France announces visa-free transit facility, to welcome 30,000 Indian students

India and France have set an ambitious target — to welcome 30,000 Indian students to France by 2030, up from around 10,000 at present. The announcement came as Prime Minister Narendra Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron elevated ties between the two countries to a “Special Global Strategic Partnership.”

President Macron is on an official visit to India from February 17 to 19, 2026, at the invitation of PM Modi. During the visit, he will also take part in the Artificial Intelligence Impact Summit 2026. The two leaders jointly launched the India-France Year of Innovation 2026 in Mumbai on February 17. This is President Macron’s fourth visit to India and comes a year after PM Modi’s visit to France in February 2025.

Macron- PM Modi meet: Innovation, education and the people connect

On education, PM Modi and French Prez reaffirmed their goal of welcoming 30,000 Indian students to France by 2030. They appreciated the International Classes initiative, which helps Indian students prepare for French universities. They also welcomed a new Mumbai hub bringing together ESSEC Business School and CentraleSupélec, and upcoming revisions to the agreement on mutual recognition of academic qualifications.

According to the India–France joint statement, the two leaders also welcomed the upcoming visa-free transit facility for Indian nationals through French airports, which will be reviewed after a six-month pilot period.

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India-France Year of Innovation 2026 will see collaborations in science, technology, AI, healthcare, sustainable development, culture and education. In science and research, both countries will see the opening of a binational centre on digital sciences and technology between INRIA and India’s Department of Science and Technology.

The two leaders looked forward to launching a research centre dedicated to AI in healthcare, bringing together Sorbonne University, AIIMS New Delhi and the Paris Brain Institute.

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Over the years, France has become one of India’s top defence partners. The two leaders agreed to step up joint research and production in air, naval and land systems, as well as in emerging dual-use technologies. They welcomed the Technical Arrangement signed in November 2025 between France’s DGA and India’s DRDO to support research and development in defence technologies.

The leaders also welcomed ongoing discussions on helicopter and jet engine cooperation. They praised the contract for the procurement of 26 Rafale-Marine fighter jets and said they want to further strengthen cooperation in defence aeronautics.

Macron invites PM Modi for G7

President Macron invited PM Modi to participate in the G7 Summit in France in 2026. PM Modi welcomed the invitation and reaffirmed India’s commitment to global discussions on economic stability among other things. President Macron condemned the April 2025 Pahalgam terror attack and the November 2025 incident near Red Fort in New Delhi, expressing support for India’s right to defend itself. The two leaders also stressed the need for dialogue and diplomacy in conflicts such as Ukraine, developments in Iran, and the situation in Gaza.