EU Reportedly Considering Visa-Free Entry for Moroccans Ahead of 2030 World Cup

The European Union is reportedly considering removing the Schengen visa requirements or at least facilitating the rules for nationals of Morocco ahead of the 2030 FIFA World Cup.

An EU source said for Fes News that discussions are underway on the matter. However, without an official statement by the EU authorities, nothing is confirmed yet, and it is still to be seen whether the bloc is considering such a facilitation for Moroccan nationals, Schengen.News reports. 

The 2030 FIFA World Cup will, for the first time, be held in three countries from two different continents, with the host nations being Morocco, Portugal, and Spain. 

Taking into consideration that Morocco will be a host country for the event, the anonymous source within the EU institutions said that the initiative for visa exemption for Moroccans is part of the preparations. 

The source further noted that the EU is reportedly looking into proposals to facilitate the movement of fans and delegations from Morocco to the bloc, particularly to the other two host countries – Portugal and Spain. 

Initiative Would Promote Tourism & Ensure Increased Fan Attendance 
In addition to the above-mentioned, according to the source, Portugal and Spain are strong advocates of this initiative, but the two countries have not made any statement on the matter yet. 

Reportedly, the two EU countries believe that simplifying the visa rules or granting temporary visa-free entry for Moroccans would promote tourist flows and, at the same time, would also ensure increased fan attendance, contributing to the overall success of the event.

While it is yet to be confirmed by the EU authorities if such a measure is being considered, several conditions need to be met by Morocco before the country gets to sign a visa exemption agreement with the EU. Moreover, EU member states must also support the move. 

Moroccans File Large Number of Schengen Visa Applications Each Year 
Currently, all nationals of Morocco need to hold a valid Schengen visa in order to be permitted entry into the Schengen Area. 

Since the visa is a mandatory requirement for entry into the bloc for this nationality, a large number of Moroccans apply for a Schengen visa every year. 

According to statistics published by SchengenVisaInfo, Moroccans are listed as the fourth nationality with the highest number of Schengen visa applications in 2023. 

In 2023, Moroccan passport holders applied for a total of 591,401 Schengen visas. Of the total number of applicants, 437,029 of them were granted a Schengen visa, whereas 136,367 were refused the document. 

In 2022, Moroccans were also the fourth on the list. During that year, they filed 423,201 Schengen visa applications, with 282,301 of them receiving a positive decision and 119,346 of them receiving a negative decision.

Source: https://schengen.news/eu-reportedly-considering-visa-free-entry-for-moroccans-ahead-of-2030-world-cup/