A simmering row over access to French Schengen visas from Morocco has flared up again after French MP Pascale Got lodged a formal parliamentary question accusing intermediaries of monetising appointment slots on TLS Contact’s online booking platform. Despite successive anti-fraud measures—CAPTCHAs, compulsory pre-payment of application fees and staggered slot releases—travellers and travel agents in Rabat, Casablanca and Tangier report that the official calendar still shows “no availability” while paid agents sell the same slots for 3,000–6,000 dirhams (€270-540). Got’s written question, published in the Journal Officiel on 22 September, urges the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs to guarantee “transparent, free and equitable” access for Moroccan applicants and for French residents wishing to invite family members. She notes that the practice has fuelled public resentment two years after France cut visa issuance to Morocco by 50 % in a bilateral row over consular laissez-passer documents, only to restore normal volumes earlier this year. For corporates this grey market creates unpredictable lead-times: business travellers can secure paid appointments within days, while employees following official channels wait weeks—complicating project start-dates and secondments. French tour operators also warn that continued bad press could dent winter arrivals just as the market rebounds from pandemic-era lows. Visa service provider TLS Contact says it blocks automated bots and cancels suspicious bookings, yet admits that “manual exploitation” remains a challenge given resale on social networks. Industry lawyers argue that France could emulate Spain’s model, where a mandatory identity check ties each online slot to a passport number, or increase direct consulate capacity rather than outsourcing entirely. Until concrete action follows, HR and mobility managers are advised to build at least an extra month into timelines for Moroccan assignees, monitor slot availability daily and budget for possible premium-rate agency fees—while reminding travellers that paying for an appointment does not influence the outcome of the visa decision.
Source: Bladi.net
