France Plans Visa-Free Airport Transit Pilot for Indian Nationals
Brazil Drops Short-Stay Visa Requirement for French Travellers
UK Electronic Travel Authorisation Now Mandatory for French Visitors
Latest News
EU Visa Working Party Meets to Debate New Strategy – France Backs Streamlined Business Mobility
An EU Council notice dated 2 March calls member-state experts – including France – to a Visa Working Party meeting to discuss the Commission’s new visa-policy blueprint. Key items include digital Schengen stickers and updated facilitation deals, measures French industry groups say would speed talent mobility but that still face privacy and funding hurdles.
France streamlines asylum document rules from 1 March 2026
From 1 March 2026, Ofpra no longer keeps original passports and civil-status papers at the time an asylum claim is filed. Applicants submit copies and present originals only at interview, which are returned immediately. The move reduces administrative backlogs, lets applicants retain proof of identity for day-to-day life and eases compliance headaches for employers and NGOs that hire or assist refugees.
Internal Schengen checks continue: what cross-border commuters to France face in March 2026
France’s temporary re-introduction of border controls along all Schengen frontiers, in place since 1 November 2025, remains active through at least 30 April 2026. Business travellers must still carry passports and expect spot checks, adding delays to road, rail and short-haul flights. Employers should adjust travel schedules and track days-in-Schengen to avoid overstays once full biometric systems launch later this year.
RoissyBus service to Charles-de-Gaulle axed, forcing Paris business flyers onto rail
IDFM discontinued the Opéra–CDG RoissyBus on 1 March 2026 due to worsening traffic and falling ridership. Passengers must now use the RER B or the new 9517 express coach from Saint-Denis–Pleyel, adding transfers and potential cost to airport journeys for business travellers.
€2 levy on extra-EU parcels starts, signalling wider EU customs reform
France introduced a €2 tax on all goods worth under €150 shipped from non-EU countries as of 1 March 2026. The fee, billed to senders but effectively paid by buyers, is designed to stem low-value imports and will run until the EU adopts a harmonised levy in 2027. Mobility managers should expect minor cost and timing impacts on small-parcel shipments to expatriates.