Morocco Tightens Visa Rules for Foreign Spouses of Moroccan Women, Cites Security Concerns

During the weekly session of oral questions in the House of Councillors, Nasser Bourita responded to an oral question from Councillor Khalid Es-Satte of the National Union of Labor in Morocco (UNTM) on "the suffering of Moroccan women married to foreigners unable to obtain visas for their families." It is a "sovereign right that obeys internal laws and security procedures," explained the head of Moroccan diplomacy, adding that each "country reserves the right to manage its own system in accordance with its own rules and procedures in force."

Councillor Khalid Es-Satte had mentioned, in his question, Morocco’s refusal to issue visas to spouses and children of Moroccan women living mainly in Arab countries such as Iraq, Syria or Palestine. "The spouses of these Moroccans see their visa applications, for themselves and their children, refused by the consular services, particularly in Arab countries," he had affirmed. According to him, these "laws deprive these families of spending time with their loved ones and returning to their homeland, giving them a bad image