Morocco Leads Africa in Schengen Visa Approvals, Reflecting Strong EU Ties

The Maghreb countries dominate the ranking. The number of Moroccans who applied for a Schengen visa in 2019 stands at 346,032. The kingdom is followed by Algeria (274,421 visas), Tunisia (145,846 visas) and South Africa (37,340 visas).

According to the Directorate General of Foreigners in France (DGEF), this strong concentration of visa applications is justified by the strong presence of the Maghreb diaspora in the European area, the geographical proximity, the existence of business flows, dense air links and strong relations between the two regions.

Morocco, compared to last year when it also topped the ranking, recorded an increase in the number of visas in 2019. Its nationals benefited from 12,013 more titles while Algeria recorded a decline of -22,689 titles and Tunisia -8,165 titles.

Only Morocco and Algeria are in the global top 5 beneficiary countries. China occupies the first rank, with 757,500 visas issued to its nationals in 2019, followed by Russia (486,706 visas). As for Morocco, it is positioned in 3rd place with 346,032 visas, followed by Algeria (274,421 visas) and India (263,578 visas), which closes the march.