Schengen visas: Algeria submits 175,000 fewer applications than Morocco… but faces more refusals

The European Commission’s official 2025 statistics record 619,827 short-stay visa applications submitted to Schengen consulates in Morocco, compared with 444,577 in Algeria.

Morocco thus ranks among the world’s top five application countries, alongside China, Turkey, India and Russia. This strong demand was accompanied by 480,354 visas issued in Morocco in 2025.

On Bladi.net : Morocco Schengen Visas Top 5 Global Rankings 2025

But it is on the subject of refusals that the comparison becomes particularly striking. Of the applications on which a decision was made, 114,320 were refused in Morocco, or 19.2%. In Algeria, the number of refusals reached 137,860, compared with 302,181 visas issued, bringing the refusal rate to 31.3%.

Algeria therefore recorded 23,540 additional refusals even though 175,250 fewer applications were submitted there. Among decided applications, the statistical risk of refusal was approximately 1.6 times higher there than in Morocco.

The gap is narrowing, but remains above 12 points

The situation nevertheless improved on both sides in one year. In 2024, the rate calculated from the same European data reached approximately 20.2% in Morocco and 35% in Algeria. In 2025, it therefore fell by around one point in Morocco and by nearly four points in Algeria.

The European Commission itself highlights this decline in Algeria, while placing the global refusal rate at 14.6%. Morocco therefore remains above this average, but by much less than Algeria.

The difference also appears in multiple-entry visas. Of the visas issued in 2025, 265,244 were multiple-entry visas in Morocco, representing approximately 55% of the visas granted, compared with 108,795 in Algeria, or 36%.

This comparison must nevertheless be interpreted correctly. European statistics are compiled according to the country where the consulate that received the application is located. They therefore compare applications submitted in Morocco and Algeria, not exclusively Moroccan and Algerian citizens.

Policies also differ considerably depending on the Schengen country being applied to. In France, for example, Moroccans obtained more than 300,000 visas in 2025, while refusal rates can vary significantly between France, Spain and other consulates present in Morocco.

On Bladi.net : France Schengen Visas: Rejection Rate, Morocco Applications and Approval Rules

The overall conclusion nevertheless remains very clear: in 2025, nearly one in three decided applications was refused at Schengen consulates in Algeria, compared with fewer than one in five in Morocco. The gap exceeds 12 points despite the improvement recorded in Algeria.