Moroccan nationality is, in practice, permanent. It is not lost by acquiring another, and renouncing it is exceptionally difficult. For families in the United States that is usually good news, but it has consequences worth understanding, because Moroccan law applies to Moroccan nationals in Morocco regardless of any other passport.
Quick facts
The 2007 reform matters enormously to this diaspora: Moroccan mothers transmit nationality to their children on the same basis as fathers, which opened the route for thousands of families where only the mother was Moroccan.
How it works
| Situation | Position | Practical step |
|---|---|---|
| Child of a Moroccan father | Moroccan | Register the birth, then documents |
| Child of a Moroccan mother | Moroccan since the 2007 reform | Register the birth, then documents |
| Moroccan who naturalises in the U.S. | Keeps Moroccan nationality | Nothing to file |
| Parents’ marriage not transcribed | Complicates the child’s file | Transcribe it first |
| Renunciation | Rarely granted | Take advice before relying on it |
Because the nationality sticks, Moroccan family law — on marriage, divorce, custody and inheritance — can apply to a dual national in Morocco even where a U.S. court has already decided the matter.
How to document a child
- Ensure the parents’ marriage is transcribed onto the Moroccan registers.
- Obtain the U.S. birth certificate, apostilled and translated.
- Register the birth through the consulate covering your area.
- Have the child entered in the family record book.
- Apply for the child’s identity card and passport.
- Keep the consular registration current throughout.
Required documents
- Child’s U.S. birth certificate, apostilled and translated.
- Parents’ marriage certificate, transcribed.
- Moroccan parent’s identity card and passport.
- Family record book.
- Consular registration card.
- Photographs to specification.
Where to apply
At the consulate covering your area, or at the competent court in Morocco for matters that belong there.
Consulate of Al Moroc
View details →LansingGeneral Consulate Of Moroccan Empire In America
View details →MissionHonorary Consulate of Morocco
View details →New YorkConsulate General of the Kingdom Of Morocco in New York
View details →WashingtonMorocco Consulate
View details →WashingtonEmbassy of the Kingdom of Morocco
View details →Additional notes
The marriage comes first
Almost every stalled Moroccan family file traces back to a marriage that was never transcribed.
Family law follows the nationality
For divorce, custody or inheritance involving Morocco, take advice from a lawyer practising there. A U.S. decision does not automatically settle the Moroccan position.
Military service
Morocco reintroduced compulsory service for certain age groups, with arrangements for nationals resident abroad. Check the current position if you have sons approaching the age range.
Registration is the gateway
Consular registration conditions access to all of this. Keep it current.