Adult visa fees will cost €20 more following the EU Council’s update of the Schengen Visa Code in June 2019.
Rabat – The Spanish consulate in Nador, northern Morocco, has sent out a note to remind Moroccans of new regulations for Schengen visa fees. Starting February 2, Schengen visa applicants aged 12 years old and above will have to pay €80 (MAD 855) per application rather than the current rate of €60 (MAD 641).
All children 6 years old to 11 must pay €40 (MAD 427) rather than €35 (MAD 374). Children under 6 will remain exempt from visa fees, the note explained.
The new rules are part of the visa code update from the EU Council in June 2019. The new code applies to European Union member states and associate countries.
Moroccans spent MAD 424 million ($44 million) on 662,586 Schengen applications in 2018.
As many as 533,861 Moroccans received Schengen visas in 2018. They mostly applied visas for France, Spain, the Netherlands, and Italy.
⚠️Se informa⚠️
Nota informativa, VISADO DE TURISMO para el próximo 2 de febrero de 2020 entra en vigor el Reglamento UE 2019/1155 del Parlamento Europeo y del Consejo Europeo.#Nador #Marruecos pic.twitter.com/RPu9Sja1fC
— ConsuladoEspañaNador (@CogEspNador) January 20, 2020
French consulates in the cities of Casablanca, Fez, and Rabat received the most applications from Moroccans in 2018.
Earlier this month, Moroccan MPs spoke out about the challenges that Moroccans experience in waiting for approval or denial after applying for Schengen visas.
The MPs discussed the situation during a Parliament session, arguing that Moroccans “dignity” is affected due to delays in receiving the visas.
Read Also: MPs Call for Quick Intervention to End Moroccans’ Struggles with Schengen Visa Delays
A member of the House of Councillors, Abdelwahed Driouch, told MWN in a previous statement that both houses of Parliament discussed the issue.
He said that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is in continuous communication with European consular representatives to deal with the issue.
The representatives, however, explained that they receive high numbers of Schengen visa applications.
“There are real challenges. It is a normal process for consular and embassies to set their rules, including the raising of fees of Schengen visas,” Driouch said.
