The Moroccan nationality certificate falls solely within the remit of the competent Moroccan court: the file is lodged with the public prosecutor or forwarded by the consulate. The consulate's recognition attestation does not replace it. For a child born to a Moroccan mother, the date of birth decides. Information checked on 21 October 2026 on consulat.ma.
Costs & fees
| Moroccan nationality certificate | Not stated on consulat.ma: check with the court or the consulate | The fee page that consulat.ma links to could not be opened on 21 October 2026. |
| Nationality recognition attestation | Set by the consulate: check on consulat.ma | Chancery fees depend on the consular tariff in force. |
| Birth recording for a child born on or after 2 April 2007 | Set by the consulate: check on consulat.ma | No amount is given here because no official source could be opened. |
Timeline
Tell the certificate and the attestation apart
Two documents have similar names but not the same scope. The nationality certificate falls solely within the remit of the competent Moroccan court. The recognition attestation is issued by the consular services on the basis of Moroccan identity documents, only to ease certain urgent administrative procedures in the host country. The consulate states that it never replaces the certificate. Properly issued passports are not a nationality certificate within the meaning of Article 33 of the Moroccan Nationality Code either. So note the exact name of the document that the requesting authority asks for.
⚠️ Warning: A properly issued passport is not a nationality certificate within the meaning of Article 33 of the Moroccan Nationality Code.
Be registered with the consulate
The consular registration certificate is among the documents for the nationality certificate, and also for the recognition attestation. If you are not yet in the consular register, registration therefore comes before both requests. Our guide on consular registration walks through it. The other identity documents requested are the national ID card (CNIE) or the passport, original and copy, for the certificate, and the family booklet or the old identity and civil status booklet for the attestation.
💡 Tip: Our guide covers registration: /en/guides/moroccan-consular-registry-registration.
Gather the documents for the nationality certificate
According to consulat.ma, the file contains the consular registration certificate, the CNIE or passport (original and copy), the marriage certificate for spouses, the family booklet (original and copy) for minors without a CNIE, and the nationality certificate application on the form provided. Put these together before filing. Original and copy are both requested for the identity document and the family booklet. If your situation falls outside this list, for example a child born to a Moroccan mother, check the consulate's dedicated page, since the documents differ.
Choose where to file
There are two routes. The first is a direct filing in Morocco, with the public prosecutor at the court of first instance of the applicant's last home in Morocco or place of birth; failing that, with the public prosecutor at the court of first instance of Rabat. The second is a filing with the consular services, which forward the file to the competent court in Morocco. In both cases the decision rests with the Moroccan court, not with the consulate.
⚠️ Warning: The consulate does not issue the certificate itself: it forwards the file to the competent court.
Ask for the recognition attestation
If an authority in your host country asks for proof of nationality in an urgent procedure, the consulate can issue this attestation on the basis of Moroccan identity documents. You present the consular registration, the CNIE or passport, and the family booklet or the old identity and civil status booklet. It exists only to ease certain urgent administrative procedures in the host country. It does not replace the nationality certificate, which remains a matter for the Moroccan court and follows the judicial route described above.
Child of a Moroccan mother and a foreign father: the date of birth
For a child born to a Moroccan mother and a foreign father, the birth must be recorded in the Moroccan civil status registers. The procedure depends on the date of birth. For a child born before 2 April 2007, which consulat.ma gives as the date the nationality code was published, the recording requires a Moroccan nationality certificate. For a child born on or after 2 April 2007, the birth is recorded directly with the consular services, without a nationality certificate.
💡 Tip: For nationality transmission in general: /en/guides/moroccan-nationality-children-born-abroad.
Build the file for a child born before 2 April 2007
The documents listed by consulat.ma are: an identity document for the child (for example an ID card, residence permit, passport or birth extract); the full copy of the child's birth certificate, showing the link to the mother; the full copy of the Moroccan mother's birth certificate, less than six months old; a photocopy of the mother's CNIE, certified by the consular services; two photos of the child; and a copy of the marriage certificate where relevant. The application goes to the public prosecutor or is sent through the consulate.
⚠️ Warning: The full copy of the mother's birth certificate must be less than six months old.
In depth
The Moroccan nationality certificate follows a judicial route. Consulat.ma states that the file can be lodged directly in Morocco with the public prosecutor at the court of first instance of the applicant's last home in Morocco or place of birth. If neither applies, the court of first instance of Rabat is the one concerned. An applicant living abroad can also go to the consular services, which forward the file to the competent court. Minors without a CNIE rely on the family booklet, and spouses on the marriage certificate.
The recognition attestation meets a different need. The consulate draws it up from Moroccan identity documents, to ease certain urgent administrative procedures in the country of residence. The consulate is firm on one point: it never replaces the nationality certificate. The exact name of the document the authority asks for therefore determines which procedure applies.
Children of a Moroccan mother and a foreign father are handled separately. Recording the birth in the Moroccan civil status registers is the condition set by the consulate. Before 2 April 2007, it requires a nationality certificate, so the judicial route described above, with specific documents: birth certificates of the child and the mother, the mother's certified CNIE, two photos. From that date on, the recording is made directly with the consulate. For the other ways nationality is transmitted, our dedicated guide complements this page.
❌ Common mistakes to avoid
- ✕A passport, even properly issued, is not a nationality certificate within the meaning of Article 33 of the Moroccan Nationality Code.
- ✕The recognition attestation serves urgent administrative procedures in the host country; it never replaces the nationality certificate.
- ✕The consulate does not rule on the certificate: the file is forwarded to the competent Moroccan court.
- ✕For a child of a Moroccan mother born on or after 2 April 2007, the birth is recorded directly with the consulate, without a nationality certificate.
- ✕For a child born before 2 April 2007, the recording requires a Moroccan nationality certificate, and the mother's full birth copy must be less than six months old.
🔗 Official links and resources
Nationality certificate (consulat.ma)
Filing route, competent court and documents for the certificate.
Nationality recognition attestation (consulat.ma)
Scope and documents of the attestation issued by the consulate.
Nationality certificate for children of a Moroccan mother and a foreign father (consulat.ma)
Rule by date of birth and list of documents.
LesMRE guide: consular registration
Registering with the consular register, a document common to both requests.
LesMRE guide: Moroccan nationality for children born abroad
Transmission of nationality, overview.
❓ Frequently asked questions
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