The French Consulate General in Tunis revealed on 12 January that its refusal rate for Schengen visa applications dropped to 18.1 % in 2025, down from 28.5 % in 2022. In raw numbers, approvals jumped to 116 600, an 11 % year-on-year increase despite only a 6 % rise in total filings. (managers.tn)
Consul Dominique Mas attributed the improvement to better-quality documentation—thanks in part to outreach campaigns explaining income thresholds and travel-insurance rules—and to a “balanced quota” agreed with Paris that prioritises students and business travellers.
![French consulate in Tunis reports sharp fall in visa refusals, signalling friendlier business-travel climate]()
Travel planners who want to keep that momentum going can tap VisaHQ’s digital toolkit, which offers clear checklists, document-preparation support and appointment booking for French Schengen visas; the service is available in English, French and Arabic at https://www.visahq.com/france/.
For French companies active in North Africa this is welcome news. Tunisia is a key talent and supply-chain hub for the aerospace and automotive sectors; easier short-stay visas make it simpler to rotate engineers and managers between sites in Sfax, Tunis and Toulouse. HR teams should nevertheless remind travellers that language and civic-test requirements introduced on 1 January 2026 apply only to residence permits, not to short-stay Schengen visas.
Looking ahead, the consulate plans to pilot a 48-hour fast-track lane for frequent corporate travellers in Q2 2026. If successful, the model could be extended to Casablanca and Algiers, further smoothing mobility within the EU’s southern neighbourhood. (managers.tn)
Consul Dominique Mas attributed the improvement to better-quality documentation—thanks in part to outreach campaigns explaining income thresholds and travel-insurance rules—and to a “balanced quota” agreed with Paris that prioritises students and business travellers.
Travel planners who want to keep that momentum going can tap VisaHQ’s digital toolkit, which offers clear checklists, document-preparation support and appointment booking for French Schengen visas; the service is available in English, French and Arabic at https://www.visahq.com/france/.
For French companies active in North Africa this is welcome news. Tunisia is a key talent and supply-chain hub for the aerospace and automotive sectors; easier short-stay visas make it simpler to rotate engineers and managers between sites in Sfax, Tunis and Toulouse. HR teams should nevertheless remind travellers that language and civic-test requirements introduced on 1 January 2026 apply only to residence permits, not to short-stay Schengen visas.
Looking ahead, the consulate plans to pilot a 48-hour fast-track lane for frequent corporate travellers in Q2 2026. If successful, the model could be extended to Casablanca and Algiers, further smoothing mobility within the EU’s southern neighbourhood. (managers.tn)
