MOROCCO · CERTIFIED TRANSLATION
Certified Translation of Morocco Documents for USCIS
Moroccan civil documents pose a distinctive translation challenge because they are issued primarily in Arabic — and, since the 2020-2021 civil-status reform, increasingly show names in Arabic, Latin, and Tifinagh (Amazigh) script — while marriage and divorce records are drafted by adouls (traditional notaries) in formal legal Arabic under the Moudawana family code. For USCIS, each of these must arrive as a complete, certified English translation, even when a French column already appears on the document, because French is itself a foreign language to USCIS. Older état civil entries are frequently handwritten and reproduced as faint photocopies, and Arabic names are romanized inconsistently between French and English conventions, so consistency across a family's documents is essential. Our native Arabic and French specialists translate the full text, seals, and any apostille so nothing on the page is left unrendered.
Updated July 11, 2026 · Reviewed by Victor Luján, Founder — certified translations since 2018
DOCUMENTS FROM MOROCCO
Pick Your Document
Moroccan Birth Certificate →
Moroccan Marriage Certificate →
Moroccan Divorce Decree →
Moroccan Death Certificate →
Moroccan Diploma →
Moroccan Academic Transcript →
Moroccan Police Record →
Moroccan Single Status Certificate →
GOOD TO KNOW
Issuing Authority & Authentication
Civil records in Morocco are issued by the Bureau d'État Civil / مكتب الحالة المدنية (Civil Status Office) · official language(s): Arabic, Amazigh (Tamazight), French (widely used in administration, not constitutionally official). Morocco is a party to the Hague Apostille Convention (in force since 14 August 2016), so Moroccan public documents are authenticated with a single apostille rather than consular legalization. Civil-status records (birth, marriage, death) are apostilled by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, while court judgments, adoulaire (notarial) acts, and criminal-record extracts are apostilled by the Ministry of Justice through the Procureur du Roi.
Every document above is translated by a native specialist, reviewed by a second linguist, and delivered with a signed Certificate of Accuracy that USCIS accepts under 8 CFR 103.2(b)(3) — or we fix it free and cover your resubmission fee.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
My Moroccan document is bilingual Arabic and French. Do I only need the Arabic translated?
No — USCIS requires a complete English translation of the entire document. Many Moroccan civil records show Arabic and French side by side, but French is still a foreign language for USCIS purposes, so every field in both languages must be rendered into English, along with all seals, stamps, and any apostille.
Does USCIS require an apostille on my Moroccan documents?
For documents filed with a petition, USCIS generally requires a certified English translation rather than an apostille. That said, because Morocco has been a Hague Apostille member since 2016, if a court, consulate, or the National Visa Center asks you to authenticate the original, you obtain an apostille from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (civil records) or the Ministry of Justice (court and criminal records). When an apostille is present, we translate it too.
My Moroccan birth certificate is handwritten in Arabic and hard to read. Can you still translate it?
Yes. Older Moroccan civil-status entries were handwritten by the état civil clerk, and faint photocopies are common. Our native Arabic translators are experienced with registry handwriting and will transcribe the names, dates, and register numbers accurately; if a field is genuinely illegible, we mark it '[illegible]' as USCIS guidance requires rather than guessing.
The name on my Moroccan document is spelled differently than on my passport. Is that a problem?
It can be, because Arabic names are romanized inconsistently — for example Mohammed, Mohamed, and Muhammad are the same name. We align the transliteration in the translation with the spelling on your passport and immigration forms and can add a translator's note confirming that the variants refer to the same person.
How much does it cost and how fast can you translate my Moroccan documents?
Certified translation is $0.05 per word, and a single-page birth, marriage, or death certificate typically runs $15-25 total, delivered in 24-48 hours. Every order includes a signed Certificate of Accuracy meeting 8 CFR 103.2(b)(3), a free 250-word sample, and our USCIS Rejection Pledge — if USCIS ever rejects the translation over accuracy, we fix it free and cover the resubmission fee.