Hi there.....

Need to know if anyone can help me. I am
wanting to find out what anyone can tell me regarding Moroccan Laws Regarding Divorce.

I have been to Morocco many times and in the process got to know a man there in Rabat.

I know that he has been separated from his wife for many years....yet it has never been finaled or actual divorce received. We have spoken of getting married and at this point I am unwilling to go any further as I feel that I have not received correct information regarding divorce there in Morocco.

Here is what I am needing to know:

My friend said that it is hard for him to get a divorce. He also says that when seeing the judge that they have not granted the divorce for one reason or the other.

He also says that it is very expensive for him to get a divorce that is why he has not been able to do so.

From what I read on the Internet It seems that it is not hard for a man to get a divorce there in Morocco.

So I am sure that you can understand what my concern is here. I care for my friend of many years.....I have a feeling that I am not getting the whole truth regarding divorce in Morocco.

I need answers and the truth regarding divorce policy and procedure.

Is it hard for a man to get a Divorce in Morocco?

Is there reasons that a Judge may not grant a divorce in Morocco?

If you can please give me any information or point me in the right direction to get real answers, I would appreciate it so much. I am in love but also do not want to make a Huge mistake for this reason alone.

Thanks so much,

Photoangela75

Can we get this put in the MENA forum?

yes

Angela, it is not *that* difficult to get a divorce in Morocco. It just takes persistence. Your husband (& his wife) must go in front of the judge 3 times asking for a divorce. The first time they will send them away to "work on their marriage", the 2nd time, they will say "Are you sure?" (sort of), the 3 time, the divorce is usually granted. It would be helpful for the parents of each are present to support the decision.
It can be done and I don't believe there's much expense involved unless he still owes her a mahar (dowry). Then that must be paid. If there are children involved, then there must be a settlement for them too. Good luck. PM me if you have further questions.

hi there,
With the New Family Law, there is no need for the parents to be present. Women who have reached the legal age of adulthood are now recognized as free and independent citizens, no longer under submission to the guardianship of a male member of the family;
To get a divorce is easy nowadays, caus the the husband and the wife are equal in evrything,Under the new code both women and men can file for divorce for “irreconcilable differences” (chiqaq), without showing any proof (2). The courts are obliged to grant the divorce within six months, whereas under the old law divorces could drag on for 10-15 years as women struggled to prove they had been mistreated; they often ended up buying a divorce (kholaa), costing them all their funds and a loss of rights. Four years after its introduction, Morocco's family code has received a positive assessment from the justice ministry. At a conference held Monday (February 11th) in Rabat, Minister of Justice Abdelwahed Radi said the family code has brought with it a number of advances, ensuring that both men and women can enjoy their full rights and dignity.

"It maintains balance in the family," Radi said, "and encourages reconciliation rather than divorce."

According to ministry data, the number of marriages increased by 9% in 2007 compared with 2006, reaching 300,000, whilst the number of divorces decreased: 27,900 cases, giving a slight fall of 1.19%. Divorce by mutual consent, one of the new features to be found in the family law, accounted for nearly 30% of cases in 2007. This kind of divorce indicates the willingness to separate on good terms, which is greatly beneficial to families with children.

Changes made under the code have allowed more women to initiate divorce proceedings. As a result, there were 26,547 applications for divorce by women in 2007, compared with 14,181 lodged by men.

According to justice ministry official Ibrahim Lisser, "People have responded well to the introduction of the family law. The measures contained in the text have not been seen as an obstacle. The increased number of marriages proves this."

it is so easy to get a divorce , and in Morocco we do not know what is separation, there is either divorce or mariage, so i dont beleive in what ur man is saying, because if he doesnt fullfil his duty towards his wife she'll ask for her divorce and he'll be in big troubles and i dont see that is his case. a lot of ppl mask themselves under this NEW WORD "separated". He better look after his family, and if he wants you , he'can get his divorce and be with u and for you.Good luck.

just a question as im just married but how would that work if the woman is here and man in morocco, can he go ahead and do without her appearing all these times and do the questions

I think the OP is referring to a marriage prior to their engagement. IE: My husband was divorced from a Moroccan woman before we met. She is inquiring how it works for her husband to get divorced so they can proceed w/ their relationship. Sounds a little "suspect" since he's saying it's taking a while to get a divorce and is expensive (neither of which are true).

yes realize that, but saying a women in the states and the man can never get here and they decide to divorce can he do it alone or what (and no its not me) just a question

yeah it kind of puts me on edge here..... I have to wonder what his motivations are at this point. Good luck

I agree.

A part of me is saying get out your track shoes and run like the wind. I don't know, but to me this just doesn't pass the VJ smell test.

I normally don't put my nose into these conversations, but.... please remember that marriage to more than one wife is possible and acceptable there. This may be what he is looking for which would cause more than one problem and the US would deny any marriage based petition if he was legally married in Morocco to another wife bc they don't condone (sp?) this practice.

As Noura pointed out a divorce in Morocco is not that difficult to get, but there can be extenuating circumstances not related to the law at all. Divorce might be expensive to get IF he he needs to pay the money contracted in the marriage contract. Families can make getting the divorce difficult, but the law makes it doable.

Since she didn't ask what our take was on the situation...I'll just keep my thoughts to myself and say... it isn't that hard to get divorced there and its really not that expensive unless, like the other girls stated, he still owes a dowry. Be smart, be safe, and most of all be careful.

Amal

This sounds a little fishy to me, why after all this time wouldn't he be divorced? Red flag city!!! Be careful Angela

Actually, my ex-husband, who is morrocan has a friend that married a friend of mine. It took him over two years to divorce because of his needed the wife to agree before a judge. Also, because he still owed her $1500 in dowry he had a hard time finding work to pay it off. They'd been separated for at least 7 years before they met. So to answer your question, each situation is different it may be difficult if the current wife is giving him a hard time and if he owes money.

Hope that helps and good luck.

If he is serious about you, ask him to truly come clean with you as to all the reasons why a divorce hasn't happened yet.

Get to the bottom of it before getting any further. And demand proof once he said it has taken place....the divorce decree. You don't want to invest time and money to only get to the consulate to be told oh he's currently married and has lied to you and us...this they granting him a permanent ban. Ask for the decree...make sure it's stamped. Might be worthwhile speaking with the Moroccan embassy in Washington. the doucments might be in Arabic so you have to find someone you can trust to read them to you. Most likely his wife wont divorce him until he pays the money as outlined in their marriage contract. And he might ask you to pay that.