Getting married in Morocco

My experience on marrying a moroccan national.

10/11/2015

Salaam brothers and sisters inshaallah i will help those in confusion in regards to marrying a Moroccan national.

One must attain things...finance, good organisational skills, and last of all patience.

Inshaallah as we go through the steps that i went through, you will understand why you need these three.


I took about £1500 (excluding mahar and walima etc) to spend for taxi fees (40DH/ £3 back and forth) and in general eating etc although i stayed at fiance house i still needed the money. Train to rabat is around 180DH/£8 RETURN  FIRST CLASS for 2 people. We went there twice once for embassy and once for rings etc.

Connection in Morocco is helpful as it makes the process faster and less stressful, my fiancé uncle had a few friends in the court and police force so that made things slightly easy.

The Moroccan consulate website in London is rubbish and there system is not updated as off 12/11/2015.

While i was in UK The documents needed are:

Updated birth certificate £11**
ACRO police certificate £45**
3 months pay slip
Letter from employment**

One thing i was told i would need and at the end i found out i did not need it was NO IMPEDIMENT AND SHAHADAH CERTIFICATE+, This is because the law changed and they don't need a "no impediment" as of march 2014.

+Shahadah certificate was not needed because i had a muslim name.

If you have a typical bengali/Pakistan name like "mitu miah or pyare khan" these ridiculous names will get you into problems you will need a shahadah cert or go to adool and get a certificate in morocco. Probably end up paying money too. Even if you have a Muslim name find out from the court just in case.

Also if you a NON MUSLIM. Sorry I can't help as other non muslims did marry but i think they had to go to adool and testify they was muslim with 15 photos of themselves. You need to research on that.


**Best thing is scan those documents to your fiancé before you fly out and get her to get them translated. It cost around 250DH SO £15/20 per document. Trust me this saves a long time! Most likely a Days job. Make sure you do this!!

Translate:
Letter from employment.
Criminal record.
Birth certificate.
Capacity to marry (you'll get that from rabat embassy)


You need to prepare these documents and they all need to be dated within 3 months! So for example if your flying out in November 10th you will need all documents dated from September 10th onwards, Also police record can take 3/4 weeks so start on that first....

Your fiancé also needs to get a
Same load of documents too from
Her local authorities she can get them all in 2 days. Also she will need a pregnancy test certificate. She needs to go to the family court and get a list that will tell you everything you need. Make sure you both get the right documents one mistake and it can delay the whole process.

Ok go to the Uk gov website and book a appointment with the British embassy rabat. Also book the earliest possible as you will need to go to 2 more other places same day. So like 9am.

I flew out on a Sunday evening and started running around Monday onwards....

MONDAY
I exchanged money gave 200DH to get my medical certificate from the clinic. Also she should get her medical certificate aswell and  Collected my translated documents.

Got the train to rabat Monday evening as my interview at the embassy was at 9am we stayed at her aunties house so was lucky. Roads in rabat are busy so get a taxi Atleast 30 mins before interview takes a While to get there depending where your staying.

TUESDAY
9am
At the embassy you will have to take your passport and your fiancé passport and give them 1400DH/£100 you will sign a few forms and swear a affidavit. They will give you two forms

    1.    Certified copy of passport (certificate of nationality)
    2.    Capacity to marry (affidavit) this is also a single certificate.
10am
This interview takes 30 mins so once thats done go straight to the ministry of affairs and they will legalise those two documents. 40DH each. Queue is long but be patient and send your fiancé as those idiots don't speak English you will have to wait outside. Give her the money and your I.D (passport)

11.10am
Then go to the criminal justice (full of moody idiots) give a copy of your passport they will issue you with a clean record to show your clear in Morocco also they might say come back in 4 hours etc i waited 4.5 hours.

3.30pm-5.30pm
We got the train at 3.30pm back to her town and went straight to the translation office and got the 2 documents from british embassy translated (certificate or nationality and affidavit). But waited till Wednesday to collect it. Tbh we was told only to translate the capacity to marry and not the certificate of nationality. So again you need to refer to the list and find out what needs to be translated.

WEDNESDAY.
Collected the rest of the translated document and Went to court waited 3 hours in the heat and submitted the forms as long as the person in the court is happy with the forms she will open a case and you must go to the police for the interview. The court will
Make 5 copies of each document and make 5 files one for adool and one for police and other 3 for the court. That took the whole day.

THURSDAY
Went police for the interview they asked random stupid question like "do i own a house" they make it like they gonna pay my bills, he didn't ask much as her uncle knew someone in a high position,


We had a issue because my fiancé had lived and studied at another city so that delayed the process as the files got sent there but we had a connection in that town as her uncle was in the police force so was lucky Alhamdullilah.

FRIDAY, SATURDAY, SUNDAY.

No news.

MONDAY FOLLOWING WEEK.

We was told the files arrived back into town and was waiting on confirmation for when it arrives back at court this is more or less the final process,

TUESDAY

Went to court and got the permission

Just wanted to say I booked 2 weeks and Alhamdullilah due to connections the process was easier if you don't have connection then may allah make things easy on you as others without connection still got married within 2/3 weeks so don't worry allah is with you.

The reason i wrote all this is because when I needed help i had no one, one brother was reluctant to help i mean he gave a few pointers and that was it other than that the brother would ignore my calls all I needed was 20 mins of his time. I made sincere dua to allah and it was allah who helped me sooo much. "Indeed allah is with the patient" (Quran)

Congratulations once again....may Allah bless ur marriage and give u a lifetime of happiness with ur spouse...ameen.

And thank u sooooooo much again for helping us all out by sharing ur experience.
Enjoy marriee life

Jazakallah khair back in uk now may allah make things easy for you

Hello, everyone, hope you are doing well.

I am an American woman, I will get married to a Moroccan man in Morocco.  I heard that we will have a "Mariage contract" , and that the man is supposed to write in the contract about the monetary goods he will give to me as " dowry".

Normally, the biede's family negotiate these, but since my family is not Moroccan, I would not know what a priori ate dowry is.

I want to know what dowry should I ask? 

This is really not for money since we will be married and our money will be together.  Rather I see it as a dignity and respect issue

Its a mandatory payment, in the form of money or possessions paid or promised to pay by the groom. Its the brides right that she receives the promised amount, you can choose how much you want, it can be anything from a $1 to $10000000  i know ladies that asked for $10k which puts the man in debt and some women ask for $200 so it's entirely upto you but its something you should negotiate with your future husband, ask him how much he can afford, i know of a lady that wanted her husband to memorise a chapter of the Quran as dowry.

WalkerMoon, I am married to a moroccan man but am in the process of applying for a divorce. Now he dont seem to keen on getting divorced and refuses contact with me. We got married in morocco and thus the marriage is legalized there, we then got it legalized in Sweden, where we live. I can get the divorce lagalized in Sweden but if we dont get it legalized in morocco (through the embassy is my best guess) - will he be able to remarry in morocoo or will he at some point have to come find me to "have my permission" or have me sign divorce papers for morocco?

Hi sist,

I know that getting divorce in western country is a bit long process.Bottom line is that he can alway go to court in Morocco and he can get divorce easily by saying that his ex wife from sweden is not replying or some thing like that.

Do I understand correctly that you donot want him to contact you or something?

HCharlotteB,
Divorce is a difficult time. I have been there, but not with my Moroccan husband. I know you are full of mixed emotions. If you really are concerned about how he will fair after the divorce,  then maybe you should do a little self soul serching on why you feel you want to divorce him. It sounds like you still care for him.

If it is really done, then on this issue I wouldn't worry about him. It really is his problem in the end. You must live by the laws of your homeland.  If you want a divorce and can can get a divorce in Sweden, then get it done where it is convenient for you. Send him a copy of it, and let him do with it as he wishes.

If he is Muslim,  and he chooses to remarry to a Moroccan he doesn't really need to be divorced.  If he chooses to remarry an international,  he is subject to the laws of that person's homeland.  Most likely he will eventually get it certified in Morocco, because if he chooses to remarry anyone in Morocco,  the court in Morocco will require from him either a divorce or your permission (as his previous wife) for him to take another wife.  Obviously, you will tell the court you aren't going to give him your permission since you served him with a divorce in Sweden. The court will request a copy of the divorce.  That will be what makes it stand. If you get remarried and want to go back to Morocco,  make sure you take a copy with you to head off any legal entanglements. Run it by a Moroccan lawyer yourself.   

Why do you care if he is choosing to get remarried?

@Nebraska Girl  - Hi - Regarding your last comment to me back in November, I'm afraid I disagree, and for good reasons. You're entitled to your opinion. We both shared our views on this matter, more than enough times, and clearly don't agree with the other. I don't see the point to continue posting & disagreeing with each other, as it will get us nowhere, and as such, will leave it there.

XB23 wrote:

@Nebraska Girl  - Hi - Regarding your last comment to me back in November, I'm afraid I disagree, and for good reasons. You're entitled to your opinion. We both shared our views on this matter, more than enough times, and clearly don't agree with the other. I don't see the point to continue posting & disagreeing with each other, as it will get us nowhere, and as such, will leave it there.

I am sorry but i only vaguely remember it, It appears that most of that conversation has been edited out of this topic by the monitors as racial biased rhetoric regarding an individual's personal view on someone elses international marriage plan.
I believe that returning to the issue is like a dead horse harnessed to a cart. There is no point in  beating the animal because it is clear to he is not going to get up to take it any more.

After 6 months new more relavant issues have been added. Simply put, any new readers have no idea to what you are refering, Forgive me if I have guessed wrong about what was said between us, but that was the only issue I can remember someone disagreeing with me over.

So, I fully agree.

Let me remind everyone what my perspective is regarding the real topic:
Mixed marriges are just as complex a any other type of marriage. I married my Moroccan husband in 2011, and ours marriage has worked well for many years now. Of course there are ups and downs, but my marriage was based on love and respect so we work passed the difficulties. Someone elses may not have done as well, but that happens in non-mixed marriages too.
The decision to get married and to whom you choose is a very personal thing. Life is not perfect and people are not perfect. Someone may have sinister plans, but most people don't. If sharing my experiences or offering my advise in getting married in Morocco, has been beneficial to the happiness of even one other person, I have no regrets in offering it.
The process of getting married abroad to a nonresident is different depending on an individual expats country of origin; but, once that criteria is met, the requirements for completing the marriage in Morocco are fairly consistant. Please look back over the previous posts and you will see what I mean.
Offer up your personal experiences,   Lets talk more about it here.

I wish you all the best of blessings in your family and peace and joy to your life.

Nebraska Girl wrote:

XB23 wrote:

@Nebraska Girl  - Hi - Regarding your last comment to me back in November, I'm afraid I disagree, and for good reasons. You're entitled to your opinion. We both shared our views on this matter, more than enough times, and clearly don't agree with the other. I don't see the point to continue posting & disagreeing with each other, as it will get us nowhere, and as such, will leave it there.

I am sorry but i only vaguely remember it, It appears that most of that conversation has been edited out of this topic by the monitors as racial biased rhetoric regarding an individual's personal view on someone elses international marriage plan.

No. Nothing to do with "racial biased rhetoric". Rather that I responded to personal insults aimed at me, so the moderators decided to simply delete the conversation to end the argument, rather than allow them to continue to insult me, which is what they would of done if it wasn't for the mods involvement. Since you're married to a Moroccan, your contribution to the argument was needless to say - motivated by that fact. Anyway, there is nothing further to say.

Regards

Hi,

This Forum is so informative i have read all however some Confusion

I am from India ( Married) and  would like to marry a Moroccan Women who would be my Second Wife.Could you please tell me what documents are required to have the Marriage Certificate out.

As this would be my second marriage, i would like to know where can i get this Document from (Wife's Approval) for 2nd Marriage . Can i get it from the country (Saudi Arabia) Indian Embassy?

Should i get the Documents from Saudi Arabia -Indian Embassy or from the Indian Embassy in Morocco.Would Highly appreciate a million Times for your help in guiding  me .

I'll find out if Morocco actually allows a second wife (officially), il let you know

They actually do , just wanted to know if i can get that Document from the Country where i work , Thanks a million pal

Oh ok...sorry what country do you work in again?

Saudi Arabia , however i am a Indian Citizen.

I was under the impression that with the new law in Morocco polygamy is not permitted anymore ! ..is.this not the case ?

Its still allowed according to the information i have gathered.

Heck ! 

Let me ask...are they obliged to ask first wife's permission? Or is.it compulsory that they do ?...and if first wife disagrees....can they still go ahead ? 😐

Why do men want more than 1 wife ?....just because the koran allows it ?...is 1 woman not enough?..marriage to me is a bond between 2 people to share every aspect about life...how can any woman be happy with the knowledge her husband who's meant to belong to her alone,  sleeping and sharing his life with other woman or women, ? In this day and age polygamy should be abolished..Very unfair to women. Muslim men want virgin brides, how would they feel knowing their wife can have up to 3 more husbands ?..would he be happy in the knowledge his wife is jumping in and out of the beds of other men ? I don't think so ! I do not agree with many aspects of Islam...

Well women have outnumbered men  if u look at the population of Men as compared to Women, so in situation likes these (5 Women , 1 Man) its important for a man to have more than one wife, however do note that He should be Just in his action (like spending time, expenses etc). If he is not Just in doing so he shall be held accountable for.

However its people Choice, if you look around and tell me how many men have more than one Wife you rarely find that may be 100 in 1.

I choose this Option as i have issues with my wife and secondly i don't believe in Divorce.We Thank Islam for being such a flexible Religion that allows us to do things.

Lol i don't really want to get into it as it causes arguments but its something that allowed in islam but there are rules and regulations, there is no evidence in islam that shows the husband asking his wife for permission to marry 2/3/4 time, the man has to be financially capable also he has to treat them with fairness or else its grounds for divorce,

Yup, however Morocco needs permission Sob Sob, help me bro would pray for u all the time just thriving for a legal relationship.

Lynn19 wrote:

Why do men want more than 1 wife ?....just because the koran allows it ?...is 1 woman not enough?..marriage to me is a bond between 2 people to share every aspect about life...how can any woman be happy with the knowledge her husband who's meant to belong to her alone,  sleeping and sharing his life with other woman or women, ? In this day and age polygamy should be abolished..Very unfair to women. Muslim men want virgin brides, how would they feel knowing their wife can have up to 3 more husbands ?..would he be happy in the knowledge his wife is jumping in and out of the beds of other men ? I don't think so ! I do not agree with many aspects of Islam...

There are situations where polygamy is the only and correct solution for the interests of all concerned. A clear example is if the woman due to a reason of illness or whatever, can no longer look after her husband's needs, after the home, should the husband put up with that fact for the rest of his life, have no one doing it, or dump her and marry a woman who can take over those responsibilities. Instead he keeps the first wife, looks after her, while the second wife can take over those responsibilities she had, and serve his needs. I'm glad my uncle didn't divorce his first wife when she became bed-ridden, but kept her provided for, and married another woman to take over. He could of tossed her away or sleep with women behind her back.

Another example if they both lose interest, or she loses interest, but wants to remain in the home, and continue to be financially taken care of. He can continue do that for her, and marry someone interested. Men are cheating on their wives, left, right, and centre. Some do the honest, and moral thing, formalising their relationship with another woman than keeping it all a secret. And then get attacked for it. Hmm. Anyway there are good reasons why people turn to polygamy. There are solutions that works for everyone beside divorce or cheating. If as per your example, a woman has more than one husband, then they would need to carry out tests each time a child is born to determine who the father is. And if in cases they aren't able to do that, because for instance there was a problem or whatever reason, and so they are not willing to co-operate and get tested, the real father remains unknown.

masha allah ,
first of all congratzz....my brother.
may allah bless you both jannah.
Really allah is above all.
hope allah help me too insha allah.

Mmm....well..in regards to the fact if a woman became bedridden and unable to care for her husband then ok that's a viable reason. Or he could maybe just take care of himself like many men do. But men have needs same as women so for that matter I understand he needs a second wife. For other reasons I do not agree, men do not need to take on more wives if they have 1 who is taking care of them not only in the running of the home but in the bedroom also. So there is no excuses for taking on other women just because he wishes to do so. My.personal opinion. Freedom of speech and and all that ! 😐

Sooooo....Let me also ask.....reverse the tables, ....stop and think for few moments. If it were the other way around guys....would you sit down, accept it and shut up! ...while u may disagree your wife is allowed another 1,2 or 3 marriages and you have no say in the matter ! ...so now tell me...do you agree ?...are you gonna come up with some lame excuses now ? 🙅

Where are the women ?....I want their opinion....Or am I gonna get a muslima who's submissive and will agree with the men regardless cos she's afraid to actually have a free mind ....

Here I go again....if my husband wanted another wife...then I would divorce him...as under no circumstances will I tolerate that

To be honest, I find it odd that people support same sex marriage, have no issues with people having sex with the same gender, or frankly sleeping with anyone outside of marriage, saying it's their choice how they choose to live their life, but then take offence when a man wants to marry another woman, and suddenly it's a huge problem.

I don't go around saying why do men marry men when there are plenty of single women seeking marriage. And argue they have no excuses when there are women available. It might be said that it's his choice, he has his reasons and needs for doing so, and that's what he wants in his life. Fine. So what's the problem if a man wants more than one wife in his life. Surely they have their reasons and needs too. I don't agree with same sex marriage but don't criticise them for it. Just because I don't agree with it and wouldn't personally practice it, doesn't mean I should go around and complain when others do it. It's their laws, their culture. So I'm not sure why you're complaining. No one is forcing you into it. Also a woman isn't forced to remain in a polygamous marriage. You would have a point if they were forced to be a co-wife and stuck in a marriage they don't want any more. But that's not the case. They do have the freedom to divorce if it's not working out. Also Islam isn't the only religion that permits polygamy. Lots of women who would otherwise have remained single and childless have been given a solution to their ordeal by polygamy. There are lots of things in life we don't agree with and wouldn't do it. But that doesn't mean we are right, and should make a fuss when others do it. Morocco isn't a suitable destination if you can't tolerate different lifestyles. I would suggest you reconsider your plans.

Best of luck.

Oh dear I always seem to upset people...mmm...anyway ..everyone is free to live as they choose..thing is some women in islam don't have that choice as their husband can do it regardless..that's the difference..this my point..I am married to a muslim so I.am hoping he does not just an ounce to me one day this what he wants...as would I have a choice ?...if not then it's divorce for me...just sayin

' anounce '

Don't worry, most men don't want two women in there life, it gets complicated.
Some Hide it Some do it Legally

My apologies if I have offended anyone I honestly don't mean to...I don't want to share my husband with anyone as I love him so much and I'm sure you can all understand that and relate to how I feel...God bless

If people love with their heart and soul they can't share their partner ..I hope you understand me well..it's just who I am..

i do agree with you totally,No Offense taken.

I am only getting to see these posts now sorry Lynn, you asked very valid questions and indolent think any of it was offensive they were valid questions. My only question is nothing would happen anyway if the woman said no and from what I have seen very few women want to share their husband even with a first wife who is for example bed ridden, and as another gentleman said each wife has to be treated equally no exceptions , and like Lynn I agree if you love your husband with all your heart you don't want to share him and he won't want to put you through that trauma, divorce may not be a nice route but it's an honest route with good rules and what is wrong with that . Sorry I don't know why polygamy  was then thrown out of the ring and same sex marriage came in total ends of the spectrum and all this because one woman was brave enough to ask why???

Thank you lizsnap very much for your thoughts on this matter..to me obviously it's.ok for men to feel way they do as they are not ones who are having to share so to speak..so surely they can understand how we feel about this...to me it's unacceptable to share a person you love as marriage is between 2 people not 5 ! ..
The very thought of my husband having sexual relations with other women makes me sick to my stomach..I could never accept him back to my bed..so muslim men want virgin brides but can have 4 wives...where's the justice in that !  😐