The rate of rejection of visa applications for Moroccan citizens wishing to travel to the European Union increased during 2022. Some embassies, such as those in France and Spain, treat Moroccan applications more strictly than those applied to Russian citizens after the EU decided to reduce visas for Russians because of the war in Ukraine.
In recent days, the EU’s ‘Visa Schengen’ website has revealed that more than 423,000 Moroccans have applied for visas from EU member states. The refusal rate was around 30%. Moroccans ranked fourth in visa refusals from 163 countries, after Algeria, Nigeria, Tunisia, and Côte d’Ivoire.
France and Spain are the European countries that refuse the most visas to Moroccans, with Spain rejecting 50,000 out of 200,000 applications and France more than 51,000 out of 161,000. Of the 30% of visa applications rejected, Spain and France rejected 85%, while 24 other European countries shared the remaining 15%. By way of comparison, visa refusals for Russian citizens in 2022 did not exceed a rate of 10%, bearing in mind that this country is subject to EU sanctions for its war against Ukraine, including a reduction in the granting of visas.
France’s high rate of visa refusals for many Moroccans is due to the sanctions imposed on Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia. Paris accuses these three countries of not wanting to accept their nationals in an irregular situation on French territory. As a result of the French sanctions, the visa refusal rate has risen and the number of visa applicants at French consulates in Morocco has fallen. French consulates in Morocco have refused visas to former ministers and senior civil servants. Relations between Rabat and Paris have been in crisis for the past two years, and Rabat has withdrawn its ambassador from Paris. There are no exchanges of visits at ministerial level, except in rare cases.
While France has announced measures to sanction Morocco with regard to visas, Spain has not announced any sanctions, but has rejected 25% of the applications submitted to its consular missions. The increase in Spanish exports to Morocco and the improvement in relations between Rabat and Madrid have not had a positive impact on Moroccan citizens when it comes to visas.
France and Spain together have the largest Moroccan communities in the EU and abroad. Numerous Moroccans wish to travel to one of the two countries, to study, receive medical treatment or visit relatives, as well as for tourism. Moroccans have been complaining about the strict and lengthy visa application procedures they have been facing recently.
Spain and France are the most intransigent, refusing to give visas to Moroccans
