Weddings delayed, couples left in limbo as Adouls extend strike over controversial reform

When Sara El Amrani finalized plans for her spring marriage (Drib Sdaq), she thought the paperwork would be the easiest part. Instead, her marriage contract has been delayed indefinitely.

“Our event is ready, the venue is booked, everything is paid for,” she said. “But without the adoul, we can’t make it official. We are stuck.”

El Amrani and her fiancé Jad are among many Moroccans whose marriage plans have been disrupted by an ongoing strike by Adouls, the legal officials responsible for drafting and certifying marriage contracts and other personal status documents.

Across the country, couples report postponed weddings, delayed registrations and mounting financial losses as notaries suspend services in protest of a new law they say threatens their profession.

“We had to postpone our wedding twice,” said Youssef Jirari, another affected citizen in Kenitra. “Every delay means extra costs, the caterer, the hall, even family travel plans. It’s not just paperwork; it’s people’s hard-earned money.” The couple are looking at an approximate MAD 50,000 of lost advances.

At the center of the dispute is Draft Law 16.22, approved in February 2026 by parliament’s Justice and Legislation Committee and later adopted by the house of representatives in February 2026. The reform aims to modernize the profession, introducing new training requirements, stricter office standards and revised entry requirements, including a competitive exam.

The government says the law will improve professionalism, expand access (including for women) and strengthen legal safeguards through better regulation and digitalization.

But many adouls argue the changes go too far.

“The law, as it stands, weakens our profession and erases hard-earned rights,” said Said Sarroukh, head of a regional notaries council in Tangier. He warned that the reform could limit their scope of work and allow other professions to take over key responsibilities.

Adouls say that under the reform, access to the profession would shift to a competitive exam system, replacing previous pathways. New requirements would regulate office conditions and introduce formal mechanisms for managing client funds.

The law also establishes specialized training institutes and allows notaries to temporarily suspend their practice. It maintains procedures such as issuing certain certificates in the presence of multiple witnesses.

However, protesting adouls say the measures impose excessive administrative restrictions and limit where and how they can operate. They are also pushing for broader authority to handle property transactions and to issue individual certificates without relying on collective procedures involving multiple officials.

“This profession isn’t just for notaries, it serves all Moroccans,” Sarroukh said. “Limiting it affects citizens’ freedom to choose their legal representative.”

Government Defends Reform
Ministry of Justice maintains that the draft law was developed through extensive consultations with stakeholders, including notaries themselves.

Justice Minister Abdellatif Ouahbi said the reform is designed to improve training, raise professional standards and modernize services, ultimately ensuring safer transactions and stronger legal protections.

For couples like El Amrani, the policy debate feels distant compared to the immediate consequences.

“We understand they have demands,” she said. “But there should be a solution. People can’t put their lives on hold like this.”

As the standoff continues, more families face uncertainty, highlighting how a technical legal reform has quickly become a deeply personal issue for many Moroccans.