents are permitted to enter France if they have been fully vaccinated.

This means that Indians who are fully vaccinated against Covid-19 are no longer restricted from visiting France.

The list of eligible vaccines includes Covishield – the Indian version of the AstraZeneca vaccine – which has been used to immunize the majority of the beneficiaries in the country.

Other authorized vaccines include those manufactured by US-based pharmaceutical giants Pfizer and Moderna.

Both the vaccines are yet to be imported into India. The country’s drug regulator on June 29 granted an emergency use nod for the Moderna jabs.

Apart from permitting fully vaccinated travellers, France would allow unvaccinated visitors from India only if they have a “compelling reason” to visit the country.

It is worth mentioning that the French government has classified students, researchers and Talent passport holders under the category of ‘compelling reason’.

For vaccinated travellers, an attestation is required confirming that they are not suffering from any of the COVID-19 symptoms and were not in contact with an infected patient over the past few days.

For unvaccinated travellers, a negative RT-PCR test report is mandatory before boarding the flight. The test must be conducted 72 hours before the date of departure.

In case of a rapid antigen test, the negative report should not have been issued more than 48 hours before the date of departure.

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