Moroccan Lawmakers Push for Schengen Visa Fee Refunds Amid Rising Rejections

According to some MPs, the refund of fees is a right for these Moroccans whose Schengen visa applications have been rejected. In a question addressed to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccans Residing Abroad, MP Hanane Atarguine of the Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM) asked to study the possibility of allowing these Moroccans to recover the amounts paid for the visa application.

The number of Moroccans applying for Schengen visas continues to grow year after year. According to a report by the European Commission, Moroccans are at the top of Schengen visa applicants at the Arab and African level in 2023. At the global level, they occupy the fourth place, recalled the parliamentarian, stressing that Moroccans inject significant financial resources into this visa application process only to ultimately see their applications rejected.

According to the European Commission report, some 136,367 Schengen visa applications submitted by Moroccans were rejected in 2023, said Hanane Atarguine, specifying that all these applicants spent a total of nearly 118 million dirhams without success. Given that the refusal or acceptance of the visa application falls under the prerogatives of the European Union countries, the PAM deputy asks to explore the ways and means for a possible refund of visa fees.