Since September 16, several sources have reported an instruction requiring airlines to deny boarding to Morocco to Algerian nationals who cannot present a valid Moroccan residence card. Air France is reported to have started applying the instruction in Algiers and Oran. Rabat has not, however, issued any public statement announcing a blanket entry ban on Algerian citizens.
What is known
According to TSA Algérie, which says it reviewed an instruction sent to Air France teams, Algerian passengers travelling to Morocco are now subject to additional checks before boarding. Travelers unable to show a valid Moroccan residence card may be refused boarding. The same source says Air France asked its teams in Algiers and Oran to apply the instruction urgently.
Airlines have a direct operational reason to verify admissibility before departure: when a passenger is refused entry on arrival, the carrier may be required to transport that person back. Several Algerian media outlets have already reported boarding refusals, while Moroccan authorities have not publicly clarified the exact scope of the measure.
Why Air France is involved
Air France does not operate nonstop flights between Algeria and Morocco. It can nevertheless carry Algerian travelers to Casablanca, Marrakech and other Moroccan cities via Paris. A passenger may, for example, travel Algiers–Paris and then Paris–Casablanca on the same commercial itinerary.
This matters because there are currently no direct air links between Algeria and Morocco. Travelers therefore rely on connecting itineraries, including via France, which explains why Air France staff in Algiers and Oran may receive instructions about final-entry requirements for Morocco.
A further tightening after earlier checks
The reported restriction follows previous reports of stricter controls on arrival in Morocco. In August, TSA Algérie reported that Algerian and Tunisian travelers had been turned back at Casablanca Mohammed V Airport, with requirements including a return ticket and proof of accommodation.
Several regional sources have also pointed to migration pressures as part of the broader context. However, there is no official Moroccan communication establishing that the restriction reported on September 16 was introduced specifically for that reason.
Algeria–Morocco relations have been severed since 2021
On August 24, 2021, Algeria announced the severing of diplomatic relations with Morocco, citing what it called “hostile acts.” Morocco described the decision as unjustified. The rupture was widely documented, including by Le Monde.
Algeria subsequently closed its airspace to Moroccan civil and military aircraft and to aircraft registered in Morocco, forcing Royal Air Maroc to reroute some eastbound services.
Tensions rose again on September 26, 2024, when Algeria reinstated visa requirements for Moroccan passport holders. The move was confirmed by Reuters.
No formal announcement from Rabat
The key point of caution remains the absence of any public Moroccan statement formally announcing a general entry ban on non-resident Algerian nationals.
The information available is based mainly on instructions reported as having been communicated to airlines and on their operational application. Visa Algérie has also highlighted the lack of official Moroccan communication.
Until Rabat issues a formal clarification, the measure should therefore be described as a reported entry restriction being applied by carriers, rather than as an officially proclaimed blanket ban by Morocco.
Related: Morocco–Israel: direct flights could resume within weeks, another recent change affecting travel flows involving Morocco.
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