What is the Legal Age of Majority in Morocco? (A Concise Answer)

Knowing the legal age of majority in Morocco is a crucial matter for everyone, whether Moroccan or a foreigner, male or female.

It is the age at which a person becomes a legal adult, enjoying full legal capacity. Upon reaching this age, an individual transitions from being a "minor" under special protection to an "adult" who is fully responsible before the law. Moroccan law has set this age at 18 full solar years.

In the context of this topic, I will answer a set of questions that may cross your mind, which are as follows:

• What is meant by the legal age of majority? And what does it mean to be a legal "adult"?
• Do you become an adult the moment you turn 18, or must you complete your 18th year and enter the 19th?
• What exactly changes in a person's legal and practical status?

1. This is the Legal Age of Majority in Morocco!

The legal age of majority refers to the age at which a person acquires the full capacity and authority to exercise their personal and financial rights, execute legal transactions, and, in return, bear all corresponding obligations.

The Moroccan legislator established this age in Law No. 70.03 serving as the Moroccan Family Code (Moudawana), specifically in its Fourth Book, which contains the provisions regarding legal capacity.

Accordingly, Article 209 of the Family Code stipulates the age at which any person is of full capacity to exercise their rights and assume their obligations, stating: "The legal age of majority is 18 full solar years."

To say that someone has reached the age of majority means they possess a legal status that enables them to independently express their will, such that the legal effects of this expression—both rights and obligations—accrue directly to their own account.

The law presumes that anyone who has reached the legal age of majority is considered of full legal capacity to exercise their rights and assume obligations, unless it is proven that they are subject to a cause that diminishes their capacity (such as prodigality or feeblemindedness) or nullifies it (such as insanity or loss of reason), in accordance with Article 210 of the Family Code.

2. How are the 18 Years Calculated Accurately?

There is a common misconception where some understand the legislator's phrase "18 full solar years" to mean that a person does not become an adult until they enter their nineteenth year. This is inaccurate.

The age of majority is calculated starting from the exact date of birth by year, month, and day. For example, if a person's date of birth is May 14, 2000 (14/05/2000), they become a legal adult precisely on May 14, 2018 (14/05/2018).

To clarify further:

• Mathematically: The first year of the person's life began on 14/05/2000.
• This (first) year is completed after 365 days, meaning it ends at the close of 13/05/2001.
• Therefore, in the first minute of 14/05/2001, the person has completed one full year and entered their second.
• By analogy, in the first minute of 14/05/2018, the person has completed 18 full years (i.e., lived 18 complete solar cycles) and entered their nineteenth year.

3. Reaching the Age of Majority: What Changes? (Legal Effects)

Once a person reaches the age of eighteen, legal representation (guardianship) is lifted by operation of law, and they transition to a state of full legal responsibility for their actions and decisions.

Here are, for instance, the most prominent powers acquired and obligations assumed by an adult:

First: In Civil and Commercial Transactions

• Concluding Contracts: The ability to sell, buy, lease, and mortgage without needing authorization from anyone.
• Commercial Activity: The possibility of registering in the Commercial Register and conducting business independently.
• Banking Transactions: Opening and managing personal bank accounts with complete freedom.

Second: In Personal Status and Political Rights

• Marriage: Both males and females have the right to conclude a marriage contract without the requirement of a guardian's consent.
• Political Rights: The right to register in the electoral rolls and vote in national and local elections.
• Travel: The ability to obtain a passport and travel abroad without the need to be accompanied by a legal representative.

Third: Criminal and Civil Liability

• Bearing full responsibility for one's actions before the criminal justice system.
• Bearing the consequences of civil liability (compensating for damages that may be caused to others).

Finally, we point out that the legal age of majority in Morocco aligns perfectly with the international standard, which sets 18 years as the dividing line between childhood and legal adulthood.

Sources:

• Law No. 70.03 serving as the Family Code, promulgated by Dahir No. 1.04.22 on 12 Dhu al-Hijjah 1424 (February 3, 2004).

⸺ Do you have a specific question about a certain legal situation?
Questions remain the essential keys to unlocking the door to knowledge. Leave your question in the comments section below, and I will make sure to reply and clarify all legal aspects related to your request.

(If you found this content useful, please feel free to rate it and share it with anyone who might be interested).

Achraf Lamine Legal Researcher and Master of Laws (LL.M.) holder, specializing in the analysis of legislative texts and judicial precedents. I dedicate my expertise at "Arable Law Hub" to simplifying legal culture and making it accessible to everyone, driven by the conviction that legal awareness is the fundamental cornerstone of the rule of law.
More about the author ➚

Share :