Population figures
Total country population
38,211,459
Forcibly displaced population
Refugees (under UNHCR's mandate):
7,562
Asylum-seekers:
10,136
IDPs (of concern to UNHCR):
0
Other people in need of international protection:
0
Other
Statelessness persons
0
Host community
0
Others of concern to UNHCR
0
Country context
Morocco, located in western North Africa, has become a significant destination and transit country for refugees and migrants due to its strategic geographic position near Europe. Refugees and asylum-seekers mostly live in urban areas. The vast majority comes from Syria and others from Yemen, Côte d'Ivoire, Cameroon, Guinea, Central African Republic and other African countries. Refugees are primarily settled in urban areas across the country.
Morocco is party to the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees and its 1967 Protocol, and has also ratified the Organization of African Unity (OAU) Convention Governing the Specific Aspects of Refugee Problems in Africa. While Morocco has not yet acceded to the 1954 and 1961 Conventions on statelessness nor signed the Kampala Convention on internally displaced persons, the country continues to demonstrate engagement on these issues through its broader policy frameworks and international commitments.
...Significantly, Morocco has made notable institutional strides toward strengthening its asylum system. A Royal Decree dating back to 1957 established the Bureau des Réfugiés et Apatrides (BRA) within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Although a fully operational national asylum system is still under development, the 2013 launch of the National Strategy on Immigration and Asylum (NSIA) marked a turning point in Morocco’s approach. The NSIA introduced essential protections for refugees and asylum-seekers, including access to documentation and basic services such as health care, education, and employment, along with safeguards against refoulement.
In a concrete step forward, the Government reactivated the BRA on 25 September 2013, after a period of inactivity since 2003, and established an inter-ministerial ad hoc Commission tasked with the regularization of refugees registered with UNHCR, pending the formal adoption of a national asylum law. Despite temporary suspensions of the BRA’s activities, including during the COVID-19 pandemic, operations resumed in 2021 with regular weekly meetings reviewing an average of eight individual cases per session.
Building on sustained advocacy from UNHCR, 2024 witnessed encouraging operational improvements. The Commission increased the frequency of its sessions to twice weekly, reviewing on average 20 individuals per week. The Commission also relaxed certain eligibility criteria that had previously restricted access to the procedure, notably by allowing the scheduling of undocumented refugees and unaccompanied and separated children (UASC). These adjustments represent a meaningful step forward in broadening access to protection and status recognition.
Nevertheless, some administrative barriers persist. Refugees holding valid sojourn permits for work, study or other purposes remain unable to access BRA interviews unless they are able to demonstrate that all alternative options for renewing their sojourn permits have been fully explored and exhausted. Despite the doubling of BRA session frequency in 2024, a significant number of UNHCR-recognized refugees continue to face challenges in obtaining BRA-issued refugee cards and the corresponding residency permits, often due to procedural conditions that remain difficult to meet in practice.
Morocco’s role in regional and international fora on migration and asylum is notable, as it has been actively involved in the Global Compacts on Refugees and Migration and is a key player within the African Union.
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