Speaking to Morocco’s business daily Médias 24, French Consul-General Olivier Ramadour acknowledged on 27 July that appointment slots for Schengen visas “disappear within minutes” even though consulates in Rabat and Casablanca now process 850 files per day – 5,000 more than last year. The backlog is blamed on a perfect storm of student departures, seasonal agricultural workers and record summer tourism demand. For French employers recruiting North-African talent or rotating staff through Casablanca’s financial hub, the pressure means longer lead-times. Companies have already reported start-dates slipping by four to six weeks because candidates cannot secure a TLScontact appointment. Ramadour rejected claims of systemic malfunction, insisting approvals so far in 2026 exceed 2025 totals, but warned that “no matter how many agents we add, demand rises faster.” The consul also pointed to growing abuse by middle-men who capture free slots and resell them for up to €75. TLScontact says it has reinforced CAPTCHA and IP-filtering, yet the secondary market persists. HR departments are advised to schedule postings at least three months ahead and to remind applicants that buying slots can lead to blacklisting. The delay has business-critical implications: French exporters rely on Moroccan technicians for equipment commissioning, and Paris-based law firms depend on Moroccan associates for cross-border deals. Some companies are switching to long-stay “passport talent” streams, which have separate appointment quotas, while others fly staff via Spain or Italy, whose visa calendars are currently less saturated. Looking ahead, full digitisation of Schengen visa filing – slated by the EU for 2028 – will ultimately reduce appointment scarcity, but consulates caution that interim pilot phases may initially slow processing further. Organisations should keep contingency budgets for express couriering of passports once issued.
Source: Médias 24
