Every year, hundreds of thousands of Moroccans apply for a Schengen visa. By 2028, everything will change: long-stay visas, full digitization, and fast-track lanes. The first European visa strategy, adopted on January 29, is reshaping the rules of the game.
1. What is it, and why now?
For the first time in its history, the European Union (EU) has adopted a comprehensive roadmap for its visa policy. Admittedly, legislation already existed: the Visa Code and the Schengen Regulation. But these were not guided by a coherent strategic vision across all 27 member states. On January 29, the European Commission therefore adopted a founding document that sets out the broad guidelines for the coming years.
But why now? International mobility is on the rise, security threats are diversifying, and geopolitical competition has intensified, according to the document detailing the strategy, which was reviewed by TelQuel. At the same time, Europe is losing ground in the race for talent to the United States, Canada, and Australia. The EU wants both to better control who enters its territory and to better attract those it needs.
2. What are the objectives?
The strategy is based on four clearly stated ambitions. The first is to make Europe safer by using visas as a tool for enhanced control at the external borders of the Schengen area. The second aims to make it more prosperous and competitive by facilitating access for tourists, business travelers, students, and skilled workers who contribute to its economy. The third objective is geopolitical: the EU intends to use its visa policy as a diplomatic lever to defend its interests on the international stage. Finally, the strategy aims to harmonize practices among Member States, with clearer and faster procedures. Today, processing times, required documents, and practices vary considerably from one consulate to another.
3. Visas with (longer) validity
The EU wants to extend the validity of multiple-entry visas: from a maximum of five years today, they could be extended well beyond that, even up to ten years for travelers deemed “reliable.” Thus, a traveler with a regular visa history, no incidents, and who poses no migration or security risk could eventually be issued a visa valid for several years, sparing them the need to repeat the application process for each trip. The Commission is exploring several options: extending multi-entry visas for five years following a reassessment, renewing them for several additional years, or creating an entirely new category of long-term visas.
This would be a major development for Moroccans who travel regularly to Europe—whether for business, to visit family, or for tourism. It would reduce the cost, stress, and administrative time associated with repeated visa applications.
4. Moving Toward the End of Sticker Visas
The EU aims to digitize the entire visa application process. Eventually, applicants will be able to complete their applications entirely online, without having to visit a consulate to submit paper documents. And the visa sticker affixed to the passport will be replaced by a secure digital visa.
This reform will be made possible by a new tool: the ETIAS (European Travel Information and Authorization System), the European equivalent of the United States’ ESTA, which is now scheduled to launch in the fourth quarter of 2026. This system applies to nationals of visa-exempt countries—so not Moroccans—but it is part of the overall overhaul of European border management.
5. Priority for business travelers and talent
Special attention is being given to business travelers. A common list of verified companies, including startups and high-growth firms, will be created. Employees of these companies would benefit from expedited processing of their visa applications, without having to systematically prove their status or the purpose of their trip.
At the same time, a recommendation titled « Attracting Talent for Innovation » targets students, researchers, and skilled workers. The Commission is urging Member States to simplify and expedite their long-stay visa procedures: increased digitization, reduced documentation requirements, shorter processing times, and easier transition from student to worker or entrepreneur status.
6. What this means for Moroccans
The new European strategy does not immediately change the rules applicable to Moroccans, but it sets a clear path forward. What is expected to change in the long term: fully online applications, long-term multiple-entry visas for travelers with a good track record, expedited processing for professionals working for EU partner companies, and greater consistency among the consulates of different Member States.
Most of the reforms are set to be implemented by 2028. Until then, Moroccan applicants will continue to follow the current procedures, with the frustrations that this sometimes entails. But the direction Brussels is taking is clearly one of gradual simplification, driven by both security and economic considerations.
Written in French by Ghita Ismaili; edited in English by AngloMedia Group.
