Summary

Morocco

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Morocco Summary

Morocco

Civil Registration System

In Morocco, the primary governing legislation, Law 36.21 of 2021 on Civil Status, is a modern legal instrument. The Ministry of the Interior supervises civil registrars and civil registry offices, and the system is decentralized, with civil registry offices located in every municipality. The law provides for a national digital civil registration system, and all civil status offices in the country are networked with the central electronic register. Practices and procedures are uniform throughout the country, based on national law and decrees. Civil registrars are empowered to register events and issue certificates, but at present the local civil registrar has no authority to correct minor errors or add omitted information on its own.  

Does the law designate a national level agency responsible for civil registration?

Yes. Ministry of the Interior.

Does the law provide for a uniform process to complete civil registrations across the country?

Yes

At what level of civil division are primary registration offices located?

Municipality level

Does the law establish, or authorize the establishment of, secondary civil registration offices under the jurisdiction of the primary civil registration office?

Yes

Is the local civil registrar empowered by law to register vital events? If yes, do they have the power to issue certificates of registration?

Yes, civil registrar empowered to register vital events and issue certificates

Does the law require the local civil registration office to transmit registration records to the national civil registration authority on a regular and timely basis?

Yes

Does the law provide for a right and a process to appeal a decision of a civil registrar?

Yes a right to and process for appeal is provided for

Does the law authorize the local civil registrar to use mobile registration to reach remote or rural areas?

No

Does the law require that the civil registration authority share data with the agency responsible for producing vital statistics, on a regular and timely basis?

No

Does the law block the use of technology, such as electronic collection, transmission and storage of data, within the civil registration system?

No

Is there a national coordinating committee to address issues on the functioning of the civil registration system and its integration with other systems, such as the health sector, vital statistics, national identity system, medicolegal death investigation, and others?

No
Birth Registration

Morocco’s primary legislation governing birth registration is Law 36.21 of 2021 on Civil Status. While birth registration is mandatory for all Moroccan citizens, foreigners, as they are termed in the law, are allowed to register births that occur in Morocco, but they are not required to do so. The birth registration procedure is two-step. When a birth occurs in a health facility or other institution, the head of the facility is required to notify the birth. When a birth occurs outside a health facility, the local administrative authority is responsible for notifying. The law designates the father or mother as the primary informant. Only after the declarant has declared the birth is the event registered. It is unclear if there are fees for on-time birth registration.  

Is birth registration available and compulsory for all births occurring within the country's jurisdiction?

No

Does the law provide a clear definition of live birth? If yes, does the definition accord with international guidelines?

No live birth is not defined by law

Where must births be reported?

Anywhere

What are the reporting periods for birth registration specified in law?

30 days

Are there any fees for on-time birth registration?

Unclear

Is the original birth certificate provided free of charge?

Unclear

Who is designated as the primary informant for births occurring in health facilities?

Either parent

Who is designated the primary informant for births occurring outside health facilities?

Either parent

Are there additional or alternative documents required for late or delayed birth registration?

Yes

Is a Unique Personal Identifier (UPI) assigned at birth registration for every child born in the country?

UPI assigned at birth registration but only to citizens
Death Registration

Law 36.21 of 2021 on Civil Status governs the registration of deaths in Morocco, as do Decree 2.22.04 and Decree 2.22.218. While death registration is mandatory for all Moroccan citizens, foreigners, as they are termed in the law, are allowed to register deaths that occur in Morocco, but they are not required to do so. The death registration procedure is two-step. Under the legal framework, when a death occurs in a healthcare facility, the facility director is required to notify the death to the civil registrar by completing the certificate de décès (CdD) (or death certificate). For deaths that occur outside a health facility, the local administrative authority is required to ask a doctor or nurse from the communal health bureau (BCH) to confirm the death and the deceased’s identity and to notify the death.  That doctor or nurse completes the CdD. To register the death, the declarant must report the death to the civil registry office. It is unclear if there are fees for on time death registration.  

Is death registration available and compulsory for all events occurring in the country's jurisdiction?

No

Where must deaths be reported?

Anywhere

Does the law provide a clear definition of death? If yes, does the definition accord with international guidelines?

No death is not defined by law

What are the reporting time periods for death registration specified in the law?

30 days

Who is designated as the primary informant for natural deaths that occur in a health facility?

Nearest relative

Are there any fees for on-time death registration?

Unclear

Who is designated primary informant for natural deaths occurring outside a health facility?

Nearest relative

Are there additional or alternative documents required for late or delayed death registration?

Yes

What role do local leaders or local authorities have in the registration process for deaths that occur in the community?

Notification

Does the law link retirment of a UPI and/or identity credential to death registration?

Is the original death certificate provided free of charge?

Unclear
Cause of Death

Decree 2.22.04 and Decree 2.22.218 govern cause of death certification.  Law 77-17 on the Organization of the Exercise of Forensic Medicine requires the forensic doctor working with investigators to draft a report including the probable cause of death, which is sent to the judicial authorities. In practice, when an unnatural death occurs the police will contact the Community Health Bureau (BCH) or a medical faculty (in urban areas) to conduct the post-mortem or autopsy and complete the medical certificate of cause of death. 

Does the law require a cause of death (CoD) to register a death?

No

Does the law clearly state who is responsible for medically certifying cause of death, for natural deaths occurring in a health facility?

Yes

Does the law designate a certifier of cause of death, for natural deaths occurring under medical supervision but outside a health facility?

Yes

Does the law provide a form to certify cause of death? If yes, does the form accord with WHO Medical Certificate of Cause of Death Form?

Yes the law provides a form for certifying cause of death that accords with WHO standard MCCD Form

Does the law clearly state who is responsible for medically certifying cause of death when deaths are unnatural or suspicious, or otherwise referred to the MLDI authority?

No

Does the standard form death certificate include cause of death information?

No

Does the law allow for the use of verbal autopsy when there is no MCCD?

No
Stillbirth Reporting

Stillbirths are not defined in Law 36.21 or its implementing decrees. They are reported to the civil registration system and recorded in the death register pursuant to that law. The health sector plays a notification role for stillbirths that occur in their facilities. 

Does the law provide a definition of fetal death? If yes, does the definition of fetal death accord with international guidelines?

No

Does the law provide a definition of, or criteria for stillbirth? If yes, does the definition of or criteria for stillbirth accord with international guidelines?

Unclear

What system(s) are used to report stillbirths?

Civil registration

Is stillbirth registration available and compulsory for all stillbirths occurring within the country's jurisdiction?

Compulsory for all stillbirths

Who is the designated primary informant for declaring stillbirths to the civil registrar?

Any parent

What is the role of the health sector in stillbirth registration?

Notification

Where must stillbirths be reported?

Anywhere

Are there any fees for stillbirth registration?

Unclear

Does the civil register contain a separate register for stillbirths, distinct from birth and death registers?

No

Does the law mandate reporting of all stillbirths through the health sector?

Not permitted

Does the law require or request medical certification of cause of death for stillbirths? If yes, does the medical certificate of cause of death used, accord with the WHO MCCD form?

No
Medicolegal Death Investigation

Analysis for this topic is currently unavailable.  

Who is designated as the primary informant for unnatural or suspicious deaths?

Specified officer of the medical legal system

What type of medicolegal death investigation (MLDI) system does the country have?

Law Enforcement Led System

Does the law clearly state what types of cases must be referred to the MLDI authority and is this in accordance with international guidance?

Unclear

Does the law mandate that law enforcement and/or heads of custodial institutions report all deaths in custody to the medicolegal death investigation authority?

No

For a death referred to the MLDI system, does the law specify how cause of death information is transmitted to the civil registrar and/or statistics agency?

Yes for transmission of information to statistics agency
Vital Statistics

The High Commission for Planning (HCP) is Morocco's national statistics institute. By Decree 2-17-670, the HCP has broad powers to produce, analyze, and store statistical information and make it available to public authorities. The HCP produces demographic and population statistics, including the crude birth rate and crude death rate. The Ministry of Health and Social Planning generates statistics on causes of death.  Per Decree 2.22.04, the Ministry of the Interior is authorized to produce vital statistics from civil status data, or to share this data with other agencies and service to produce civil status statistics. However, Morocco does not currently produce vital statistics generated from civil registration data.  

Does the legal framework designate the entity or entities responsible for compiling vital statistics in the country?

Yes. High Commission for Planning, Ministry of Interior and Ministry of Health and Social Planning.

Are vital statistics derived from the civil registration system?

Unclear

Are there clear procedures and timeframes in the legal framework to facilitate sharing data from the civil registration agency to the national statistics agency(ies)?

No

Does the law require that civil registration data be anonymized before it is shared with the national statistics agency(ies)?

Yes

Are vital statistics compiled centrally?

No

Are the UN recommended high priority statistical topics collected at birth registration?

Partially

Are the UN recommended high priority statistical topics collected at death registration?

Partially

Are the UN recommended high priority statistical topics collected for stillbirths (either through civil registration or the Ministry of Health)?

No