BLS International—the outsourcing partner that handles Spanish visa files in Algeria—has introduced an unexpected document requirement that could sideline thousands of applicants. In a notice dated April 5 and reported by Echorouk Online, the centre says all Schengen applicants under the jurisdiction of the Spanish Consulate in Algiers must submit photocopies of every page of their previous passports. Many Algerian travellers surrender their expired passports when they collect new biometric documents, meaning they no longer possess the originals to copy.
![Spanish Consulate in Algiers Now Demands Copies of Old Passports, Risking Mass Visa Rejections]()
At this juncture, travellers may benefit from specialised assistance: VisaHQ closely monitors updates to Spanish entry rules, helps applicants compile substitute evidence when old passports are missing, and can lodge complete digital files directly with the consulate, greatly lowering the risk of an automatic rejection. For details on their Spain-focused services, see https://www.visahq.com/spain/
Without the additional pages, BLS warns, files will be deemed incomplete and “automatically rejected” with no option to supplement later. The rule, previously trialled at the Oran visa centre, is now extended to the populous central and eastern provinces. Spanish officials have not issued a public explanation, but mobility lawyers believe the goal is to trace prior visa usage and screen for overstays before the EU’s Entry/Exit System becomes fully operational next week. The measure also appears designed to curb appointment-brokerage rings that charge up to €300 for hard-to-find slots. Corporate mobility teams sending Algerian technicians or sales staff to Spain for training should alert assignees immediately. Recommended contingencies include retrieving archived passport scans from HR files, or requesting certified travel histories from Algeria’s border-police database—a process that can take up to 15 days. Failure to adjust could see legitimate travellers miss project kick-off dates, while Spanish consular workloads may spike with appeals. Observers expect other Spanish missions in North Africa to watch the experiment closely, potentially adopting similar documentation hurdles.
At this juncture, travellers may benefit from specialised assistance: VisaHQ closely monitors updates to Spanish entry rules, helps applicants compile substitute evidence when old passports are missing, and can lodge complete digital files directly with the consulate, greatly lowering the risk of an automatic rejection. For details on their Spain-focused services, see https://www.visahq.com/spain/
Without the additional pages, BLS warns, files will be deemed incomplete and “automatically rejected” with no option to supplement later. The rule, previously trialled at the Oran visa centre, is now extended to the populous central and eastern provinces. Spanish officials have not issued a public explanation, but mobility lawyers believe the goal is to trace prior visa usage and screen for overstays before the EU’s Entry/Exit System becomes fully operational next week. The measure also appears designed to curb appointment-brokerage rings that charge up to €300 for hard-to-find slots. Corporate mobility teams sending Algerian technicians or sales staff to Spain for training should alert assignees immediately. Recommended contingencies include retrieving archived passport scans from HR files, or requesting certified travel histories from Algeria’s border-police database—a process that can take up to 15 days. Failure to adjust could see legitimate travellers miss project kick-off dates, while Spanish consular workloads may spike with appeals. Observers expect other Spanish missions in North Africa to watch the experiment closely, potentially adopting similar documentation hurdles.
