Moroccan Citizenship

[Kenza 1]

Everytime I go, I'm asked why I don't have a Moroccan passport. Its because my dad hasn't bothered to renew his passport and carte national but I plan to get it inshallah before we have kids

[Eternnitty89 0]

Hi everyone! Just wondering! My son is 2 yrs old we are traveling to Morocco next month! What documents do I need to get a citizenship for him in Morocco? Do you recommend that I do that just in case in the future he wants to go there when he is older. Can we get a family book? I'm an american citizen what can I get? Family book or dual citizenship as well?

Thanks for the info!

[KittyPollitt 284]

Hi everyone! Just wondering! My son is 2 yrs old we are traveling to Morocco next month! What documents do I need to get a citizenship for him in Morocco? Do you recommend that I do that just in case in the future he wants to go there when he is older. Can we get a family book? I'm an american citizen what can I get? Family book or dual citizenship as well?

Thanks for the info!

Your husband can get his family book over there, but since you guys live in the US, they might tell you it has to be done through the consulate. Pretty sure the only thing you as a US citizen could get is a carte de sejour, which is pretty useless unless you plan on staying longer than 90 days.. Have a nice trip!

[Vanessa1 7]

Your husband can get his family book over there, but since you guys live in the US, they might tell you it has to be done through the consulate. Pretty sure the only thing you as a US citizen could get is a carte de sejour, which is pretty useless unless you plan on staying longer than 90 days.. Have a nice trip!

I actually was just reading on the Moroccan consulate page (out of New York) that they only do family books at the consulate for those Moroccan citizens who were born in the US. Otherwise, the Moroccan citizen needs to get the family book in the city he was born.

[MrsAmera 41]

When you go to Morocco and tell them you live in the US they will tell you the family book must be applied for in the US. They will send everything to Morocco but you can't apply there.

[KittyPollitt 284]

When you go to Morocco and tell them you live in the US they will tell you the family book must be applied for in the US. They will send everything to Morocco but you can't apply there.

Yup, that's what I was trying to say. I guess it's not a bad idea to gather documents while in Morocco to save on postage.. But I was told the same thing when I called the consular section of the Moroccan Embassy in DC when I called them with a barrage of questions last year.

I meant to tell Eternnitty89 that in order to get a family book, you must have an Islamic marriage certificate, both husband and wife's birth certificate, and the baby's birth certificate (both wife's and child's must be translated into Arabic). It's not that expensive when compared to immigration fees, but it's a pain in the rear, especially if the child was born before the marriage- and if the child is over one year old, it must be taken before a judge to be approved.

[momof1 205]

Jenn, I am just curious. Does Morroco have a policy to require military service for males. If for instance, in the future you do get your son Morrocan citizenship, could he be called to do military duty when he is old enough?

Meriem

You can be called for military duty in Algeria even if you aren't a legal Algerian citizen as they recognize citizens as those born to Algerian fathers. It's really a catch 21 for me because if my son travels on his US passport he needs a visa. The embassy won't issue him another visa since he's Algerian. He has Algerian citizenship but by travelling on his Algerian passport he has to have paternal permission to enter and exit the country. There is no paternal permission necessary for travelling on the US passport. Consequently, only registered Algerian citizens can get military exemption from the consulate.

[nejma 3]

When you go to Morocco and tell them you live in the US they will tell you the family book must be applied for in the US. They will send everything to Morocco but you can't apply there.

Yeh, this is another one of those "Depends on who answers the phone at the consulte" issues. My hubby was told he had to apply in his hometown and was ready to do it by getting a power of attorney (Wakala) in Marrakech to take care of it. But then he ended up going there on vacation so did it when he went back home. We were married islamically (here) 5 months after our civil marriage and took care of getting the islamic certificate certified in New York. We didnt send the civil certificate they said not to bother. That was a painless process surprisingly, especially since we were in a time crunch (he was leaving to Maroc in November). They certified it and sent it back within 3 days.

Then - he had to get the family book taken care of in Marrakech. It was a minor PITA and it definitely was based on "who you knew" as I know he had to use his police friends to help him. But it was possible. I remember he had to get the Islamic certificate translated, because it was in English, then he had to get my birth certificate translated. THEN they needed a copy of my drivers license and passport so I had to scan and email that to him. The ended up putting my DL number as my "national id" number instead of my social security number. But whatever made them happy

This was all done before our daughter was born tho. It probably would have been more complicated if we'd waited. We havent registered her yet. That's our next task *sigh*

[msheesha 548]

There may be obvious answers to this that I'm overlooking, but what are the benefits of your child/ren being Moroccan citizens as well?

Also, does anyone know if the process is less complicated if you were married in Morocco?

[Jenn! 918]

There may be obvious answers to this that I'm overlooking, but what are the benefits of your child/ren being Moroccan citizens as well?

The only thing I can think of is not having to worry about residency permits if you plan to live in Morocco for an extended period.

[KittyPollitt 284]

There may be obvious answers to this that I'm overlooking, but what are the benefits of your child/ren being Moroccan citizens as well?

Also, does anyone know if the process is less complicated if you were married in Morocco?

I just want my daughter to have to option to live in Morocco if she chooses, one day

[Jenn! 918]

I wasn't referring to your child. From their instructions it shouldn't be a problem but nothing is ever as simple as it seems. I'm sure you have seen this, but on the Moroccan Consulate's webpage in the FAQ section they say:

What if we have not been married at the Mosque?

In this case you need to call the Consulate at: 212-758-2625 Ext: 238 to get "Moulhak" a necessary document for the issuance of your family book.

I missed this post earlier, thanks for this info. If I understand correctly, then, it is not required to be married at the mosque in order to get the family book. I wonder why they did not tell my husband this at the consulate.

Looks like getting the moulhak is straightforward. I'm sure it will be a piece of cake.

[msheesha 548]

Thanks for the feedback Jenn and Squeaky.

[kristen_maroc 126]

Hey, all.

Quick question... I'm still waiting on NOA2, so I have some time, I guess, but what does it take to get married in a mosque in the US?

I'm thinking that it will go down like this:

- Legal wedding at the courthouse- within a month of my fiance getting to the US

- Mosque wedding within a few weeks of that (just paperwork; nothing big or fancy)

- Big/fancy wedding celebration in 2012

Have you had a hard time as non-Muslims getting married in a mosque in the US? Do you have to convert or say the proclamation of faith?

I'll do what it takes (short of actual heartfelt conversion... I'll only convert if it comes from God, not for papers/a man/whatever) but would like to hear of how others' have done it, particularly in regards to Moroccan paperwork.

Thanks!

k

[Kenza 1]

If you're a woman, it doesn't matter if youre Muslim or not, you just have to be a person of the book- Christian or Jew. Why not just have a certified imam at the mosque marry you and then skip the courthouse ?