Morocco Set to Overhaul Family Code, Expanding Rights for Women and Expatriates

After two years of consultations, the reform of the Family Code presented during a communication on Tuesday, December 24, 2024 at the headquarters of the Academy of the Kingdom in Rabat should soon be completed. The Supreme Council of Ulema, the body in charge of this project, proposes 139 modifications. Among these, the revision of exemptions for marrying minors, and the extension of women’s rights in matters of guardianship and child custody. Some proposals also concern Moroccans residing abroad (MREs).

In a press release, the Council of the Moroccan Community Abroad (CCME) says it is pleased to note that its grievances have been taken into account in the new reform of the Family Code. This includes the simplification of procedures for legalizing marriages and the implementation of an alternative solution concerning inheritance rights in cases of mixed marriages.

Initiated in accordance with the Instructions of King Mohammed VI in 2022, this overhaul of the Family Code aims to overcome certain shortcomings and dysfunctions, [...] and adapt its provisions to the evolution and dynamics of Moroccan society. The CCME expressed with great pride its recognition for the royal solicitude accorded to this issue. Its wish is that the expected legislative initiative in the field of the revision of all legislative texts relating to the family be "up to the wise royal vision and the expectations of all the parties concerned."