Shifting Dynamics in Visa Issuance Across the Maghreb
Amidst the backdrop of political statements and diplomatic tensions, the statistics surrounding visa issuance present a more intricate narrative. In 2025, France did not reduce the overall number of visas granted; rather, it issued more visas than in previous years. However, this overall increase did not benefit the three Maghreb countries equally. Moroccan nationals emerged as the second-largest group of visa recipients, with 300,104 visas issued, following the Chinese. Conversely, Algerians, who ranked third in 2024, fell to fourth place with 204,243 visas issued, while Tunisians ranked eighth with 119,877 visas granted.
The general rise in visa numbers obscures significant disparities among these nations. In total, French authorities processed 3.52 million visa applications in 2025, granting 2.96 million visas, marking an annual growth of 3.5%. The refusal rate also saw a decline of 6.3%, totaling 541,984 negative decisions. This growth was predominantly driven by short-stay visas, which increased by 3.9% to reach 2.67 million, while long-stay visas saw a modest rise of 0.9%, reaching 290,772 issuances. Tourism played a pivotal role in this trend, as over 2.04 million tourist visas were granted, reflecting a 6.4% increase compared to 2024.
In this generally favorable national context, the decline in Algerian visa issuances appears to be an anomaly. Between 2024 and 2025, the number of visas issued to Algerian nationals decreased from 250,085 to 204,243, resulting in a loss of 45,842 visas within a year. In contrast, Moroccans received an additional 17,111 visas, while Tunisians saw an increase of 11,739 issuances. Consequently, the gap between Morocco and Algeria, which was approximately 33,000 visas in 2024, has now widened to nearly 96,000.
Declining Applications and Increased Demand
The data published by French authorities does not detail the exact number of visa applications submitted solely by Algerian, Moroccan, or Tunisian nationals. To analyze refusals effectively, one must refer to the European Commission's statistics on Schengen short-stay visas. These statistics are categorized by the country and consulate where the application was submitted, rather than the applicant's nationality, providing a robust indicator of consular activity without being conflated with the French Ministry's nationality-based statistics.
In 2025, French consulates in Algeria—specifically in Algiers, Annaba, and Oran—recorded 248,681 short-stay Schengen visa applications, a decrease from 352,295 in 2024, indicating a 29.4% drop in applications year-on-year. The number of visas issued also fell from 228,267 to 182,440, marking a 20.1% decline. Meanwhile, the number of refusals decreased significantly from 118,697 to 72,740, a nearly 39% reduction. Calculating the refusal rate from the applications that either received a visa or were denied reveals a decrease from approximately 34.2% to 28.5%. Thus, the drop in visas granted to Algerians cannot be attributed to a statistical tightening of consular decisions but rather stems primarily from a significant reduction in the number of applications actually recorded.
In contrast, Morocco's situation has followed an almost reverse trajectory. French consulates in Casablanca and Rabat received 295,272 short-stay applications in 2025, up from 282,153 in 2024, representing a growth of 4.6%. The number of visas issued increased by 6.8%, rising from 246,800 to 263,561. Additionally, refusals decreased from 31,435 to 29,175, bringing the weighted refusal rate down from approximately 11.3% to 10%. This dual trend of rising applications coupled with an improved approval rate significantly explains Morocco's ascent in the French visa issuance rankings and underscores that the increase in Moroccan visas is not merely a result of administrative decisions but is also driven by heightened demand.
Overall, Moroccan nationals secured 267,559 short-stay visas and 32,544 long-stay visas in 2025, with short-stay visas comprising nearly ninety percent of the total. Tunisia, meanwhile, exhibited the most significant percentage growth among the three countries, with a 10.9% increase in visa issuances, totaling 119,877 visas. The number of short-stay applications at the French consulate in Tunis rose from 106,617 to 116,833, reflecting a 9.6% increase. The visas issued surged by 14.8% to reach 98,085, while refusals decreased by 9%, totaling 17,865. Consequently, the refusal rate declined from approximately 18.7% in 2024 to 15.4% in 2025. Similar to Morocco, Tunisia's growth is supported by both increased demand and a higher proportion of favorable decisions.
Furthermore, Tunisia stands out in long-stay visas, where 18,942 of the 119,877 visas issued were long-stay visas, accounting for 15.8% of the total. This proportion surpasses that of Morocco, where long-stay visas account for 10.8%, and Algeria, where they make up 9%.
As for the reasons behind long-stay visas, the documents from the French Ministry of the Interior reveal distinct patterns among Algerians, Moroccans, and Tunisians. For Algerians, studies and internships constituted 48.7% of the 18,371 long-stay visas issued in 2025, followed by family reasons at 28.8%, and various other motives at 13.1%. Economic visas represented only 9.4%. The Moroccan profile is more balanced; of the 32,544 long-stay visas, 40.5% were for studies or internships, while economic reasons accounted for 28% and family reasons for 26.9%. In Tunisia, family reasons dominated significantly, comprising 42% of the 18,942 long-stay visas. Economic reasons represented 27.9%, while studies accounted for 25.5%. Notably, Tunisia also holds a unique position among long-stay visas marked 'Talent', with 2,441 issued in 2025, equating to 11% of all such visas, placing it on par with India. Morocco also ranks among the top ten nationalities in this category, yet its issuances have decreased by 12.6%.
Finally, the availability of appointment slots remains a major concern for families and travelers. However, no comprehensive public statistical series allows for precise comparisons of waiting times at Maghreb consulates between 2024 and 2025. Current indications from France-Visas suggest varying constraints depending on the country. In Algeria, the typical wait time for an appointment is about one month in certain centers but can extend during peak periods from June to November. In Morocco, processing a short-stay visa requires a minimum of seven to ten days and may take up to three weeks during high season, while long-stay processing can take between three weeks and three months, not including the wait for an appointment. In Tunisia, authorities recommend scheduling appointments at least three weeks ahead of departure, with the wait time fluctuating according to the season and demand.
As reported by beurfm.net.
