Morocco: New biometric passport accepted at French consulates

Morocco: New biometric passport accepted at French consulates

The new Moroccan biometric passport incorporates Amazigh, cementing the official status of this language, which has been enshrined in the constitution since 2011. This development stems from draft decree 2.26.551 adopted in July by the Council of Government. The travel document provides enhanced protection against forgery and fraud, in line with international standards.

Yet many visa applicants in Morocco have reported refusals of this passport at TLC Contact, the subcontractor responsible for receiving files for the French consulates. Some holders have seen their document returned for technical reasons. Online, speculation quickly linked these incidents to the presence of Tifinagh inscriptions, especially since this recurrence had not been noted at other consular representations.

Contacted, the French Embassy in Morocco states that files submitted with these new passports are “perfectly acceptable in French consulates”. The diplomatic mission specifies that these documents have been officially recognised by the French authorities following close dialogue with the Moroccan authorities.

The Embassy has, however, acknowledged that a technical issue caused a halt to the processing of applications for 24 hours on 1 September for a small number of files. It stresses that this situation had no link with the Tifinagh inscriptions present on the passports.

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