Morocco Bars Dual Nationals Without Moroccan Passports from Repatriation Effort

Bad news for many Moroccan expatriates stranded abroad. While they were hoping for a possible repatriation operation planned before January 31, they learned that the Moroccan authorities have made a rather unfortunate decision. Dual nationals who do not hold a Moroccan passport, even if they reside in Morocco, are not authorized to register on the lists of people eligible for return set up in the consulates abroad. Only people holding a Moroccan passport and a visa are affected by this provision, reports L’Économiste. Announced by the Moroccan government a few days ago, the repatriation operation for Moroccan expatriates stranded abroad remains uncertain so far.

The Moroccan authorities had decided on December 24 to extend the suspension of all passenger flights to and from Morocco until January 31, 2022, due to the rapid spread of the new Covid-19 variant, Omicron, particularly in Europe and Africa. As a result, many Moroccan expatriates found themselves stranded abroad.