Are unmarried couples allowed to stay together in hotel in Morocco?

Have you ever heard that unmarried couples are not allowed to sleep together in a double room in Morocco? It is indeed so, even if this legal situation is not reflected in the local customs. One group in particular is affected by this ban.

In principle Morocco is one of the more liberal Muslim countries. But as far as extramarital contacts are concerned, the legal situation is clear. Sexual relations between unmarried partners are illegal according to article 490 of the Moroccan penal code. This is why it's forbidden for unmarried couples to share a room in Morocco. But this ban is hardly reflected in the local customs. At least not at first sight.

Accommodation in hotels for unmarried non-Moroccan couples

The prohibition paragraph in Morocco strictly applies also to foreigners who are not married. However, I do not know of any case where foreign tourists were asked for their marriage certificate. I myself have stayed in Morocco on more than twenty trips always in pairs or with several people in countless riads, hotels, mountain refuges, desert bivouacs or apartments. I have never been asked a question about their common status.

For decades, it has really been no problem for unmarried couples without Moroccan citizenship to stay in a shared room or rent an apartment. That's why you can save the legends about your relationship status as well as fake wedding rings. Nobody will ask you about it during your vacation.

Accommodation in hotels for unmarried binational couples

On the other hand, the situation is completely different if you are looking for accommodation together with a Moroccan man or woman. Landlords who let unmarried couples stay with them are breaking the law. Therefore, binational couples without a marriage certificate have difficulties renting a shared double room almost everywhere in Morocco. Of course, this also applies to Muslim unmarried couples.

I don't know of any hotel that officially rents to binational couples. If you are looking for a hotel, I would advise you to make a preliminary inquiry. B eyond Moroccan hotels and riads, you can save yourself the trouble. But if you ask an international hotel chain, you may be lucky.

Private rentals are also somewhat complicated. In the course of anti-terrorism measures, the registration law was tightened in Morocco a few years ago. Since then, landlords must report all tenants to the security authorities. This regulation, which previously applied only to hotels, now also applies to apartments, houses and apartments. Therefore, many landlords expect binational couples to present a marriage certificate before handing over the keys. A fake wedding ring is useless in such cases. But sometimes you can get ahead in such cases with an extra payment.

Tips

In the constellation of a binational partnership without a marriage certificate, I still recommend to refrain from any form of affection in public. The tourism police is very sensitive to false guides, bezness and or tourist rip-offs. The restraint is not particularly difficult, because love and tenderness play a completely subordinate role in Morocco in the public space anyway. So you can move with your boyfriend or girlfriend in Morocco without hesitation.

• If you are in a binational marriage, it is best to have copies of your marriage certificate with you.
• If you or your partner has two passports, always present the European one first.
• Search for private apartments that are not rented by Moroccans.
• Riskier: Search for private apartments and rent them through the non-Moroccan person.
• Recommended: Search for hotels or riads owned by foreign landlords and inquire there in advance.
• If nothing works: opt for the so-called "two-room method", i.e. book two single rooms and scurry across the hallway.

Accommodation for gay couples and LBTIQ

Although Morocco is a comparatively liberal Muslim country, large parts of the population are considered extremely conservative in their values. Therefore, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex and queer tourists should not expect the same tolerance they may be used to in major European cities. In addition, same-sex sexual relations are prohibited by law in Morocco. But this is only one side of the coin.

The other side is that hardly anyone registers it anyway. In Morocco, tenderness and intimacy do not take place in public. Unmarried gay or queer couples who don't openly express their love don't really have any different problems than heterosexual couples because of it. At least as long as neither of them has Moroccan citizenship. By the way, there are several riads in Marrakech that are openly considered gay-friendly .

Conclusion

For Europeans, the legal regulations regarding unmarried couples in Morocco are difficult to understand. But for most tourists they do not really matter on vacation. So if you are not married to your partner, you really don't have to worry about it. Nobody will ask you about it in Morocco.

However, things are much more complicated for binational partnerships with a Moroccan man or woman. Here you need either a lot of preliminary queries, extra payments or the proven two-room method.