Morocco Launches Digital Safeguard Against Real Estate Fraud

Specifically, this decision, which will come into effect in six months, establishes a National Electronic Register of Powers of Attorney. The latter will centralize all powers of attorney relating to real estate rights, such as property transfers. It will be complemented by physical registers held in the courts of first instance.

This measure is a key component of the action plan launched by the government to eradicate the phenomenon of appropriation of other people’s real estate. It directly responds to a message from King Mohammed VI in 2016 that stressed the need to strengthen the legal security of transactions.

For its operation, the system will be based on a series of standardized document models, the forms of which have been set by the ministerial decree. These models concern applications for registration, modification or cancellation of a power of attorney, as well as deposit receipts and certificates that will be issued to users.

According to the Ministry of Justice, the creation of this electronic register is part of a broader orientation of digitization and modernization of the judicial administration. The objective is to allow "rapid and secure access to information relating to real estate powers of attorney at the national level" and thus contribute to the fight against illegal practices.