A concerning Schengen visa forgery case for entry into the territories of France and Spain has been uncovered in Algeria.
Following the launch of a large-scale investigation, it has been found that a travel agency had been helping Algerians to secure forged French and Spanish visas in exchange for as much as €15,000, Schengen.News reports.
The fraudulent visa scheme was uncovered at the Houari Boumédiène International Airport, with several individuals, including the owner of the agency and some other associates, being arrested, and a number of devices being seized.
According to the investigation, the forged visas for France and Spain were created within the agency, and the scheme also includes several other persons who were involved in migrant smuggling.
As DNAlgerie explains, the case originated in June 2024. However, the investigation has just been completed, and the authorities are now ready to take measures on the matter by presenting the case to the criminal court.
Algerians With Fake Visas Detected at Passport Checks
Back in June of last year, the police alerted the authorities about a passenger who was attempting to board a flight to Barcelona. At the passport control, the passenger presented a Spanish visa attached to their passport.
The visa appeared to be valid for seven days. However, after some checks, it was found that the document was forged. The traveller with the forged Spanish visa declared that they paid around €3,300 for the visa and disclosed the name of the travel agency that offered the document.
Another case was identified in October 2024 when another Algerian national was caught with a fake Schengen visa for Spain. The passport holder of Algeria claimed to have paid around €5,300 for the forged visa from the same travel agency.
Several other people, among which was also a family of four, also shared the same experience, admitting that the travel agency helped them in securing fake Schengen visas for France and Spain in exchange for money.
The authorities have yet to disclose why these Algerian nationals decided to seek the help of the travel agency to secure visas when this can be done through official channels at a €90 processing fee.
Algerians Submitted Over 544,600 Schengen Visa Applications Last Year
According to statistics published by SchengenVisaInfoAlgerians ranked as the sixth nationality with the highest number of Schengen visa applications in 2024.
Algerian passport holders submitted a total of 544,634 Schengen visa applications last year. Of the applicants, 340,780 were granted a visa, whereas 185,101 had their applications rejected.
France and Spain were the main beneficiaries of Schengen visa applications from Algerians in 2024. They received 352,295 and 123,991 Schengen visa applications from Algerian nationals last year, respectively.