France Tightens Airport Screening for Moroccan Travelers Amid Fraud Concerns

To access French territory, the authorities are closely monitoring the health and business appointment certificates of Moroccan businessmen to verify their authenticity, recalls Medias24. While a large part has taken advantage of this measure to travel in peace, the new cases of fraud for false illness for businessmen and illness identified are immediately sent back to Morocco on the first flight and the perpetrators prosecuted, confirms the Quai d’Orsay.

To prevent these illegal entries in the future, new entry conditions have been imposed in France. Simple consultations with a doctor in France are no longer allowed. Worse, businessmen are invited to contact the French consulate or the chambers of commerce to obtain a special pass. Even on the Royal Air Maroc side, the controls are reinforced at the risk of ensuring the return trip of its clientele rejected from France. "Whether for a patient requiring surgery or a businessman who has to close a deal, the documents presented at boarding must be credible," says the top management of the national airline. They claim to have refused to board a Moroccan-Canadian who did not have the necessary documents to justify the urgency of his visit to Paris.

To travel to France now, travelers must have a sworn statement attesting that they do not have any symptoms of Covid-19 infection and that they are not aware of having been in contact with a confirmed case of Covid-19 in the fourteen days prior to the flight; a derogatory travel certificate to metropolitan France from third countries; one or more documents to justify the reason for the trip; the result of a virological screening test performed within three days prior to boarding.

Conditions are also set regarding PCR tests. If the test result presented to the authorities is negative, travelers can then move freely on French territory. As for travelers who have not undergone a Covid-19 screening test, they must respect a voluntary quarantine and comply with the precautionary measures on the flyer that will be given to them upon arrival. If travelers wish to immediately undergo a test upon arrival, they can then use the points organized by the Regional Health Agencies at the airports, it is specified.