Morocco is among the countries that have made the most progress in terms of visa openness, gaining five places this year. This is according to the 2021 Africa Visa Openness Index (IOVA) report.
Morocco obtained a total score of 0.132 in 2021 and is positioned at 41st position out of 54 African countries, indicates the 2021 report of the Africa Visa Openness Index, published by the African Union Commission and the African Development Bank (AfDB). The kingdom improved its visa rating by 17% compared to the previous year, gaining five places on the IOVA, which allows it to regain its rank in the 2016 and 2017 rankings. In 2021, 13% of citizens of African countries were able to enter Morocco without obtaining a travel visa, says the same report. This rate was 11% in 2019 and 2020, and 17% in 2018.
In North Africa, the kingdom ranks second in terms of visa opening to Africans, followed by Tunisia (25ᵉ), Algeria (43ᵉ) and Egypt (45ᵉ). With a total score of 0.830, Mauritania tops the Maghreb Union ranking, followed by Tunisia (0.415 points), Morocco (0.132) and Algeria (0.113). Benin, Seychelles and Gambia take the lead in the 2021 ranking. They are followed by Senegal (2ᵉ), Ghana (3ᵉ), Rwanda (4ᵉ), Nigeria (5ᵉ), Uganda (6ᵉ) , Guinea-Bissau (7ᵉ) and Cape Verde (8ᵉ).
The Africa Visa Openness Index measures the visa flexibility of African countries by examining the documents required from citizens of other African countries who wish to enter a state’s territory. It aims to identify at a glance the countries that facilitate the movement of nationals of other countries and the measures taken for this purpose: visa waiver, visa issuance on arrival or the need to obtain a visa before departure.
