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Morocco residence permit photo requirements

The 35 × 45 mm photo rules set by Ministry of Justice, Kingdom of Morocco (Adala) for the Morocco residence permit, with the official wording and sources.

Based on 6 official sources · last checked Official sources Page history

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Quick answer

What size is the Morocco residence permit photo?

Morocco publishes no photo size for foreigners' residence permits (the carte d'immatriculation and the carte de résidence); the police office gives you the document list when you apply. UK government guidance says to bring 10 passport-sized photos, while Qatar's embassy in Rabat lists six, sized 2.5 x 2.5 with no unit. For comparison, Moroccan passport and ID card photos are 35 x 45 mm on a light background.

Under law 02-03, a foreigner aged over 18 who stays in Morocco must hold a residence title: either a registration card (carte d'immatriculation, usually called the carte de séjour) or a residence card (carte de résidence). The registration card authorises a stay of 1 to 10 years, is renewable, and is marked visitor, student or with the authorised professional activity. The residence card is open after at least four years of uninterrupted lawful residence and is issued for 10 years. Anyone staying 90 days or less on a valid travel document needs neither.

Residence titles are issued, or refused, by the Director General of National Security (DGSN). Under decree 2.09.607 of April 2010 you apply to the national police or the Royal Gendarmerie for your area before your visa expires or, if your nationality needs no visa, within 90 days of entry, on forms those services hand out. The receipt you are given stands in for the card and must be renewed every three months until a decision is made.

The supporting documents, photographs included, are fixed by an order of the Interior Minister on the DGSN's proposal. No published version of that list was found on Moroccan government sites, and France's embassy says the officers tell you what to provide. The photo details below therefore come from foreign governments' guidance, which does not agree.

Morocco residence permit photo size and specifications

The requirements as published by Ministry of Justice, Kingdom of Morocco (Adala):[1]

Print sizeNo size published for this card; UK guide: passport-sized. Moroccan passport and CNIE photos are 35 x 45 mm
Digital sizeNo upload: prints go with the forms handed out by the police or gendarmerie
BackgroundNot published for this card; Moroccan passport photos use white, light blue or light grey
Print qualityPrinted photos handed in with the paper application: 10 per the UK guide, six per Qatar's embassy
Pixels when printed413 × 531 px at 300 dpi · 827 × 1063 px at 600 dpi (calculated)
35 mm45 mm
35 × 45 mm photo drawn to scale. Background: not published for this card.

Key requirements

  • Ask the office for its list

    The documents for a residence title, photos included, are fixed by an Interior Ministry order rather than published guidance. France's embassy in Rabat says the officers who receive your application tell you which supporting documents to bring.

  • Bring plenty of prints

    UK government guidance tells applicants to bring 10 passport-sized photos with two legalised copies of the required documents. Qatar's embassy in Rabat lists six photographs. Counts differ, so have spare identical prints.

  • Apply before your visa runs out

    Apply before the visa you entered on expires, or within 90 days of arrival if your nationality is exempt from visas. The receipt then covers your stay while the card is prepared.

  • Certified copies in French or Arabic

    Norway's embassy says supporting documents must be certified copies, in French or Arabic. UK guidance says to have them legalised at the district office (muqata'a) nearest your address in Morocco.

  • Renew on time

    France's embassy notes that the card is renewed each year until you obtain a 10-year title. The decree requires renewal requests to reach the police or gendarmerie service for your area no later than 15 days after the card expires.

  • Long absences cancel the card

    A registration card stops being valid if the holder leaves Morocco for more than six months. A change of address must also be declared, and the decree then requires the title to be renewed.

Do's and don'ts

Do

  • Ask the Bureau des étrangers for its current document list
  • Bring at least 10 identical passport-sized prints
  • Have your supporting documents certified before you go
  • Apply before your visa expires or within 90 days of arrival
  • Keep your receipt and renew it every three months
  • Request a travel document for each child under 18

Don't

  • Do not wait until your visa has expired to apply
  • Do not hand in uncertified photocopies of documents
  • Do not leave Morocco for over six months on a registration card
  • Do not travel with children who lack their own travel document
  • Do not take up authorised work on a card marked visitor

Sample photos

How a Morocco residence permit photo should look, and the mistakes that most often get photos rejected. Each example is drawn to this document's 35 × 45 mm and background colour.

Correct
Open-mouth smile
Head tilted
Too close: head too big
Too far: head too small
Busy background
Shadows on face or background
Glare on glasses

Illustrations, not real photos. The official rules above always take priority; some documents do not allow glasses at all.

Babies and children

Foreign children under 18 do not need a registration card. If one parent holds a residence title, the child can instead receive a travel document (document de circulation), issued by the DGSN on request; minors who came to Morocco to study on a visa of more than three months can get one too. France's embassy warns that each minor must hold this individual document, that it is checked on entry to and exit from Morocco, and that without it children over one year old can be barred from leaving.

A young person living in Morocco with a parent or guardian who holds a residence title must apply for one of these titles within six months of turning 18. Between 16 and 18, a foreigner who wants to take up paid work receives a registration card as of right if a parent holds the same card. No separate photo rule for children is published.

The residence title is applied for on paper. The police or gendarmerie service gives you the forms, and the photos are prints handed over with them; neither the decree nor the foreign embassies' guidance describes an online application or a photo upload.

Because the published counts differ, bring more identical prints than the minimum. Moroccan passport and CNIE photos are 35 x 45 mm; a digital photo can be cropped to that size and printed on a 4x6 inch sheet at a photo counter. If the office asks for another size, crop the same picture again.

Where to submit the photo

In cities, apply at the foreigners' office (Bureau des étrangers) of the police prefecture or the central police station; outside the cities, at the local Royal Gendarmerie. Renewals and duplicates go to the same service for your area, and a change of address must be declared there and at the new address within ten days of the first declaration.

UK guidance says you fill in the forms at the office, pay the fee to the officer who receives the application, and get a receipt (récépissé) valid for three months while the permit is prepared. Norway's embassy notes that there are eight categories of residence card, so work out which one fits your situation before you go.

How to get your Morocco residence permit photo

  1. Check the official requirements. Read the official specification for the Morocco residence permit: 35 × 45 mm print, not published for this card background. Check the rules on pose, expression, glasses and headwear below.
  2. Take the photo. Follow the key requirements: ask the office for its list; bring plenty of prints; apply before your visa runs out; certified copies in French or Arabic.
  3. Prepare a print or digital file. The residence title is applied for on paper. The police or gendarmerie service gives you the forms, and the photos are prints handed over with them; neither the decree nor the foreign embassies' guidance describes an online application or a photo upload.
  4. Submit the photo with your application. In cities, apply at the foreigners' office (Bureau des étrangers) of the police prefecture or the central police station; outside the cities, at the local Royal Gendarmerie.

Make this photo online

Morocco residence permit photo FAQ

No size is published for the residence permit. UK government guidance only says passport-sized, and Qatar's embassy in Rabat writes 2.5 x 2.5 without a unit. Moroccan passport and CNIE photos are 35 x 45 mm. Ask the Bureau des étrangers before printing.

UK guidance says 10 passport-sized photos; Qatar's embassy lists six. The binding list comes from the office handling your application, so bring at least 10 identical prints unless it tells you otherwise.

At the foreigners' office (Bureau des étrangers) of the police prefecture or central police station in cities, or at the Royal Gendarmerie outside them. You apply for the area where you live, and the card itself is issued by the DGSN.

Before your visa expires or, if you did not need a visa, within 90 days of arriving. Stays of up to 90 days on a valid travel document need no registration card.

Not under 18. A child whose parent holds a residence title can get a travel document (document de circulation) from the DGSN instead. France's embassy says it is checked at the border, and children over one year old without it can be stopped from leaving.

A registration card authorises a stay of 1 to 10 years and is renewable; France's embassy says it is renewed every year until you obtain a 10-year title. The residence card, available after four years of uninterrupted lawful residence, is issued for 10 years.

Related photo specifications

Other Morocco documents

Residence and work permits nearby

Also 35 × 45 mm

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Official sources

  1. Ministry of Justice, Kingdom of Morocco (Adala). Loi n° 02-03 relative à l'entrée et au séjour des étrangers au Maroc adala.justice.gov.ma. Checked 2 November 2026.
  2. Ministry of Justice, Kingdom of Morocco (Adala). Décret n° 2.09.607 pris pour l'application de la loi n° 02.03 (Arabic) adala.justice.gov.ma. Checked 2 November 2026.
  3. UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office. Living in Morocco: residence permits gov.uk. Checked 2 November 2026.
  4. Embassy of France in Morocco. Permis de séjour ma.diplomatie.gouv.fr. Checked 2 November 2026.
  5. Embassy of the State of Qatar in Rabat. Foreigners Residence rabat.embassy.qa. Checked 2 November 2026.
  6. Royal Norwegian Embassy in Rabat. Permis de résidence au Maroc norway.no. Checked 2 November 2026.

Requirements can change, so always confirm with Ministry of Justice, Kingdom of Morocco (Adala) before you apply. WorldPhotoSpecs is independent and not affiliated with any government.

Cite this page

"Morocco residence permit photo". WorldPhotoSpecs. Last updated 4 November 2026. https://worldphotospecs.org/morocco/residence-permit-photo

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