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Export to France

Fashion, food and design market. EU rules plus French-language labels; SIAL Paris is a key food fair.

Capital
Paris
Currency
EUR
Trade agreement with India
India–EU Free Trade Agreement (concluded, not yet in force)
Not in force yetNot yet in force (talks concluded 27 Jan 2026)
Main ports
Le Havre, Marseille-Fos, Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport

France buys Indian garments, home textiles, leather goods, footwear, jewellery, chemicals, machinery parts and marine products. Buyers care about design, finish and sustainability claims. All EU rules apply, and consumer labels and instructions must be in French.

India–EU Free Trade Agreement (concluded, not yet in force)

France trades with India under EU rules. The India–EU FTA was concluded on 27 January 2026; the Commerce Minister said in June 2026 that signing was expected by December 2026 and entry into force around early 2027. Until then, normal EU duties apply. Confirm current status on commerce.gov.in.

What it buys from India

  • Garments, home textiles and footwear
  • Leather goods, jewellery and handicrafts
  • Machinery, electrical goods and chemicals
  • Marine products, spices and tea

Import rules on their side

  • All EU rules apply — MRLs for food, REACH for chemicals in products, CE marking, CBAM data for steel and aluminium, and the EUDR for leather, coffee, wood and rubber from 30 December 2026 for large and medium importers.
  • Consumer labels, instructions and warranties must be in French.
  • Textiles and footwear sold in France must carry recycling and environmental information required by French law; ask your buyer for their label template.

Practical tips

  • SIAL Paris (food, held in even-numbered years) and Maison&Objet (home and design) are the key fairs.
  • French buyers value a polished catalogue and communication in French; a French-speaking agent helps.
  • August is the main holiday month — orders and replies slow down sharply.
Sources (9)
  1. Department of Commerce — India-EU Free Trade Agreement concluded (27 Jan 2026)
  2. All India Radio News — India-EU likely to sign FTA by December: Piyush Goyal (21 Jun 2026)
  3. European Commission — Access2Markets (EU tariffs and import rules by product)
  4. European Commission — EU pesticides database (maximum residue levels)
  5. European Commission — Regulation on deforestation-free products (EUDR)
  6. European Commission — Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM)
  7. SIAL Paris
  8. French Customs (Douane)
  9. Department of Commerce — TradeStat export-import data bank

Trade data

India’s exports to France in numbers

From the Department of Commerce’s TradeStat (Indian financial years, April–March), the country’s imports from the world from UN Comtrade, and its basics from the World Bank.

India’s exports here, 2025-26
US$ 7.1 bn
No. 13 of our 30 countries
Change from 2024-25
↓ -10.8%
US$ 7.96 bn → US$ 7.1 bn
Share of all Indian exports
1.61%
Its imports from the world
US$ 762 bn
2024 · India’s share 1.42%
2020-21: US$ 4.78 bn4.8k2020-212021-22: US$ 6.64 bn6.6k2021-222022-23: US$ 7.61 bn7.6k2022-23n/a2023-242024-25: US$ 7.96 bn8.0k2024-252025-26: US$ 7.1 bn7.1k2025-26
India’s exports to France, year by year · US$ million · TradeStat’s 2023-24 country table is double-counted, so it is not shown

What India sells here most

By HS chapter, 2025-26. Change is against 2024-25.

Name2025-26Change
1Electrical and electronicsHS 85US$ 989 mn+7.5%
2MachineryHS 84US$ 811 mn+16.4%
3Medicines and pharmaHS 30US$ 635 mn+8.4%
4Organic chemicalsHS 29US$ 408 mn+3.9%
5Gems, jewellery, precious metalsHS 71US$ 371 mn+13.3%
6Woven garmentsHS 62US$ 343 mn-2.8%
7Instruments, medical devicesHS 90US$ 313 mn+25.4%
8AircraftHS 88US$ 303 mn-59.5%
9Knitted garmentsHS 61US$ 291 mn+15.5%
10Vehicles and partsHS 87US$ 234 mn+5.9%
11Fuels and petroleum productsHS 27US$ 198 mn-82.7%
12Home textiles, made-upsHS 63US$ 186 mn+7.8%

What is rising and what is falling

Chapters where India sells at least US$ 5 million. Change from 2024-25 to 2025-26.

High demand

  1. Iron and steelUS$ 40.4 mn → US$ 114 mn+182.4%
  2. TobaccoUS$ 20.7 mn → US$ 36.5 mn+76.3%
  3. Inorganic chemicalsUS$ 29.2 mn → US$ 42.3 mn+44.9%
  4. AluminiumUS$ 59.5 mn → US$ 83.3 mn+40.1%
  5. Instruments, medical devicesUS$ 249 mn → US$ 313 mn+25.4%
  6. Other chemical productsUS$ 112 mn → US$ 140 mn+24.8%
  7. Fish and seafoodUS$ 75.6 mn → US$ 88.6 mn+17.2%
  8. MachineryUS$ 697 mn → US$ 811 mn+16.4%

Low demand

  1. Fuels and petroleum productsUS$ 1.14 bn → US$ 198 mn-82.7%
  2. AircraftUS$ 747 mn → US$ 303 mn-59.5%
  3. Animal feed and food residuesUS$ 92.9 mn → US$ 55.3 mn-40.4%
  4. Fats and oilsUS$ 87.5 mn → US$ 70.2 mn-19.7%
  5. FootwearUS$ 123 mn → US$ 105 mn-14.1%

Opportunity: what this country buys from the world, and from India

The country’s own recorded imports in UN Comtrade, 2024. Chapters with the biggest gap between what it buys from the world and what it buys from India.

Fuels and petroleum productsUS$ 95.7 bnIndia 2.3% · gap US$ 93.5 bn
MachineryUS$ 90.4 bnIndia 0.9% · gap US$ 89.6 bn
Vehicles and partsUS$ 80.3 bnIndia 0.4% · gap US$ 80 bn
Electrical and electronicsUS$ 67.1 bnIndia 1.9% · gap US$ 65.8 bn
Medicines and pharmaUS$ 33.1 bnIndia 1.4% · gap US$ 32.6 bn
PlasticsUS$ 27.6 bnIndia 0.3% · gap US$ 27.5 bn
Instruments, medical devicesUS$ 23.5 bnIndia 1.1% · gap US$ 23.3 bn
Gems, jewellery, precious metalsUS$ 15.2 bnIndia 3.6% · gap US$ 14.6 bn
AircraftUS$ 13.7 bnIndia 0.5% · gap US$ 13.6 bn
Iron and steel articlesUS$ 13.6 bnIndia 1.6% · gap US$ 13.4 bn

Our product guides that sell here

India’s exports of each product to this country, 2025-26.

Name2025-26Change
1Readymade garmentsUS$ 634 mn+4.8%
2Generic medicines (formulations)US$ 617 mn+7.8%
3Auto parts and componentsUS$ 160 mn+8.9%
4Leather goods (bags, wallets, belts)US$ 111 mn-3.1%
5Frozen shrimpUS$ 76 mn+13.8%
6FootwearUS$ 71.9 mn-13.1%
7Essential oilsUS$ 63 mn+13.9%
8Home textiles (bed, bath and kitchen linen)US$ 52.9 mn+39.5%
9Carpets and rugsUS$ 45.1 mn-1.9%
10Handloom productsUS$ 44.2 mn-4.1%
11Processed foodUS$ 41.1 mn-0.5%
12Granite and natural stoneUS$ 29.6 mn+2.2%

The 20 biggest export lines

4-digit HS lines, 2025-26, with their Harmonized System descriptions.

Name2025-26Change
1MedicamentsHS 3004US$ 617 mn+7.8%
2Telephone sets, including smartphones and other telephones for cellular/wireless networksHS 8517US$ 312 mn-10.4%
3AircraftHS 8807US$ 301 mn+28.1%
4Jewellery articles and parts thereof, of precious metal or of metal clad with precious metalHS 7113US$ 253 mn+29.1%
5Turbo-jets, turbo-propellers and other gas turbinesHS 8411US$ 201 mn+37.7%
6Petroleum oils and oils from bituminous minerals, not crudeHS 2710US$ 198 mn-82.7%
7Motor vehiclesHS 8708US$ 160 mn+8.9%
8Suits, ensembles, jackets, dresses, skirts, divided skirts, trousers, bib and brace overalls, breeches and…HS 6204US$ 115 mn-5.4%
9Taps, cocks, valves and similar appliances for pipes, boiler shells, tanks, vats or the like, including…HS 8481US$ 114 mn+10.7%
10New pneumatic tyres, of rubberHS 4011US$ 112 mn-3.6%
11T-shirts, singlets and other vestsHS 6109US$ 112 mn+24.6%
12TrunksHS 4202US$ 111 mn-3.1%
13Electrical apparatus for switching, protecting electrical circuits, for making connections to or in…HS 8536US$ 106 mn+40.8%
14Diamonds, whether or not worked, but not mounted or setHS 7102US$ 89.9 mn-17.2%
15Electrical apparatusHS 8538US$ 87.7 mn+22.1%
16Insecticides, rodenticides, fungicides, herbicides, anti-sprouting products, plant growth regulators…HS 3808US$ 86.6 mn+2.4%
17Electric transformers, static converters and inductorsHS 8504US$ 85.4 mn+17.5%
18Parts suitable for use solely or principally with the engines of heading no. 8407 or 8408HS 8409US$ 83 mn+10.7%
19Optical fibres and optical fibre bundlesHS 9001US$ 80.3 mn+5.3%
20Heterocyclic compounds with nitrogen hetero-atom onlyHS 2933US$ 78.6 mn+42.6%

What India buys from France

India’s imports from this country in 2025-26 by HS chapter, from TradeStat — this country can be your supplier too.

India’s imports, 2025-26
US$ 8.67 bn
US$ 7.23 bn → US$ 8.67 bn
India’s exports, 2025-26
US$ 7.1 bn
Trade balance
−US$ 1.57 bn
exports minus imports
Change in imports
+19.9%
Name2025-26Change
1AircraftHS 88—+41.5%
2MachineryHS 84—+8.7%
3Electrical and electronicsHS 85—+5.2%
4Instruments, medical devicesHS 90—-1.1%
5PlasticsHS 39—+4.3%
6Other chemical productsHS 38—+11.9%
7Organic chemicalsHS 29—+5.7%
8Iron and steelHS 72—-19.1%
9OresHS 26—+19.3%
10Medicines and pharmaHS 30—+31.7%

The country at a glance

Population
68.7 mn
2025
GDP
US$ 3,366.3 bn
2025
GDP per person
US$ 48,986
2025
Imports (goods and services)
US$ 1,137.8 bn
2025

Sources: TradeStat — Export Import Data Bank, Department of Commerce · UN Comtrade database (United Nations Statistics Division) · World Bank — World Development Indicators · Figures taken 29 October 2026.

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