Some tourist destinations continue to impose rules based on conservative traditions, which can raise doubts for those traveling as a couple. If you are thinking of visiting Morocco with your companion and is not yet married, there is good news. Since 2024, hotels have ceased to be officially demanding marriage certificate for couples who want to be together in the same room, a measure that also applies to foreign tourists, according to The Sun.
For decades, this practice has been common in several Moroccan hotel units, based on verbal guidelines and article 490 of the Moroccan Penal Code, which criminalizes out of marriage. Although the ban was rarely applied to international visitors, the risk of embarrassment and refusal was real, especially for Moroccan couples or in reserves made on behalf of local citizens.
Rule applied without legal base
The change officially took place on May 25, 2024, when several hotel units, including five -star hotels in Rabat, received police calls to report that wedding contracts would no longer be required. A hotel official, quoted by the same source, reported: “The police contacted us and reported that the wedding contracts were no longer necessary for unmarried couples.”
This decision arose after statements by Morocco Minister of Justice, Abdellatif Oahbi, who classified the former requirement as illegal, discriminatory and based on “distant past” administrative guidelines. The ruler was clear: “Anyone who continues to request this document is violating the law and may face legal consequences.”
A change that also covers tourists
Until then, many hotels selectively applied the standard: Foreign tourists were generally dismissed from the presentation of proof of marriage, while Moroccan or Mixed couples faced greater scrutiny. Still, the rule was technically in force, and some establishments preferred to reject the reserve by precaution, with fear of sanctions or loss of license.
According to the same source, with the new guidance, the ban disappears to all, regardless of nationality. And that means that if you are on vacation with your partner, you can reserve a double room without any impediment.
End of other restrictions
The revocation of the rule not only covers couples. Single women also began to reserve hotel rooms, even in their residence, something that was recently badly seen and sometimes refused by local establishments.
Moroccan authorities confirmed that these prohibitions never had formal legal support and that they resulted only from internal rules or informal pressures on industry entrepreneurs, as referred to in the same source.
An increasingly accessible tourist destination
This change is part of a broader strategy of modernization and opening of the country, which remains one of the most sought after tourist destinations in North Africa, according to the newspaper. With summers around 35 ° C, desert landscapes and historical Medins, Morocco continues to attract European visitors in search of authentic cultural experiences at affordable prices.
A transition country
Despite the new rules in hotels, article 490 of the Moroccan Penal Code is still in force, which only allows sexual intercourse between married. However, its application is extremely rare and, as this change demonstrates, the trend points to a gradual removal of the most conservative interpretations.
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