Morocco Considers Bill to Grant Citizenship to Foreign Spouses of Moroccan Women

In response to a written question on this subject, addressed by Driss Sentissi, head of the parliamentary group of the Mouvement Populaire (MP) party and of which Hespress has a copy, Abdellatif Ouahbi indicated that his department has presented a bill No. 019.13 aimed at amending Article 10 of the Moroccan Nationality Code to allow foreigners married to a Moroccan citizen to obtain Moroccan nationality.

This bill is an important step towards gender equality and the promotion of the rule of law, and aims to bring Moroccan legislation into line with international standards on the acquisition of nationality, he stressed, adding that the text is still under study and has not yet been approved by the government.

The issue is not new. In 2018, the government majority composed of the PJD, the UC, the MP, the USFP and the PPS had initiated a modification of Article 10 of the Moroccan Nationality Code which they consider discriminatory. This article recognizes a foreign woman who has married a Moroccan the right to acquire Moroccan nationality.