DISCLAIMER: The information in this circular relating to the legal requirements of specific foreign countries is provided for general information only questions involving interpretation of specific foreign laws should be addressed to foreign counsel.

NOTE: The information contained in this flyer is intended as an introduction to adoption in the Morocco. It is not intended as a legal reference. Currently there are no international or bilateral treaties in force between Morocco and the United States dealing with international adoption.

General Adoption Information

The adoption of a Moroccan child by United States citizens who wish to raise the child in the United States is a complex project, largely because it involves satisfying the requirements of several government agencies, both in the U.S. and in Morocco. We suggest that U.S. citizens wishing to adopt begin by contacting the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) District Office for their area. INS can provide you with detailed information concerning the requirements and procedures involved in adopting a child from overseas. At the same time, we encourage you to familiarize yourself with the adoption laws in your state. Once it is clear to you that your family can meet the requirements of both INS and your state of residence, you may begin the process of identifying a child you would like to adopt.

Legal "Adoption" in Morocco

In can be quite difficult to adopt a child in Morocco. However, there are several orphanages in Morocco that have a record of arranging for the adoption by non-Moroccans of Moroccan children. These orphanages issue specially worded adoption decrees to foreigners that allow the child to be raised by the "adoptive" parents and to be taken out of Morocco.

In order to adopt a child in Morocco, you must become officially Moslem and obtain a document to that effect from the appropriate religious authorities in Morocco. Statements asserting that Moslem beliefs are held by an American from any religious authorities outside Morocco will not be honored. You must also demonstrate to the satisfaction of the Moroccan authorities that you were resident in Morocco prior to your adoption of a Moroccan child. There is no set time period for residence, which means that Moroccan authorities can essentially decide at will who is and who is not a qualified resident.

The paperwork involved in Moroccan adoption is extensive and time-consuming to obtain. Documents required include birth certificates, marriage certificates, and divorce decrees, which should all be either original documents or certified copies.

Employment attestations and bank statements may also be requested. Other documents may be requested as well, and requirements may change without notice and from one case to the next. Translation of documents requires both time and significant expense, especially for lengthy legal documents such as divorce decrees. All translations must be performed in Morocco.

Once the adoption decree is obtained, it can serve as the basis for requesting the Moroccan government to issue the child a Moroccan passport. Obtaining a Moroccan passport takes a minimum of six weeks, and can take even longer.

The adoption decree can also serve as the basis for filing a petition with the INS requesting their clearance for the child to enter the U.S. as an immigrant. This petition should be filed in the United States at the office of the INS having jurisdiction over the petitioner's place of residence. If the petitioner is residing inside Morocco, the petition can be filed at the U.S. Consulate General in Casablanca. Since the petition is mailed to the INS regional office in Madrid, Spain, processing time for this petition is at least two months, and can be even longer.

If INS approves the petition, it will be forwarded to the Consulate-General in Casablanca, the only U.S. immigrant visa issuing post in Morocco. The consular officer in Casablanca will explain the requirements for obtaining a U.S. immigrant visa, which if issued will allow the child to travel to the U.S. for permanent residence.

Please Note: A foreign country's determination that the child is an orphan does not guarantee that the child will be considered an orphan under the U.S. Immigration and Nationality Act. For more specific information on adoption in Morocco, please contact an attorney familiar with Moroccan laws or the Embassy of the Kingdom of Morocco.

Specific questions regarding child custody in Morocco may be addressed to:

Embassy of the Kingdom of Morocco
1605 21st Street, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20009

Phone: (202) 462-7979 to 7982
Fax Number: (202) 265-0161

U.S. Consulate General

Consular Section
8 Boulevard Moulay Youssef
Casablanca, Morocco

Phone: [212] (2) 26-45-50
Fax Number: [212] (2) 20-41-27

or

Consular Section
U.S. Consulate General
PSC 74
Box 24
APO AE 06718

For further information on international adoption, contact the Office of Children's Issues at 202-736-7000, visit our home page on the Internet at http://travel.state.gov, or send a nine-by-twelve-inch, self-addressed envelope to:

Office of Children's Issues
2401 E Street, N.W.
Room L127
Washington, D.C. 20037
Phone: (202) 736-7000
Fax: (202) 312-9743

In addition, the State Department publishes Consular Information Sheets for every country in the world, providing information such as location of the U.S. Embassy, health conditions, political situations, and crime reports. When situations in a country are sufficiently serious, the State Department issues Travel Warnings which recommend U.S. citizens avoid traveling to a country. These documents are available on the internet at http://travel.state.gov or by calling the State Department's Office of Overseas Citizen Services at (202) 647-5225.

Information on immigrant visas is available from the State Department's Visa Office, at (202) 663-1225. This 24 hour automated system includes options to speak with consular officers during business hours for questions not answered in the recorded material. Application forms and petitions for immigrant visas are available from the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service, the nearest office of which is listed in the federal pages of your telephone book, under U.S. Department of Justice.

© October 1999