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Death Registration
Morocco
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Morocco
Death Registration
Procedure and Certificates
Procedure and Certificates
Place
Where must deaths be reported?
Anywhere
Recommended Practice based on International Guidelines
Registration may be place of occurrence of place of residence. The law should clearly state where deaths must be reported for purposes of registration.Reporting in the place of occurrence usually makes the registration process faster and easier for the informant, and also allows reporting of death at health facilities. Countries with electronic systems for civil registration may allow more flexibility and allow reporting from anywhere the civil registration system can be accessed.
What are the reporting time periods for death registration specified in the law?
30 days
Recommended Practice based on International Guidelines
The time period for reporting a death should be as short as possible, to facilitate accurate and current registration. Time periods vary by country, but are usually 3-5 days. Deaths in health facilities may have a shorter reporting deadlines. It is important to have uniform time periods across the country to register deaths. A late death registration occurs when a death is reported after the legally specified time period but within a grace period, usually one year after death. Delayed registration occurs after the expiry of grace period (after 1 year). Late notification should be permitted with a valid notice of death or alternative documentation that is not too burdensome, such as affidavit of witness or record of burial/cremation. Delayed registration may require additional evidence.
Declarants must report deaths within 30 days of the day following the death. This period is extended to one year for deaths of Moroccans residing abroad, as set out in Decree 2.22.04.
Are there any fees for on-time death registration?
Unclear
Recommended Practice based on International Guidelines
It is not recommended that fee be charged for the timely registration of a death. To encourage registration, the legislation should clearly state that registration of a death within the time period prescribed by the law is free of charge.
Analysis of the legal instruments available to the reviewer did not identify any provisions relevant to this question.
Law Source
Are there any fees or sanctions for late or delayed death registration?
Recommended Practice based on International Guidelines
Fees and sanctions for late or delayed registration discourage and disincentivize registration. If fees are applied to late or delayed registration policymakers should consider a fee-waiver for those for whom fee payment is a hardship. More effective results to increase registration rates are observed through educational programmes aimed at the public. Some countries have opted to impose a penalty for failure to register or, more precisely, refusal to register, rather than impose a fee for late registration.
Analysis of the legal instruments available to the reviewer did not identify any provisions relevant to this question.
Law Source
Information Required at Registration
What is the minimum information required by law to register death?
Minimum information required is in accordance with UN guidance and registrars have discretion to register death without all information
Recommended Practice based on International Guidelines
The information required for legal purposes is minimal, and usually consists of: Name of deceased; place and date of birth; place and date of death; sex; unique personal identifier.
The top portion of the notice of death (the "certificate de décès" (CdD)), which the health sector sends to the civil registrar contains the folliwing information: date and time of death; the current and permanent residence, name, sex , date of birth of the deceased; place of death (region, prefecture, commune), and whether this is a medicolegal death. The Declaration of Death, completed by the family/informant, contains additional information about the deceased. However, Article 39 of the Law on Civil Status (Law 36.21) provides that if the relatives of the deceased fail to declare the death, the civil registrar can register the death based on the information provided by the health facility or local administration when they notified the death (Article 20). Therefore, the information in the top portion of the CdD is the minimum information required to register a death. There is one exception, under Article 38 of Law 36.21, if the identity of the deceased is unknown, the death may still be registered.
What evidence or documents are required for on-time death registration?
Notification of death or other similar document
Recommended Practice based on International Guidelines
Registrars should require proof as to the veracity of the information to be registered. Proof or evidence required for registration must be sufficiently stringent to provide assurance of the accuracy of the information without being so burdensome as to discourage or prevent registration. Documentary evidence is always preferred. Ideally all deaths will have an accurate, detailed medical certificate of cause of death (MCCD). However, in many contexts this will not be possilbe. Lack of MCCD should not prevent death registration; evidence of fact of death should be sufficient to register death. Evidence of fact of death could be a notification of death or other similar document, Witness Statement or other similar evidence.
A death declaration must be accompanied by a notice of death (Certificat de Décès (CdD)) (sent electronically by a doctor or nurse from the BCH; a doctor or nurse working in a public health facility; a doctor working in a private health facility (if the death occurred there) or a private sector doctor designated by the group council responsible for examining the deceased person), or an administrative death certificate sent electronically by the local administrative authority, or a death certificate issued by the compettent authorities of the country where the death occurred (for Moroccans residing abroad), or in the event of an unusual or suspicious death, authorization from the public prosecutor sent electronically. This is set out in Decree 2.22.04's Article 25. Pursuant to Decree 2.22.218, Article 2, the death certificate consists of two parts: an administrative section and section on causes of death. The administration section is the portion required by the civil registrar to register the death. The cause of death section is used for statistical purposes only.
Are there additional or alternative documents required for late or delayed death registration?
Yes
Recommended Practice based on International Guidelines
While late and delayed reporting should be discouraged, the procedures should not be so restrictive as to prevent late and delayed reporting of events. Late registration (within 1-year grace period) can be permitted with notice of death or similar document. If such a notice is not available, the law may stipulate what alternative documentary evidence of fact of death may be accepted, such as affidavit from witness or record of burial or cremation. Declaration delayed by more than one year may require recourse to judicial procedures and decisions. However, to increase death registration rates, consideration should be given to creating a non-judicial procedure for delayed death declaration, with the provision of adequate documentation proving the fact of death.
Law 36.21 allows for the modification of a death certificate if a previously unidentified deceased person is subsequently identified. However, such a modification requires a court decision per Article 38. For other errors and omissions, authorization must be obtained from the central authority (Ministry of the Interior or its delegate) or the courts (depending on the type of error or omission) under Articles 48 and 49 of Law 36.21.
Law 36.21 Article 43 provides that a copy of the electronic civil status certificate is issued by the civil registry office to the person concerned, his ascendants or descendants, amongst others. This provision states that the fees for civil status extracts issued by the civil registrar are specified in accordance with the legislation in force. However, it appears that no other legislation or regulation explicitly addresses the fees associated with the cost of issuing certificates or extracts.
