Morocco’s Justice Minister Abdellatif Ouahbi said civil servants cannot legally be required to present exit permits when traveling abroad, calling the practice both “illegal and unconstitutional.”
Speaking to Hespress AR amid the busy summer holiday travel season, Ouahbi said the measure violates Article 24 of Morocco’s Constitution, which guarantees citizens the right to free movement, including leaving and re-entering the country.
He explained that the requirement dates back to a circular issued by former Interior Minister Driss Basri, but that it has since turned into an “abusive measure with no legal basis.”
Ouahbi urged public administrations to stop asking employees for such permits, saying it directly infringes on human rights.
The minister clarified that the rule should apply only to specific sensitive professions, such as police, armed forces, gendarmerie, customs, forestry officials, and prison guards, all of whom must secure prior authorization before leaving the country.
“For the rest of the civil service, there is no such obligation,” Ouahbi said, stressing that many cases of frustration in recent years have arisen from this misapplication.
Law No. 55.19 on simplifying administrative procedures, enacted in March 2020, explicitly forbids requiring any document not established by law or regulation. Morocco’s Ministry of Digital Transition and Administrative Reform has also confirmed there is no legal basis for demanding exit permits from ordinary civil servants.
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