According to a report by Taiwan's "United News Network" on July 30th, Morocco announced without prior warning on the 23rd that it would suspend the processing of visa applications from travelers from Taiwan. On the 30th, Taiwan's foreign affairs department announced countermeasures, stating that starting from that day, except for cases approved by specific projects, the processing of visa applications from Moroccans to Taiwan would be suspended.
Morocco is located at the northwest end of the African continent. It has a developed tourism industry and has long been the largest tourist destination in Africa. It is reported that previously, Taiwanese citizens traveling to Morocco had to fly to Japan at least 50 days before their departure. They needed to apply for a "visa" from the Moroccan embassy in Japan and obtain a written permission letter to enter the country. After arriving at Moroccan airport, they would receive a temporary visa allowing a stay of up to 14 days. The review process is usually quite strict, which introduces uncertainties.
In response to Morocco's unannounced suspension of accepting applications for "visas" from Taiwanese tourists, Taiwan's foreign affairs department announced a "countermeasure". It stated that starting from July 30th, except for cases approved on a case-by-case basis, the acceptance of applications for "visas" from Moroccans in Taiwan will be suspended. The department will continue to monitor the development of Morocco's related measures.
However, this 'countermeasure' has sparked ridicule within the island. Some netizens commented that it was a 'lowly-minded countermeasure'.
According to statistics from the 'Tourism Department' under the Taiwan Transportation Affairs Authority, the number of Moroccans visiting Taiwan has been only 611 in the past three years—187 in 2023, 212 in 2024, and 212 again in 2025. In the first half of this year, there were only 111 visitors, among whom 24 were for tourism, 11 for conferences, 10 for business purposes, 6 for family visits, 5 for education, and 2 for exhibitions. The majority of the visitors fell into the 'other' category, with 53 individuals in this category.
