In Morocco, scheduling appointments for Schengen visas is increasingly handled by online brokers. Their activity has been jeopardizing the service from authorized centers and putting Moroccan travelers at a disadvantage.
EDnews informs via DW that in Morocco, a relatively new industry of unauthorized brokers has taken over managing the appointments required for submitting Schengen visa applications. This has made travelling to Europe increasingly difficult for Morrocans, despite pandemic-related travel restrictions being lifted in 2022.
"It is a catastrophe, visa appointments are sold for 11,000 [Moroccan] dirhams (€1,000, $1,088)," the Moroccan actress Dounia Boutazout stated in an Instagram story in March. The popular artist had tried to apply for a Schengen visa ahead of her theater group's Europe tour, but was unable to book an appointment with an authorized visa application center.
Her alternative would have been contacting one of the unauthorized online brokers in Morocco that sell visa appointment slots at unregulated rates. These businesses use software bots automated to reserve all free appointments the instant authorized visa centers make them available online.