A new visa application centre for France, which will be operated by TLScontact, has been opened in Laayoune.
By opening this new centre, France aims to expand the consular services offered to the residents of the southern regions that are administered by Morocco and put an end to difficulties applicants face, Schengen.News reports.
The French visa application centre in Laayoune was inaugurated by the Ambassador of France to Morocco, Christophe Lecourtier.
During the ceremony, the ambassador said that all those residing in Laayoune or other southern regions can now submit their French visa applications to the new centre and expect the same level of professionalism as in the other centre.
Any resident in Laayoune or other southern regions can now submit a visa application, of any type, with the same ease and professionalism.
In addition, Ambassador Lecourtier pointed out that the opening of the new centre will significantly make the visa application process easier for the residents in the region. Previously, those residing in the region had to travel to the city of Agadir, resulting in additional costs and time.
The opening of this center puts an end to the difficulties encountered by visa applicants who previously had to travel to Agadir and bear additional burdens.
New Visa Application Centre Equipped With Modern Facilities for Biometric Data Collection
The new French visa application centre will operate under the supervision of the Consulate General of France in Casablanca.
As the authorities revealed, the centre is equipped with new modern facilities for the collection of biometric data. Moreover, the new centre will be working at full capacity to ensure that applicants receive their visas along with their passports within a short period of time.
It was highlighted that passports with visas will be returned within a maximum period of two weeks for applicants who have met all the requirements and submitted all the needed documents.
Despite the new visa application centre being opened in Laayoune, residents of the southern regions administered by Morocco can still submit their applications in other centres.
The visa application centres of the Schengen member states in Morocco receive a high number of applications each year. Statistics published by SchengenVisaInfo show that the visa centres in Morocco saw a total of 606,800 applications in 2024. Of the total number of applicants, 457,850 were granted a Schengen visa. On the other hand, 115,774 had their applications rejected.