Doha – Following a successful pilot program in Rabat last autumn, TLScontact has expanded its automated visa appointment allocation system to centers in Fez, Oujda, Tangier, and Casablanca. The new system aims to combat fraudulent practices that have plagued visa applications for France.
“Instead of opening slots for online reservation, appointments are now automatically and randomly assigned to applicants registered on the site,” TLScontact stated in a press release.
Confirmation of these appointments requires payment of service fees, without which the slot is reassigned to another applicant.
The initiative targets first-time applicants, who are often most affected by fraudulent practices due to high demand for appointments.
According to TLScontact, intermediaries have been using technological methods to capture appointment slots as soon as they become available and resell them at inflated prices.
Despite implementing advanced cybersecurity solutions like reinforced CAPTCHA, traffic monitoring, and OTP authentication, TLScontact found that fraudsters continuously adapted their methods. This prompted the development of the new approach.
The pilot program in Rabat showed immediate results, with bot activity dropping by 48% over four weeks. A decrease of 12% was visible from the first week of implementation. Nearly 15,000 appointments have been securely allocated in Rabat since the system was introduced.
Following this success, TLScontact deployed the new system to its centers in Fez, Oujda, and Tangier in February, followed by Casablanca in March. The company is also implementing similar procedures with other government clients facing the same challenges.
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The system is being progressively extended to other visa types, including renewals of standard visas and circulation visas. For renewal applications in Rabat, Fez, and Oujda, a special procedure has been established as of April.
Under this new procedure, applicants will be placed in a queue and a limited number will be offered appointments within a maximum period of 60 days.
Selected applicants will receive a pre-reservation email with instructions on how to confirm their appointment, including payment of service fees within the specified timeframe.
Additionally, some applicants may be contacted for a video identity verification call, during which they will be asked to present their passport to the camera.
If applicants do not receive an appointment within 60 days of registration, they must renew their application by submitting a new request through the platform.
Expansion to Morocco’s southern provinces
In addition to combating fraud, TLScontact has expanded its services geographically. During the inauguration of a new 3,500 m² visa center in Casablanca, French Ambassador Christophe Lecourtier announced the extension of visa services to Laayoune in Morocco’s southern provinces.
“In line with the position expressed by the President of the Republic during his official visit last October, visa application services have been expanded directly to Laayoune, in partnership with TLS,” the French Embassy in Morocco said.
“Residents of this region will now benefit from the same services,” they added.
The new Casablanca center can handle between 800 and 1,200 visitors daily and includes upgraded facilities such as extended appointment hours, at-home document collection, and free access to a premium lounge for people with reduced mobility.
“Visa applicants have legitimate and growing expectations that we must meet to address the challenges of mobility between Morocco and France,” Lecourtier said during the inauguration.