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Doha – Morocco has secured the fourth position worldwide for Schengen visa applications in 2024. The North African country follows only China, India, and Turkey in the global ranking, according to recent data.
SchengenVisaInfo reveals that 11,716,723 Schengen visa applications were submitted to EU countries in 2024. This represents a 13.5% increase compared to the previous year. Despite this growth, numbers remain below pre-pandemic levels of nearly 17 million in 2019.
Moroccans now outrank Russians, who were once the largest group of Schengen visa applicants. Several factors explain this slow recovery, including persistent restrictions for certain nationals and higher rejection rates that discourage potential applicants.
France remains the top destination for Schengen visa seekers, receiving over a quarter of all applications worldwide. Moroccans constitute the second-largest group of applicants for France, after Algerians, with 282,153 applications in 2024.
Spain has overtaken Germany as the second most popular Schengen destination, with 1.6 million applications. Meanwhile, Germany has dropped to third place with 1.5 million applications in 2024.
The rejection rate for Schengen visas decreased to 14.8% in 2024, down from 16% in 2023 and the all-time high of 17.9% in 2022. Among the countries with the highest number of rejected applications in 2024 are France (481,139), Spain (244,432), and Germany (206,733).
Read also: Schengen Visas and the Neocolonial Violation of Moroccans’ Right to Travel
Morocco currently ranks 67th globally in passport strength, according to CEOWORLD magazine’s Passport Ranking Index. Moroccan citizens enjoy visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to 72 countries and territories worldwide.
A study from SchengenVisaInfo compiled by Schengen News in August 2024 identified the top five Schengen countries with the highest approval rates for Moroccan applicants.
Switzerland led with an 83.9% approval rate, followed by Poland (83.1%), France (81.3%), Portugal (80.05%), and Czechia (75.60%).
The black market for visa appointments has become a serious issue for Moroccan applicants. Intermediaries have been exploiting online appointment systems, using advanced software to book and resell appointments at prices reaching up to MAD 10,000 (approximately $1000).
Visa service providers have implemented new systems to combat these fraudulent practices. TLScontact has expanded its automated visa appointment allocation system across Morocco for France visas, while BLS International has introduced strict measures to ensure fair and transparent appointments for Spain visas.
