A total of 25,845 visa applications filed by Tunisians to French embassies and consulates have been refused, representing 52.8 per cent of all rejected applications filed by this nationality for 2022.
Schengen Visa Statistics show that France is the main destination for Tunisians, with 95,515 visa applications filed last year, accounting for 56.7 per cent of all visa applications submitted during this period.
Accordingly, the share of multiple entry visas issued by French authorities to Tunisian applicants was 67.2 per cent, with 64,209 applications receiving a positive answer.
However, Tunisian applicants received a high rejection rate on their visa applications in other European countries, with the share of multiple entry visas being the lowest in Hungary – 40.6 per cent, followed by Finland (45.9 per cent) and the Czech Republic (52.9 per cent).
After France, countries that have rejected the most applications filed by Tunisians include Spain, with 6,720 rejected applicants, followed by Italy (3,896) and Germany (3,790), corresponding with Tunisians’ main destination countries.
More specifically, after France, Tunisians filed the most visa applications to consulates of Germany (17,760), Spain (17,266), and Italy (13,060).
Germany also leads as the country with the highest share of MEVs issued for Tunisians in 2022, as 77.6 per cent of all applications for MEVs were approved, followed by Portugal (76.8 per cent), Poland (76.4 per cent) and Switzerland (74.8 per cent).
Tunisians filed 168,346 visa applications in 2022, with 112,411 or 66.7 per cent of them receiving a positive answer while 48,909 were refused. Visa applications filed to France, Germany, Spain, and Italy represent 85.3 per cent of all applications filed to other embassies, totalling 143,601.
Similarly, 40,251 applications out of a total of 48,909 were denied, confirming that 82.2 per cent of all negative applications were recorded by these four countries alone.
France, which is indisputably the main country of origin for Tunisian applicants, has announced plans to broaden short-stay visa appointment availability to fit another 10,000 spots per month.
“We have adapted our system to ensure the best possible processing of applications and to combat fraud. This adaptation has allowed us to allocate 1,050 additional appointments in May. A further 1,000 appointments will be added shortly for June. Appointment slots for July (for short-stay visas) will be put online between the end of May and the beginning of June. We will be offering approximately 10,000 appointments monthly,” the Consul General of France in Tunisia, Dominique Mas, in an interview with Tunis Afrique Presse (TAP).
Tunisian nationals planning to reach France for travel or other purposes have to apply for a visa, providing all the required documents. They need to submit the completed French visa application form, two passport photos, and their passport.
Moreover, applicants must also submit proof of having purchased travel health insurance for France, proof of having secured a place to stay in the country, a roundtrip flight itinerary, and proof of having sufficient financial means for the period of stay in France, among others.
