Morocco Hotels Grapple with Legal Uncertainty Over Unmarried Couples

"This matter is taking an unhealthy turn, when the statement of the Minister of Justice in Parliament is only an exact interpretation of the law which does not provide for the requirement by hotels of a marriage certificate for unmarried couples," explains Mohammed Baayou, Secretary General of the National Federation of the Hotel Industry (FNIH), cited by the daily L’Économiste, warning against the risks of prosecution of hoteliers in case of acceptance of unmarried couples, under Articles 490 and 501 of the Penal Code.

These articles only apply in case of flagrant offense observed by the judicial police and therefore are not enforceable against hotel establishments, notes for its part the Hotel Industry Federation. "The flagrant offense of sexual act is difficult to prove in court. It supposes the obligation to place a policeman or a gendarme in front of the door of each of the rooms of the 3,300 hotels open in Morocco," details the specialized daily, which also notes that the rental of hotel rooms by homosexual couples does not provoke any reaction.

The same source informs that the practice for unmarried couples to rent two hotel rooms and ultimately occupy only one room continues, especially in residences rented via the Airbnb application where no marriage contract is required. "Unfair competition at the expense of structured tourism companies," notes the daily.