Dutch FM: Little risk in stolen passports with Dutch visas

It's an annoying situation, but the the Moroccan passports with Dutch visas that were stolen last week can do little harm, Minister Bert Koenders of Foreign Affairs said to the Telegraaf on Friday.

"There are no major risks to it", he said to the newspaper. "The visas were cancelled and the passports are added in all systems, so the risk is small." This means that the passports can't be used for travel - if they are, they'll be flagged immediately - so they are practically worthless. According to Koenders, it is just an annoying situation.

A total of 71 Moroccan passports were stolen while they were being transported from the Dutch consulate in Rabat to the visa center Nador on August 9th. The passports belonged to Moroccan citizens who applied for a visa to the Netherlands. 41 off the passports contained a visa, the others were rejected.

The Dutch consulate in Rabat will take the cost of a new visa for the victims, but they must first get a new passport from the Moroccan authorities.