In Morocco, controversy surrounds rejected Schengen visa applications and the substantial fees associated with
them.
Moroccan MPs, led by Hanane Atarguine of the Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM), have called on the government to allow citizens whose visa applications are rejected to be reimbursed for the costs incurred.
MP Atarguine’s parliamentary initiative denounces an increasingly worrying situation for Moroccans. She deplores the fact that despite the considerable financial efforts made by applicants, a significant number of Schengen visas are rejected each year. According to a report by the European Commission, Moroccans are among the largest number of applicants for Schengen visas in the Arab and African world, ranking fourth worldwide in 2023.
In the same year, more than 136,000 Schengen visa applications submitted by Moroccans were rejected, representing nearly 8.3 percent of all visa refusals in Africa.
This alarming statistic highlights not only the growing frustration among applicants, but also the
considerable financial impact of these refusals. It is estimated that these rejections have resulted in financial losses in excess of 100 million dirhams, feeding into the coffers of the European Union.
Hanane Atarguine argues forcefully that the funds spent by Schengen visa applicants represent a significant financial burden for many Moroccan households. In her question to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccans Resident Abroad, she stressed that the recovery of fees for refused visa should be a
fundamental right for aggrieved citizens.
The parliamentary initiative comes at a time when discussions on the transparency and fairness of Schengen visa procedures are intensifying across Morocco. Many Moroccans are expressing frustration at the often
opaque criteria used by European consulates to assess visa applications.
This controversy raises the question of the demand for reforms to the Schengen visa process. Calls for greater clarity in the selection criteria and better communication of the reasons for refusals are multiplying, fuelling debate within the Moroccan political class and among consumer rights activists.
MN/te/fss/as/APA