The unique 24-hour visas that the Spanish consulates in Tetouan and Nador issued for entry into the Spanish enclaves of Melilla and Ceuta would no longer be accepted by Moroccan authorities. Rather, they will only take residency permits and Schengen visas from people leaving Morocco to enter these enclaves. Cross-border workers who depend on the aforementioned visas to finish the required paperwork before beginning work there would be most impacted by this decision.

Two years after these 24-hour permits were first introduced by the Pedro Sánchez government during Ramadan 2022 in response to the reopening of borders following the coronavirus outbreak, the decision has been made to refuse them. Recent reports suggest that the only people allowed entry into the enclaves are those with legitimate residence permits, a letter of access signed by Ceuta officials, and a Schengen visa, according to the publication Al Ahdath al Maghribia.

The head of the Confederation of Entrepreneurs of Ceuta, Arantxa Campos, sees this as an attempt by the administration in Rabat to categorize workers from other countries as citizens of Ceuta. Negotiations between Rabat and Madrid are apparently underway, although the Spanish government has not yet commented on the situation, according to French digital media Le360.

Before the epidemic, more than 2,200 Moroccan women alone were recorded as regularly entering Ceuta for work; sadly, this figure has dropped dramatically, leaving about 1,000 registered foreigners in the enclave. As a result, Moroccan citizens make up around 70% of Ceuta’s domestic labor force; they come to work in the city during the day and go home at night. 8,000 people are thought to be cross-border laborers in the city, both those with and without documentation.