Moroccans can once again apply for visas to Taiwan after more than two months of restrictions that left travellers on both sides facing uncertainty. Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on Monday, 12 October, that it had resumed processing visa applications from Moroccan citizens. The decision followed confirmation that Morocco had restored visa processing for Taiwanese travellers across all categories, including tourism, business and official visits.
Taiwan had suspended most visa applications from Moroccans on 30 July, with exceptions for certain cases approved by its authorities. The suspension ended after 81 days, following negotiations through diplomatic offices in third countries.
The dispute began on 23 July, when the Moroccan embassy in Tokyo stopped processing Visa Confirmation Letters for Taiwanese citizens. These documents are required for Taiwanese travellers visiting Morocco for tourism or business because they cannot apply through the country’s e-visa system.
Taiwan responded a week later by suspending visa applications from Moroccan nationals, citing the principle of reciprocity.
During the restrictions, Taiwan allowed exceptions for four categories: family visits, academic study, approved medical treatment and official or diplomatic business.
Morocco resumed processing Visa Confirmation Letters for Taiwanese tourists on 21 September. The Moroccan embassy in Tokyo informed Taiwanese representatives of the change on 25 September.
Taiwan did not immediately lift its restrictions. Officials wanted confirmation that the resumption covered business travellers and other non-tourism categories, rather than tourists alone.
The Taiwanese foreign ministry said on 12 October that it had received official confirmation that Morocco had restored processing across all visa categories. Taiwan then reopened its standard visa procedures for Moroccan citizens through its representative offices abroad.
Negotiations had been under way for weeks. On 12 August, Yen Chia-liang, director-general of Taiwan’s Department of West Asian and African Affairs, confirmed at a news conference in Taipei that discussions were continuing through third-country channels. He also said the reason for the initial Moroccan suspension had not been disclosed.
Morocco and Taiwan do not maintain official diplomatic missions in each other’s territory, so travellers rely on offices in other countries to handle their visa applications.
Taiwanese citizens seeking to visit Morocco must obtain Visa Confirmation Letters through the Moroccan embassy in Tokyo. Taiwanese passport holders are not eligible to use Morocco’s e-visa platform, making these letters their main route to entry.
Moroccan citizens applying for Taiwanese visas can use representative offices abroad, including the Taipei Representative Office in Paris, France, or other regional missions.
The arrangement means that a suspension at one diplomatic office can disrupt travel even when applicants have completed the required paperwork.
Morocco maintains formal diplomatic relations with China and follows Beijing’s One-China policy, recognising the People’s Republic of China as the sole representative of China.
Economic ties between Morocco and China have expanded under the Belt and Road Initiative, including Chinese investment in electric-vehicle battery production and infrastructure.
Taiwan has few formal diplomatic allies in Africa. Eswatini is its only official diplomatic partner on the continent. Relations with countries such as Morocco, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo instead rely on informal economic, cultural and travel links.
The end of the visa suspension restores the usual application process for Moroccan travellers, but the dispute has exposed how quickly travel arrangements can be disrupted when consular services depend on third-country offices.
The restrictions ran from 23 July to 12 October, a total of 81 days. Although the two sides began easing the measures in September, normal processing resumed only after Taiwan received confirmation that all visa categories had been reopened in Morocco.
