Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade refreshed its Smartraveller advice for France on 21–22 July, flagging new entry formalities that matter for Australian business travellers and dual nationals. While the overall risk level (“Exercise a high degree of caution”) is unchanged, the advisory highlights the European Union’s Entry/Exit System (EES) and reminds travellers that biometric registration will be required for every short-stay visit once the system is fully rolled out at French borders. The notice urges passengers to verify whether the EES applies to them—particularly dual EU-Australian nationals who may need to select the right passport at e-gates—and to expect delays at land crossings with Belgium, Germany, Italy and Spain. It also includes an explicit reminder that strike action is frequent and can severely disrupt public transport and aviation, referencing recent French ATC walk-outs. For Australian companies sending staff to France on short-term projects, the update is a timely prompt to audit visa-support letters, ensure passports have at least three months’ validity beyond the intended stay, and budget extra time for border formalities. Travel-risk teams should disseminate the alert, as failure to comply with EES procedures could result in refused entry and costly project delays. The advisory’s focus on terrorism threat levels and large-event crowd risks is also relevant: many Australian firms will have personnel attending the Paris Defence Expo in late July and must plan for heightened security checks. As Smartraveller feeds into many corporate-risk dashboards, the refreshed advice may automatically upgrade internal travel-approval thresholds.
