Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune signed decrees—published on 5 March 2026—naming new consuls in Paris, Marseille and Strasbourg. The shake-up follows two years of diplomatic friction that saw visa issuance slow sharply for the 1.7 million-strong Algerian diaspora and for French firms sending staff to Algeria.
![Algeria Appoints Three New Consuls in France to Reset Consular Services]()
For Algerian residents in France and French professionals shuttling between the two countries, VisaHQ can streamline the often-confusing paperwork: its France platform (https://www.visahq.com/france/) offers online pre-validation of visa forms, live processing alerts and courier delivery to and from the appropriate consulate, saving applicants precious time while the newly appointed diplomats tackle backlogs.
Chabane Berdja takes over the high-volume Paris post after a stint in Nantes; Tewfik Ahmed Othmane Tabeti moves from Bordeaux to Marseille; and Aouatef Hanane Bouzid becomes consul general in Strasbourg. All three officially assume duties retroactively from 21 January 2026, ending a vacancy period during which only acting heads processed urgent travel documents. French employers routinely rely on Algerian consulates to legalise work-contract translations and to expedite visa formalities for project engineers. According to French business group MEDEF, processing times for Algerian visas rose from an average 8 days in 2023 to 23 days in late 2025. Paris hopes the fresh appointments—and the French interior minister’s confidence-building visit to Algiers in February—will normalise flows ahead of a planned joint economic forum in June. For Algerians residing in France, the change promises shorter queues for passport renewals and civil-status certificates, many of which are needed for residency permit renewals at French prefectures. Observers also see the move as a sign both capitals are ready to rebuild law-enforcement cooperation on migration and readmission dossiers that had been frozen since 2024.
For Algerian residents in France and French professionals shuttling between the two countries, VisaHQ can streamline the often-confusing paperwork: its France platform (https://www.visahq.com/france/) offers online pre-validation of visa forms, live processing alerts and courier delivery to and from the appropriate consulate, saving applicants precious time while the newly appointed diplomats tackle backlogs.
Chabane Berdja takes over the high-volume Paris post after a stint in Nantes; Tewfik Ahmed Othmane Tabeti moves from Bordeaux to Marseille; and Aouatef Hanane Bouzid becomes consul general in Strasbourg. All three officially assume duties retroactively from 21 January 2026, ending a vacancy period during which only acting heads processed urgent travel documents. French employers routinely rely on Algerian consulates to legalise work-contract translations and to expedite visa formalities for project engineers. According to French business group MEDEF, processing times for Algerian visas rose from an average 8 days in 2023 to 23 days in late 2025. Paris hopes the fresh appointments—and the French interior minister’s confidence-building visit to Algiers in February—will normalise flows ahead of a planned joint economic forum in June. For Algerians residing in France, the change promises shorter queues for passport renewals and civil-status certificates, many of which are needed for residency permit renewals at French prefectures. Observers also see the move as a sign both capitals are ready to rebuild law-enforcement cooperation on migration and readmission dossiers that had been frozen since 2024.
