Booking a room/riad in Morroco while unmarried (french and morrocan couple)

[Gabrielle518]

Hello,

I am French, my boyfriend is Moroccan, we both live in France but he does not have his french id card yet. We want to go to Marrakesh soon, but the law is very confusing. There is actually no law that requires a marriage certificate for booking a room but in reality, staff always ask for it and can refuse services.

How does that works ? Except for booking two rooms, I have no real answers. 

Thank you!

[Helen3]

Why is your  boyfriend who's Moroccan not able to advise you on this @Gabrielle518 ?

This community is for hosts and guests who have questions relating to Airbnb.

[Joelle43]

Hello @Gabrielle518 

There have been several posts on the subject on the French community center and to be honest your question is not an easy one to answer.  I'm sure you have read conflicting articles on the subject and fear I will only be adding to the confusion that reigns amongst Moroccan hosts/hoteliers even today 🙃

The link below written by a Moroccan lawyer dated this year, states that the laws of Morocco supersede any Airbnb regulations and that Airbnb hosts must adhere to the laws of the country and as such unmarried couples are not allowed to share the same room!  

https://westfieldmorocco.blogspot.com/2025/02/airbnb-au-maroc-conformite-juridique-et.html

A link to the subject on the French CC:

https://community.withairbnb.com/t5/Accueillir-vos-voyageurs/Couple-non-marie-maroc/m-p/1918758

Having said this Gabrielle, many moons ago I went on holiday to Morocco with my boyfriend (later became my husband😉) and had no problem booking hotel rooms and we weren't asked to provide a marriage certificate either thank goodness!  However, your situation would seem to be even less clear cut as you have a Moroccan boyfriend and that seems to imply another set of rules.

I would contact the Moroccan consulate/embassy in Paris to ask them if they have any information on the subject for you before booking anything though and also to contact the host to ask them what their position is on unmarried couples sharing the same room.   They are the ones who risk the fines/imprisonment so better to be upfront I think from the beginning.

All the best and let us know what you find out because this is an important topic and one that is difficult to get clear answers.

Joëlle

[Emilie]

Hi @Gabrielle518, 

I hope you are well! Did the information Joelle shared help you better understand how to proceed in regards to your booking?

If you need more help or have any updates, it would be lovely to hear from you 🙂

Emilie