India to New Caledonia visa requirements

Indian ordinary passport holders need a short-stay visa to visit New Caledonia for tourism. New Caledonia is a French overseas territory and is NOT part of the Schengen area, so a Schengen visa does not work here - you must apply for a French short-stay visa specifically valid for the overseas territories, through VFS Global / the French Embassy in India before you travel. New Caledonia (Nouvelle-Caledonie) is a French overseas territory (collectivite) in the South Pacific. Crucially, it is NOT part of the Schengen area, so a Schengen Type C visa is not valid for New Caledonia and ETIAS does not apply. Indian nationals are not on the visa-exemption list for the French Pacific territories, so an ordinary Indian passport holder must obtain a short-stay (court sejour) visa endorsed for the overseas territory before departure. Applications are handled by the French Embassy/Consulate in India through its external service provider, VFS Global. The visa allows stays of up to 90 days within any 180-day period for tourism. The visa application fee is the standard French short-stay fee of EUR 90 (paid in INR at the chancery rate), plus a VFS service charge of around EUR 22. Two narrow exemptions exist: (1) Indian nationals holding a valid multiple-entry French visa with validity between 6 months and 5 years may enter the territory visa-free for up to 90 days/180 days, and (2) trips of up to 15 days organised through an approved travel agency may be visa-exempt. For an independent tourist without such a visa, a visa is required. Transit of under 24 consecutive hours may also be exempt.