1. Security comes first

The new generation of biometric passports is primarily intended to strengthen document security through the introduction of enhanced features, most notably a digital photograph. Personal information displayed on the passport, including the holder’s surname, first name, and nationality, will also be stored in encrypted form, providing an additional safeguard against forgery

2. New passports to be issued in August

The new biometric passports will begin to be issued in August by the Ministry of the Interior within Morocco and by Moroccan diplomatic missions abroad. By the end of the month, the new document is expected to be available nationwide and across all Moroccan diplomatic missions overseas. The procedures governing the issuance of the new passports will be set out in regulations issued jointly by the Ministries of the Interior and Foreign Affairs.

3. Existing passports will remain valid

Current biometric passports will remain valid until their expiration date. In other words, anyone who obtained a passport recently, whether a month ago or a year ago, will not need to replace it before it expires. As a reminder, Moroccan biometric passports are valid for 10 years.

4. Identity, heritage, and the Amazigh language

The new biometric passports are intended to reflect the richness of Moroccan identity and the diversity of the Kingdom’s cultural, urban, and civilizational heritage. While the final design has yet to be unveiled, one element has already been confirmed: both the cover and the personal data page will display the words “Kingdom of Morocco” and “Passport” in Amazigh alongside Arabic, French, and English

5. A Legislative push

According to TelQuel’s sources, the draft decree on the new biometric passport will soon be published in the Official Gazette ahead of its expected entry into force in early August. The implementing regulations required for its rollout are expected to follow shortly afterward.

6. No additional fees

According to our sources, the introduction of the new biometric passports will not result in any additional charges. The fee will remain 500 dirhams, payable online through the Kingdom’s General Treasury (TGR). Further details on any new administrative procedures will be announced once the implementing regulations are officially published

Written in French by Rahim Sefrioui, edited in English by Amina Kadiri