I have been gone from Morocco for 20 years. A few years back, I changed my name to an American one. My Moroccan ID and passport have been expired for many years, and I have never registered with the embassy. I might have to pay a visit to morocco in the next year or so, can I go there with a US passport? any issues about the name change? how about the ID deal? I heard that they will ask for it at the moroccan airport! Has anyone dealt with anything like this? Please help!
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/28/2007 05:01 by jtp20039.
Being American you do not need a visa to go to Morocco. However, if you plan to stay over three months then you will have to ask for an extension at the nearest police station. At the airport, just present your American passport plus any other official document just in case. Do not chat to the officer in Moroccan and do like if you were a simple American tourist. It's gonna be fine....enjoy your trip! ..and I was wondering what was the story behind chaniging your name. Not nosy but a bit curious!!
Did you change your last name too ? if not, I'm afraid they will be able to find you in their database thanks to date and location of birth. For moroccan authorities you are still and always moroccan and they will need to identify you as such. But since you have an ID card that's fine, even expired it doesn't matter, all they need is the Id number which is unique and valid for life.
Berkshire has provided the answer already and this is to confirm: All you need is just the C.I.N number and it's even better if you present the expired ID! If you don't have it, you should provide them with the number. In the worst case, You can give them your old name and they should be able to look you up. Now, if you prefer not to, There's nothing they can do, but be jerks, which they choose to sometimes, but you are not obliged to provided anything other than your "American pass". I asked once, and a customs officer, a gentleman, was helpful and said, it's merely a procedure to make sure that tourists, who are not moroccans but do have an arabic name are tracked! Algerians, Tunisians...simple customs routine he explained. have a good trip
hi jtp300: all you need is your Moroccan ID number. I have the same situation, and couple of years ago I represented my American Passport, they asked for a Moroccan ID, I replied that I forgot it at home, and they asked for the ID number. I gave it to them and that was it. You ll be just fine
Thank you for all the replies. To answer some questions, my whole name is changed to an American one. My expired Moroccan id has my Moroccan name on it. I don't really want to renew it unless they put my new name on it, which I highly doubt they would! The only reason I hesitate to not disclose my ties to morocco is the fact that the passport says born in morocco! I read all these horror stories about people being harassed/threatened at the airport for having western names and a Moroccan birth place, so I am not so sure I want to find myself in a situation I could avoid by not going there. Again, thank you for the prompt replies. This is an excellent resource.
A little "heads up !" : I just arrived at Casablanca airport yesterday, the border authorities are a little edgy, they seem to double check everything. However, it always depends on the mood of the cop you'll be dealing with. Best of luck.
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