Morocco Eases Marriage Rules for Citizens Living Abroad

On the proposal of the Socialist Group, a new clause has been added to Article 15 of the Family Code. It stipulates that Moroccans who have concluded a marriage certificate in accordance with the local legislation of the country of residence have the possibility to deposit a copy of said certificate with the consular services of their place of residence.

In a press release, the Ministry of Justice announced that the Minister had expressed his agreement during a meeting on Wednesday at the House of Advisors of the Commission on Justice, Legislation and Human Rights.

The ministry’s press release emphasizes that the new measure will simplify and facilitate access to their rights and national services for this segment of the population. For its part, the Socialist Group had indicated that the new amendment aims to establish a form of cohesion and harmony with the constitutional rules relating to Moroccans residing abroad.

Here is the full text of Article 15 of the Family Code:

Moroccans who have concluded a marriage certificate in accordance with the local legislation of the country of residence must deposit a copy of said certificate within a period of three months from the date of its conclusion with the Moroccan consular services of the place of this conclusion.
In the absence of these services, a copy of the marriage certificate is sent within the same period to the ministry in charge of foreign affairs.
This ministry proceeds to transmit the said copy to the civil status officer and to the family justice section of the birthplace of each of the spouses.
If the spouses or one of them are not born in Morocco, the copy is sent to the family justice section of Rabat and to the public prosecutor near the court of first instance of Rabat.