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Rabat – Ouiam Ziti, a Moroccan student has faced travel challenges during her planned trip to Belgium and France despite holding a Schengen Visa.
A dental student in Romania, Ziti told RTBF she traveled from Romania to Belgium to spend a few days with her uncle before traveling on to France to join her twin brother for Christmas and the New Year holiday.
The Moroccan student landed at Charleroi airport from Romania on December 13. Upon arrival, she presented her Moroccan passport with a Schengen visa, as well as her Romanian residence permit.
Passport authorities, however, decided not to let her access Belgium territory and questioned her for not carrying enough cash.
“I only had 10 euros on me, but I had my French bank card, so I suggested that I be accompanied to a pick-up point so that I could prove to [authorities] that I had enough to meet my needs,” she said.
Authorities argued that the law requires travelers to be able to have €45 per day per person.
After the exchange with customs in the airport, authorities stipulated her expulsion to Romania.
But first, the Moroccan woman had to spend 11 days in the La Caricole detention center in Steenokkerzeel before her deportation.
Ziti found the procedure offensive against someone who intended to visit the country for a few days.
“I did not kill anyone, I did not steal from anyone. I came to spend the holiday season with my family and I’m treated like a criminal,” she said.
The foreign affairs office at the airport claimed the student did not meet the conditions to access Belgium.
“She has a tourist visa issued by France. The purpose of her stay must be in France. However, she said she intended to stay 22 days in Belgium,” the office claimed.
The student, however, denied the claims, saying that her return to Romania was scheduled for January 3.
“I was only going to spend 2-3 days in Belgium. Then I was going to join my brother in France.”
The case of the Moroccan student made international headlines, particularly among Belgian and French news outlets. Belgian authorities also reportedly revoked Ziti’s Schengen visa.
The Belgian news outlet La Libre said the “young woman spent the end of the year holidays alone without her relatives.”
What worries the Moroccan student is Belgium’s decision to revoke her Schengen visa.
“I’m studying at a Romanian university. I’m going to have to do internships in France and Belgium. How am I going to do without a visa?” she said.
The student vowed to take legal action to retrieve her Schengen visa.
