France offers 5-yr Schengen visa for Indian alumni

The French Embassy in India announced on 8 August 2023 that it will offer a five year Schengen circulation visa for Indian Alumni. The French Embassy said that its goal was to welcome 30,000 Indian students from India to foster academic excellence and to strengthen cultural and friendship between the two countries .

During Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to France in July the French President Emmanuel Macron announced France's goal to welcome 30,000 students from India by 2030.

Indian students who hold a Master's degree or above and have spent at least a semester studying in France are eligible for a five-year short-stay Schengen visa.

Schengen Area 

Schengen Area  refers to a zone where 27 European countries have abolished the requirement of visa for travel to the member countries by the citizens of these countries. 

It started in 1985 when five European Union member countries  decided to abolish internal border control to promote free and unrestricted movement of people.

It means that any citizen of the Schengen area and those countries which have been granted this status will not require a visa to visit these countries. 

Members of Schengen Area 

Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Croatia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland.

French Republic 

It is a European country and is the founder member of the European Union.

President : Emmanuel Macron 

Prime Minister :Élisabeth Borne

Capital : Paris 

Currency: Euro