Africa Intelligence website said the French embassy in Tripoli may soon manage visa applications in Libya itself by subcontracting part of the activity to the service provider TLSContact, which would ease the procedures for Libyans, who currently have to go to Tunis to make a visa request.

The website said that currently, European countries, such as Malta and Italy, already accept applications from Libya via VFS Global, a company 75% owned by US investment fund Blackstone.

It also reiterated that Turkey has application centres in Tripoli and Misrata as well as other areas in Libya which can issue visas in less than a week.

Africa Intelligence said TLSContact is one of France’s preferred partners in North Africa. The company handles visa applications in Algeria, Tunisia, Morocco and Egypt, but it is regularly criticized by applicants because of long delays in securing appointments.