India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has advised Indian citizens residing in or travelling to France to “remain vigilant and avoid areas where violent protests are taking place.” The advisory, released on 22 October, highlights continuing clashes, looting and localised curfews in Paris, Lille, Lyon and Nice. The MEA instructs travellers to register with the Indian Embassy in Paris via its MADAD portal and to carry identification at all times. Corporate mobility teams moving assignees from India to French sites are urged to review duty-of-care protocols and ensure that emergency contact details are up to date. France hosts an estimated 120,000 Indian nationals, many on intra-company transfer (ICT) visas in IT services and engineering. Several large Indian outsourcing firms with delivery centres in Île-de-France have switched to remote-work mode this week and arranged secure shuttle services for essential staff. Travel-risk consultancies say the Indian alert is part of a wave of foreign government notices; Thailand and Malaysia issued similar guidance late on 21 October. While the advisories stop short of prohibiting travel, insurers may classify trips to protest-hit zones as “elevated risk,” potentially affecting coverage for medical evacuation and trip interruption. Employers should brief Indian and other non-EU assignees on the importance of carrying residence permits, as French police often ask foreigners for proof of legal stay during crowd-control operations.
Source: Business Standard
