Refugee recognition in Morocco
UNHCR status determination, then Bureau des Réfugiés et Apatrides · Official name: Statut de réfugié - Bureau des Réfugiés et Apatrides (BRA), Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Morocco has no national asylum law. A 1957 decree created the Bureau des Réfugiés et Apatrides (BRA) under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, but in practice UNHCR registers asylum seekers and carries out refugee status determination in Morocco. People UNHCR recognises are then called to a hearing before an inter-ministerial commission at the BRA; if validated, the BRA issues a Moroccan refugee card, and the refugee then applies for a residence card at the foreigners' service of the police prefecture where they live.
Life in Morocco
Finance
3
Currency
Moroccan Dirham
MAD
Moroccan Dirham
Cost of living
42
Price level · US = 100
World Bank price levels, 2025
Tax
10–37%
Income tax (national)
VAT 20%
Annual barème after LF 2025: 0% up to MAD 40,000, then 10/20/30/34%, and 37% above MAD 180,000.
Living
1
Happiness
#110 of 145 countries
World Happiness Report 2025
Who it’s for
People in Morocco who fear persecution in their own country.
Eligibility
UNHCR recognition firstApplicant
Registration and refugee status determination are done by UNHCR's office in Morocco, not by a Moroccan authority.
BRA hearingRecognised refugee
After UNHCR recognition, the refugee is summoned to a hearing at the BRA (inter-ministerial commission) to obtain a national refugee card.
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- 3 documents
- 1 fee
- 4 steps
- Processing times and conditions
Official sources
Other routes to Morocco
- Visit & tourismTourist eVisa (or consular short-stay visa) for Morocco
- StudyRegistration Card (carte d'immatriculation) marked "étudiant"
- Work permitsVisa of the foreign employee's work contract (contrat de travail d'étranger, via TAECHIR) and carte d'immatriculation
- 2 more routes with Premium
Asylum & protection in other countries
- MaltaInternational protection
- MexicoRecognition of refugee status and complementary protection
- NetherlandsAsylum in the Netherlands
- NorwayProtection (asylum) in Norway
- New ZealandCommunity Organisation Refugee Sponsorship (CORS) - permanent from July 2026, 50 places in the first year
- PanamaRefugee status
