Morocco Scraps Controversial Hotel Marriage Certificate Requirement

No more obligation to present a marriage contract when booking hotel rooms for couples! The police have contacted hotel owners and told them that it is no longer allowed to require marriage contracts from couples when booking rooms, and that an unmarried woman residing in the same city can rent a room, reports Médias24. For now, the authorities have not yet made an official announcement in this regard.

The cancellation of this requirement follows a series of interventions by the Minister of Justice on this discriminatory practice in Parliament. During a session of the House of Advisors last Tuesday, he opposed the requirements of hotels. Requiring a marriage certificate or any other document without legal mandate from Moroccan couples as a condition for assigning them a hotel room is an illegal practice and an invasion of privacy, he criticized. The minister considered it discriminatory and unjustifiable by law that some hotels require women to provide a certificate proving that they do not reside in the city where they wish to book a hotel room.

"I have been looking for 20 years for a basis for this practice, but I have found none," Ouahbi assured, warning anyone who would demand unauthorized documents from citizens. They are liable to legal proceedings. The minister also called on all entities to respect the rights and privacy of individuals.