Moroccans received 346,032 schengen visas in 2019

Moroccans were the third nationality in terms of the numbers of Schengen visas in 2019 with 346,032 approved applications.

Moroccans came first in Africa and were preceded by Chinese and Russians and followed by Algerians.

A spate of anger was expressed by Moroccans in the past few months after Schengen countries made applications more expensive.

Many embassies especially of Western European countries made visa appointments hard to get with applicants having to wait for months.

Calls on social media mounted on the Moroccan diplomacy to intercede. Consulates of Schengen countries often cite a high number of visa applicants that exceeds treatment capacity.

Last year for example, there were more Moroccans visiting Spain than Spaniards coming to Morocco as the Moroccan middle class tend to travel abroad for holiday, a trend that was halted this summer because of Covid 19.