Moroccan documents for Spanish immigration: a practical guide

Moroccan documents are valid in Spain if they carry the Hague apostille, issued in Morocco, and a sworn translation into Spanish, since they are issued in Arabic or French. There is no need to go through the Spanish consulate to legalise them.

This guide brings together what Moroccan nationals are most often asked for in immigration and nationality procedures, and the right order so you do not repeat steps. A note for those coming from Algeria is at the end.

Which documents you will be asked for

It depends on the procedure, but one of these almost always appears:

• Criminal record certificate (fiche anticipée du casier judiciaire): for arraigo, initial residence and nationality.
• Birth certificate (full copy): for nationality, family reunification and links with children.
• Marriage certificate: to reunify a spouse, for residence as family of a Spanish citizen or the EU family member card.
• Divorce judgment or certificate, if there was an earlier marriage.
• Valid passport, which is neither apostilled nor translated.

The criminal record certificate

Where to request it. At the court of first instance of your place of birth or, online, on the Moroccan Ministry of Justice portal (casierjudiciaire.justice.gov.ma).

From Spain. Three options: the online request, asking a relative in Morocco with an authorisation or power of attorney, or enquiring at your consulate. Allow weeks, not days, if a relative is involved and the original must be sent.

Which period it covers. The Immigration Regulation asks for records from the countries where you lived in the five years before entering Spain. If you lived in another country as well as Morocco during that time, you need that one too.

Validity. It is accepted up to about three months old. With apostille and translation in between, file as soon as everything is ready.

The apostille

Morocco is a party to the 1961 Hague Convention, so its public documents are apostilled in Morocco by the competent Moroccan authority and need no consular legalisation.

Remember:

• The apostille is always issued by the country that issued the document. A Moroccan document cannot be apostilled in Spain.
• Each document carries its own apostille.
• Get the apostille before translating.

If you hold old documents legalised under the previous system, ask before assuming they are valid: you will usually be asked for a recent, apostilled one.

The sworn translation

Documents in Arabic or French must be translated into Spanish by a sworn translator-interpreter appointed by the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, or through a consular translation.

• If the document is bilingual Arabic-French, the translator works from the language of their appointment and translates the full content.
• The translation includes the apostille and all stamps.
• There are fewer sworn translators for Arabic than for French: book early.

More in sworn translation for Spanish immigration.

Problem number one: transcription of the name

Moroccan names are written in Arabic and transcribed into the Latin alphabet, not always the same way: Mohamed, Mohammed, Mouhamed; Benali or Ben Ali. Some older certificates also lack a surname or carry a presumed date of birth.

For the Spanish Administration, two spellings are two people until proven otherwise. To avoid it:

1. Take your passport as the reference. Its spelling governs.
2. Send the translator a copy of the passport before they start.
3. If the birth or marriage certificate does not match the passport, ask your consulate for a certificate of concordance or have the Moroccan civil register corrected.
4. Check your parents' and spouse's names too: they appear in several documents.

Birth and marriage certificates

• Ask for the full copy, not an extract, unless the procedure says otherwise.
• It should be recent: nationality and reunification usually require certificates issued within the last few months.
• The marriage certificate must clearly show the date, the spouses and any later annotations.
• If you were married before, you will need proof that marriage was dissolved.

The order that saves time

1. Valid passport: if it expires in under a year, renew it first.
2. Request the certificates in Morocco.
3. Have them apostilled there.
4. Receive the originals in Spain.
5. Sworn translation, with the passport to hand.
6. File while the criminal record is still valid.

Our Morocco guide keeps the links and country notes up to date.

If you come from Algeria

Algeria uses diplomatic legalisation: the criminal record extract (bulletin no. 3), requested online or at the court, is legalised at the Algerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and then at the Spanish consulate. A sworn translation from Arabic or French is equally necessary. See the Algeria guide.

For other countries of origin, see the country guides: the system changes from one to another.

Common mistakes

• Bringing the document without an apostille and finding out in Spain.
• Translating in Morocco with a translator who is not sworn in Spain.
• Different spellings of the name in passport, certificate and translation.
• An expired criminal record from waiting for the rest.
• An extract instead of the full copy of the birth certificate.
• Not providing the divorce from an earlier marriage.

Frequently asked questions

Can I request my Moroccan criminal record without travelling?

Yes: online or through an authorised relative. The document must then be apostilled in Morocco and sent to Spain.

Can the Moroccan consulate in Spain issue the apostille?

No. The apostille is issued by the competent authority in Morocco. The consulate can help with certificates of concordance and other consular matters.

My document is in French. Must it still be translated?

Yes. The Spanish Administration requires Spanish.

I have been in Spain six years. Do I need a Moroccan record?

For arraigo, if you have stayed here continuously for the last five years, the rule exempts you. For other procedures, such as nationality, it is still required.

Is the translation from an earlier procedure still valid?

Only if it accompanies the same document and that document is still valid. A new certificate needs its own translation.

Your next step

Take the free test, also available in Arabic and French, to find out exactly which documents your procedure requires. If you have doubts about a certificate or apostille, send a photo to Resi.