Introduction
The aposltle is a certificate which authenticates the origin of the public acts intended to be presented in another State.
The apostille certificate is intended to confirm the veracity and the authenticity of the signature, the seal affixed on the document and the quality of the signatory of the act. However, it does not mean that the contents of the document are correct or that the proper authorities approve them.
Since August 2016, Moroccan nationals residing in a great number of countries (see list on www.apostille.ma) do not need to legalize a certain number of Moroccan public acts (administrative or legal documents) intended for an administrative use in their home countries.
The new simplified procedure requires only one formality which consists of the delivery, by the proper Moroccan authorities, of a certificate called “Apostille”; which will be enclosed with the documents that need to be legalized (see sample on www.apostille.ma).
This procedure is also valid for the foreign public acts intended for the Moroccan administration.
It avoids the long and costly travel of citizens in the various legalization services, in foreign embassies and consulates in Rabat and in the different ministries.
The issuance of the apostille for Moroccan public documents to be produced abroad, is carried out by the following Moroccan authorities according to the nature of the acts:
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Acts produced by judicial authorities (see list on www.apostille.ma )
- The Attorney General of the King at the Court of Cassation or his representative, for acts established by an authority or by an official under that jurisdiction;
- The Attorneys of the King to the courts of first instance or their representatives for the acts established by the heads of the courts of the Kingdom including those pertaining to the public prosecutor's office, as well as for acts established by the clerks and notaries;
- The Secretary General of the Ministry of Justice or his representative for acts established by the Central Administration of the said Ministry.
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Acts under jurisdiction of the provincial and prefectural authorities: (see list on www.apostille.ma)
The Walis and Governors or their representatives at provincial and prefectural levels, for the acts issued by the administrative authorities and the private deeds referred to by the registration services or those legalized by the Administrative competent Authorities.
Procedure
- A written request must be submitted (see model type); or, an online application on the website www.apostille.ma, set up by the Ministries of the Interior and Justice. (See form on the Site).
- Consult the indicative list of documents that may be subject to this formality on the site . See the full list of countries affected by this procedure on the site.
- Apostilles are issued only on the original signatures .
N.B :
- It is always possible for the receiving administration to investigate the authenticity of the document or the data contained in the document submitted.
Reference:
Convention of The Hague of October 5, 1961 removing the requirement of the legalization of the foreign public acts.
The conventions of Morocco and signatory states of such convention (110 countries in 2017) are in force from 14 August 2016.
For countries that are not signatories of the said convention or have expressed reservations, the usual document legalization procedure remains in force (see section "Legalization of signatures and Certification of Conformity of documents").
