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Rabat – Moroccan passport ranked at number 80 in the world, on par with Kyrgyzstan and Sierra Leone, in the Henley Passport Index. Morocco came second in the North Africa region, behind Tunisia.
Henley & Partners, a global residency and citizenship consultancy firm, released its passport index on Tuesday, January 7. The index ranks passports according to the number of destinations their holders can access without pre-departure government approval.
Morocco moved up three places from the previous ranking, released in August 2019.
The report finds that Moroccan passport holders can travel to 63 countries around the world without a visa or by obtaining a visa on arrival, up from 61 countries in the previous index.
Moroccans can visit most neighboring countries without government pre-approval, including Mauritania, Algeria, Tunisia, and Senegal. However, visas are required for travel to Libya and Egypt.
Some of the international destinations that Moroccans can visit without prior approval include Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, Ivory Coast, Brazil, Jordan, and Turkey.
European and North American countries, China, and Australia still require a visa for Moroccan passport holders.
The ranking is based on data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA). The highest-ranked passports on the list are Japan, followed by Singapore, and then Germany and South Korea in the third position. Most European countries also ranked highly in the index.
Despite the Moroccan passport giving access to more than 60 world destinations, Europe remains the favorite destination for Moroccans.
Moroccans, however, experience many challenges in obtaining a Schengen visa, the visa giving access to most European Union member states.
Recently, on January 7, Moroccan MPs at the House of Counselors said that the delays in receiving Schengen visas that Moroccans are experiencing affect their “dignity.”
Members from the Popular Movement party warned that it can take months for Moroccan passport holders wishing to enter Europe to get a visa appointment.
The MPs also addressed the high cost of applying for Schengen visas. The applicants will be subject to a new visa code as of February 3.
The new policy will include higher visa fees. Applicants will have to pay €80 (MAD 855) per application rather than the current rate of €60 (MAD 641).
Moroccans make one of the highest numbers of applications annually for Schengen visas.
Moroccan visa applicants spent more than MAD 424 million or $44 million on 662,586 Schengen visa applications in 2018, according to the latest statistics from Schengen Visa Info.
