Keywords: SCHENGEN


Peru eases travel rules for Moroccan tourists holding Schengen or US visas

Peru has introduced a new entry policy that will make travel significantly easier for many Moroccan citizens, removing the requirement for a tourist visa under specific conditions. The measure is expected to boost tourism while reinforcing diplomatic and economic ties between the two countries. The......

How Europe's visa outsourcing machine turns travel into a tiered marketplace

VFS Global, the Dubai-headquartered visa processing company majority-owned by private equity giant Blackstone, has built a quietly dominant empire atop what was once a straightforward government function. A year-long coordinated investigation involving more than a dozen media partners across Europe and......

Spain expels alleged criminal gang leader to Morocco after dozens of arrests

Spanish authorities have deported a Moroccan national to Morocco after years of legal proceedings linked to multiple criminal offenses and repeated arrests across Spain. According to the Spanish National Police, the suspect had been arrested around 40 times and convicted on nine occasions for crimes......

Spain visa fraud investigation underway in Tangier

Judicial authorities in Tangier have launched an investigation into dozens of Schengen visa applications flagged by the Spanish consulate for containing falsified documents and misleading information. The Tangier prosecutor's office confirmed that multiple Spanish visa applications included forged......

Moroccan citizens rank second worldwide for French visas in 2025

Moroccan citizens were the second-largest recipients of French Schengen visas worldwide in 2025, the French Consul General in Rabat, Olivier Ramadour, announced. Over 300,000 visas were issued to Moroccans last year, marking a roughly 20% increase compared to 2024. This places Morocco just behind China......

Estonia bars additional Russian veterans from Schengen travel

Estonia has imposed entry bans on 1,073 additional Russian fighters who took part in the war against Ukraine, blocking their access to the Schengen area in a move that significantly expands Tallinn’s efforts to restrict the movement of combatants linked to Moscow’s military campaign. The......

New restrictions take effect on Russian diplomats’ movement in the EU

New restrictions limiting the freedom of movement of Russian diplomats within the European Union come into force on Sunday, as part of broader efforts to counter espionage and disinformation activities. Under the new rules, Russian diplomatic and consular staff, along with their family members, must......

Europe launches biometric border checks this Sunday

Europe’s long-awaited biometric border checks officially come into effect this Sunday, October 12, nearly a year later than planned. The rollout will be gradual over the next six months, with full implementation expected by April 10, 2026. The new system will apply to non-EU nationals entering......

Morocco confronts Schengen visa rejections as financial losses mount

Moroccans spent nearly MAD 1 billion ($100 million) on rejected Schengen visa applications in 2024, sparking outrage over the financial and emotional toll of the process. Parliamentary debates have intensified, with lawmakers denouncing excessive fees, opaque procedures, and systemic barriers that disproportionately......