Getting Married in Morocco for Foreigners
This is an up-to-date comprehensive guide which covers everything you need to know about getting married in Morocco for foreigners, including: what paperwork is required from your home country and how to obtain it, the documents you will need to obtain in Morocco, information about finding an adoul and the steps involved after submitting your paperwork for marriage.
Make sure you are prepared before coming to Morocco
- How long it takes to get married in Morocco.
- Book your Embassy Appointment.
- Documents to prepare before coming to Morocco
- Arranging Moroccan Certified translations
- Finding an Adoul
After you have arrived in Morocco 
- The documents you will obtain in Morocco
How long it takes to get Married in Morocco?
The length of time needed to marry in Morocco varies and depends on how prepared you are prior to coming to Morocco and while in Morocco quickly obtaining all the documents required for marriage including if you are non-Muslim male you will additionally need to obtain a certificate of conversion to Islam.
We provide In-Person assistance for you to be prepared with what you need to bring from your country, getting document translations before you arrive in Morocco, when you are in Morocco we assist with legalizing your embassy documents, health certificate, Moroccan police record, same day translations so you will have a complete file to submit to the laywer/courts.
After submitting your paperwork to the lawyer/courts for marriage it will take between 2-3 weeks to complete the process and obtain your Moroccan marriage certificate.
Book your Embassy Appointment
You will need to visit your consulate or embassy in Morocco to obtain;
- Capacity to Marriage also known as the Affirmation for marriage.
- Affidavit of Nationality also known as Citizenship Certificate
- Notarized Copy of your passport.
Your Embassy will require you to book an appointment prior to visiting to obtain those documents.
Booking this appointment should be your first step in your planning when coming to Morocco for marriage due to the availability of appointments.
Many embassies allocate a limited number of booking slots per month and they can quickly fill up. Sometimes it can be weeks and up to months for an available appointment slot.
Select your country below for a direct link to their calendar to view available slots and book your appointmen
The United States Consulate is located in Casablanca, Morocco.
📍 8 Bd Moulay Youssef, Casablanca 20250
To obtain the Affidavit of Nationality, Certificate of Capacity and the Notarized Copy of your passport from the US Consulate in Casablanca, Morocco you must book an appointment for Notarial Services.
To check availability and to schedule an appointment visit https://evisaforms.state.gov/Instructions/ACSSchedulingSystem.asp
There are 2 British Embassy’s in Morocco located in Rabat and Marrakech.
📍 Rabat – 28 Avenue S.A.R. Sidi Mohammed, Souissi 10105, Rabat
📍 Marrakech – 292, Marrakech 40000
To obtain the Affidavit of Nationality, Certificate of Capacity and the Notarized Copy of your passport from the British Embassy in Rabat or Marrakech you must book an appointment for Notarial Services.
To check availability and to schedule an appointment visit;
Rabat Appointments: https://www.book-consular-appointment.service.gov.uk/TimeSelection?location=52&service=13
Marrakech Appointments: https://www.book-consular-appointment.service.gov.uk/TimeSelection?location=54&service=13
Unfortunately we have yet to add your countries Embassy contact details and instructions on how to book the appointment.
Please contact us and we will provide relevant information for your country.
Documents you need to obtain in your country before coming to Morocco for marriage and how to obtain them.
The next step is preparing the paperwork that you will bring from your country that is required for marriage here in Morocco. For the most part this process is not very difficult and in most cases can be completed fast.
You will need to obtain the following documents from your country and bring them with you to Morocco for the marriage process.
- A Certified Copy of your Original Birth Certificate.
- Your Criminal Record.
- Letter of Employment.
- Your last 3 pay slips.
- Divorce Certificate (if previously married)
1. Certified Copy of your Original Birth Certificate
You can order a Certified copy of your Birth Certificate from the General Register office or Births, Deaths and Marriages office depending on the process of your country. We have included instructions on where and how to do this below.
2. Your Criminal Record
You will need to obtain a current Criminal Record from your country to get married in Morocco. Ensure you obtain the correct type of criminal record from that is accepted here in Morocco. Select your country below for further information.
Birth Certificate
Your USA Birth Certificate for the purposes for getting married in Morocco can ordered online using the service VitalChek.
When going through the questions to order the certificate you will be asked; What will you be using this certificate for? Select the reason: Marriage (International).
For delivery of the birth certificate you may be asked if you need it delivered by email pdf for you to print or delivered to your home. You must ensure you get the physical Birth Certificate that your state will issue delivered to your home address and NOT delivered by email pdf file.
Criminal Record
The type of Criminal Record required for getting married in Morocco for USA Citizens is the FBI Identity History Summary/Rap Sheet. You can submit your request directly to the FBI here https://www.edo.cjis.gov/
Birth Certificate
A Certified copy of your British Birth Certificate for the purposes for getting married in Morocco can ordered online directly from the General Registers Office.
To apply for your Birth Certificate online you will need to provide a GRO index reference number during the application. The UK GOV will charge an additional fee to search for this number and it will cause a delay in obtaining the certificate.
We recommend using the website FreeBMD website to look up your GRO Index Reference number before applying for your Birth Certificate.
Criminal Record
The type of Criminal Record required for British Citizens getting married in Morocco is the ACRO Police Certificate.
Unfortunately we don’t have specific information available to order the Birth Certificate or Criminal Record available on our website currently.
Please contact us and advise your country and we will provide you with the relevant information.
3. Letter of Employment
A letter from your employer written on the businesses letter head and be signed. The letter should include the following details:
- When you started working at the company.
- Your role within the company.
- How much you are paid per annum (yearly salary).
If you are self-employed or a student please contact us for further information.
4. Your Last 3 Pay slips
You will need to provide the last 3 pay slips from your employer. The most recent one being issued the month before you are coming to Morocco.
And as far as the documents coming from your home country that’s it!
5. Divorce Certificate
If you were previously married before you will need to provide your divorce certificate.
Translation of your documents – Be prepared and submit your documents for Certified Arabic Translations before coming to Morocco.
In Morocco documents for the marriage process must be in Arabic. This means all your original English documents and those that you will obtain from your embassy must be translated into Arabic. They must be translated in Morocco using Certified and Sworn Moroccan Translators.
To save your time and one less thing to worry about when in Morocco we recommend submitting your Birth Certificate, Criminal Record (Home Country), and Proof of Income/Employment for Arabic translation before you come to Morocco. The documents will be translated to Arabic and available for pickup from our office near Rabat as soon as you arrive here.
In Morocco you will obtain your Certificate of Capacity to Marry, Affidavit of Nationality when you attend your embassy/consulate appointment.
We accept those documents emailed to us for same-day translation (after they have been legalized).
The certified Arabic Translations can then collected on the same day along with the other documents you submitted for Arabic translations before coming to Morocco.
Submitting your documents to us for translation before coming to Morocco and submitting your embassy documents for translation quickly by email here will ensure you’re more prepared and save your time when you are here in Morocco.
For more information and to submit your documents for certified Arabic translations visit our Certified Moroccan Translations or email help@marriageinmorocco.com
Find an Adoul
Adouls are officials in Morocco who are authorized to perform certain legal formalities, particularly relating to marriage.
You will only be able to use an adoul from the city in which your Moroccan partners identity card is registered. This will also be the city you will marry.
For example if the address on your partners card is listed as Casablanca they must find an adoul from this city as the documents will be submitted to the court in the same city as that listed on your partners identification card.
Adouls are responsible for the following;
- Receiving your documents and ensuring they are all correct.
- Submitting your documents to the court.
- Liaising with the court throughout the process.
- Notifying you when you need to organize your police interview (more information about this part later in the guide! – nothing to worry about!)
- Answering any of your questions throughout the process.
- Receiving back from the court the “Permission Granted for Marriage”.
- And finally write your Marriage contract and provide copies to both you and your partner.
How much you should pay for an adoul
The price for an adoul to complete everything for mixed marriage in Morocco should be between 800 – to a maximum of 1300 Moroccan Dirhams.
There are some adouls unfortunately that will try to take advantage of foreigners/mixed marriages and will request much more then this.
Finding an adoul before coming to Morocco
If your partner can make enquiries before you come to Morocco and to find a suitable adoul, they will be able to talk to the adoul and fix a reasonable price together. Your partners family will be helpful in this process to keep the price at what would be expected for Moroccans dealing with each other.
This will save you both more time with the marriage process, finding an adoul before you arrive in Morocco, so you’ll just need to attend their office and submit all your paperwork.
Finding an adoul when you are in Morocco
You can find the adoul together when you are in Morocco by visiting a few different ones to find one that is suitable and will offer a reasonable price. It will add a bit of time going place to place. Don’t accept the first offer you get from an adouls office, you should get at least 2-3 different prices and feel comfortable with the adoul you finally choose together.
What you need to do when you’re in Morocco.
We provide In-Person Assistance with all of the following documents and formalities listed below which must be completed in Morocco.
Using In Person Assistance we will save you time, uncomplicate the process of Marriage in Morocco and get everything you need prepared fast.
The following is a list of what you need to do when you are here in Morocco for obtaining the documents you will submit for marriage in Morocco:
- Attend your Embassy Appointment.
- Legalize your Embassy documents.
- Submit your Embassy documents for Arabic translation.
- Obtain your Moroccan Criminal Record.
- Visit a doctor for your Certificate of Good Health.
- 4 Morocco Sized Passport Photos.
- Collect your Arabic Translations.
- Conversion to Islam (men only)
1. Attending your Embassy Appointment
This appointment is very important. Try to arrive earlier to your embassy appointment incase of any traffic delays etc.
Your embassywill provide the following 2 or 3 documents. It varies on the embassy of your country.
- Affirmation of Marriage.
- Notarized copy of your Passport.
- Certificate of Nationality/Citizenship.*
2. Legalize your Embassy Documents
After you obtain your documents from the embassy you must get them legalized in Rabat by the Moroccan Ministry of Interior.3. Submit your Embassy documents for Arabic Translation.
With our Certified Translation Services you can send us photos of your embassy documents after they have been legalized. We will translate them on the same day.
If you have previously submitted your home country documents before you came to Morocco you will be collecting all these and your embassy certified Arabic translations on the same day.
4. Moroccan Criminal Record
You will need to visit the Ministry of Justice in Rabat to obtain your Moroccan Criminal Record. The application form is in Arabic/French and you’ll need to provide photocopies of your passport with the application. Depending on the time you submit this application the record will be ready within 1 to 3 days.5. Certificate of Good Health
You will need to visit an authorized doctor to obtain your Moroccan Certificate of Good Health. In Morocco most doctors don’t use booking systems so it’s usually first come, first served bases so try to be early to get your number!6. 4 Moroccan Sizes Passport Photos
There are many photo shops in most cities to take and print your photos. They must be the same size as those issued to Moroccans for their passport.7. Collect your Arabic Translations
If you submitted your documents before coming to Morocco they will be available for collection on the day you arrive. If you are also submitting your Embassy documents for same-day Arabic translation they will be ready for pickup. Our staff will provide information to you on where to pickup the translations & if you are using our In Person Assistance our staff will be with you to pick up these together and ensure you have everything else in order.7. Conversion to Islam
According to Moroccan marriage law the male spouse must be Muslim to get married in Morocco. If you are not Muslim you will need to convert to Islam and obtain the Certificate of Conversion to Islam document here in Morocco.
If you need to obtain this document we are able to provide this for you in Morocco. Visit our In Person Assistance services for further information.
After you have completed the steps on this page you will have a complete file to submit to the adoul who will finalize your marriage within 2-3 weeks.
Court Certified Arabic Translations of all your documents