The EU visa system strongly limits the freedom of movement of Tunisians. Especially young people who want study or do an internship abroad are left in limbo for months – without being able to leave Tunisia.
In the context of the coronavirus, Europeans experience for the first time what closed borders feel like. We usually take it for granted to travel to Italy, pass an Erasmus semester in Lisbon or jet to Helsinki for a business meeting whenever we like.
However, not having a European passport, this is way more complicated. Holders of a Tunisian passport always need to be afraid that their dream of a voyage to Rome might be shattered. Why that? Because of borders. Or rather, because of the system which makes borders insuperable: the visa system. To be precise, the European visa system.
In normal times, Europeans can move nearly as freely within the European Union, as they do inside their own nation states – which is indeed fantastic! Yet, for those not holding a European passport it has become increasingly difficult to even enter Europe. This is what I realised when I travelled to Tunisia for an internship last autumn – free of any visa hurdles of course – and spoke to my local friends there about their travel and internship plans. Here is what they told me.
Maryam – “We Can't Wait for Months Till you Get a Visa”
Maryam studies communications and works as an (underpaid) English teacher. She dedicates a big share of her free time researching job and internship opportunities abroad – where exactly does not matter to her. She does not even have difficulties of getting placement promises, she tells me: “For instance, I found a nine-month internship at an academy in Spain. I got very excited about travelling to Spain to discover the culture and meet new people.”
Yet, the problem is the lengthy visa process. After Maryam applied for a visa, she received an e-mail from the employer offering the internship, saying that they found someone from Europe who was able to start within days. “This honestly broke me”, says Maryam. “The reason for my rejection was not incompetence or something bad that I have done, but something that it is completely out of my control and that I have to be stuck with my whole life.” She keeps sending applications, though always receiving the same answer: “We really like your profile, but we can't wait for months till you get a visa.”
Balkis – The Bill Before the Journey
Another one of my friends, Balkis, was about to successfully complete her visa process when the corona outbreak started. Now her internship plans are on ice. Considering the situation of Maryam, she could still be called lucky, because the internship company was patient enough to wait for her. She also has a sister who lives in Paris – a “reassurance” that European states like to see in visa applications. Despite all that, the visa process was still complicated. She had to undertake a five-hour journey from Sfax to Tunis including a costly sleepover there.
This shows a further obstacle: getting a visa is very expensive. The application for France alone amounts to 307 Dinar (95 Euros), not counting the costs of having to travel to the French embassy twice: once for the interview and once to pick up the passport. For instance, a ride from Sfax to Tunis costs 32 Dinar (10 Euros). Considering that the average wage in Tunisia is 860 Dinar (267 Euro), you really need to think twice before applying. And if the visa is denied, the application fee will not be refunded.
Tunisians who are nevertheless willing (and able) to take the risk, must register on the private online platform TLS Contact, which takes care of the visa applications for the French embassy. There, seemingly never-ending follow-ups of online forms await. Technical problems occur regularly and the TLS call centre often fails to find solutions to the tech issues. Online forms which have already been filled delete themselves and there are complications in uploading documents. In a nutshell, the website drives anyone crazy who is about to travel to or start a new job in France.
“They always change the forms”, Balkis complains. “The preparations consume so much time which I would actually need for my doctorate.” Sometimes she thinks that Tunisia, too, should tighten its laws: “Why should we undergo such a complicated procedure while Europeans don’t have any problems entering Tunisia?”
France is by no means an exception. For example, the German embassy in Tunisia published a four-paged checklist for tourist visa, demanding that applicants have a return ticket, hotel bookings and even proof of financial security to show their “genuine” intent to leave the EU before their visa expire. I myself on the other hand only had to fill a one-paged form to be able to travel to Vietnam.
Wajdi – Missing the Start of the Semester
Even if a visa application is finally approved, delays aggravate the start of a new job or the participation in an international exchange programme. Wajdi, another friend, had successfully applied for a master’s degree in Information System Management at the Universidade Nova de Lisboa. As soon as he got the confirmation, he started to organise his visa. Still, he had to wait till the end of October until the visa was finally granted. At that point, he had already missed a whole month of the semester, which started in September.
“Coming late has obviously impacted my performance”, Wajdi explains. On top of that, it hindered his experience abroad in general since he did not find time to meet people. Such delays are not only an emotional burden but cause financial difficulties as well. Flights from Tunis to Lisbon are always expensive, but the price increases tremendously when booking only a few days in advance. And how is one supposed to organise accommodation without knowing if one will be allowed into the country in the end?
Final Foe – Reason No. 10
In the meantime, Tunisians with the longing to travel abroad gather in Facebook groups like On A Eu Le Visa Pour Vous (in English: We have a visa for you) and share insider tips on how to obtain a visa. One of the topics which causes a lot of anger in the group, is the denial of a visa on the basis of reason no.10: disclosure of wrong information.
Someone in the group writes:
“Dear travellers,
My mum (retired, former teacher) handed in her application for a visa in Germany. The first time (about one month ago) the visa vas denied referring to reason number 10 (disclosure of wrong information). Thanks to your comments, I found out that the missing confirmation of the hotel booking must have been the reason. This time, I reserved the hotel using an international credit card. I even called the hotel to find out if everything went alright. Still!!! Big surprise: she got denied on basis of reason nr. 10 again! Please explain!”
While holders of a Tunisian passport are entitled to travel to 36 countries without a visa, German citizens are free to travel to 167 countries. Inside the 27 EU member states, even a simple ID card suffices. When I was chatting with Maryam, Balkis and Wajdi having mint tea and dates, I remembered how I was hectically searching for my passport on the way to the airport in Munich – what if it had expired? Alright, still 6 months to go! Upon arrival in Tunis, I stood relaxed in the queue for the passport control. Everything would work out fine, like it had the other four times.
