A MRE has blocked a house in Morocco for six years; court orders her to pay 150 euros per day
A woman was supposed to transfer property located in Morocco to her ex-husband before April 2020. Six years later, nothing has been resolved. The Dutch courts have just changed their approach in an attempt to unblock a situation constrained by Moroccan rules.
The couple had divorced in 2015. Four years later, the two former spouses had reached an agreement intended to settle their financial disputes. Among other things, the woman undertook to transfer and hand over to her ex-husband her rights to a house located in Morocco, free of all encumbrances, before April 1, 2020.
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The transfer never took place. After several years of deadlock, the man took the matter to court. In 2025, the Amsterdam court ordered his ex-wife to cooperate with all the necessary steps. It had even provided that its judgment could replace any documents she refused to sign.
On paper, the man had therefore won his case. In practice, one problem remained: the house is located in Morocco.
To have the Dutch judgment enforced directly there, the ex-husband explained that he would have to go through a recognition procedure before the Moroccan courts, whose outcome and duration remained uncertain. He considered it much simpler for his ex-wife to sign the necessary documents herself, particularly a power of attorney at the Moroccan consulate in the Netherlands.
The woman had, moreover, appeared willing to pursue this course. In April 2025, her lawyer had requested a copy of the man’s identity card to prepare the process. He sent it. After that, nothing: the court notes that no further step was taken.
150 euros per day to make her cooperate
The Amsterdam Court of Appeal has therefore just changed the solution. A Dutch judge cannot himself arrange the forced transfer of a property located in Morocco when it must be carried out in accordance with Moroccan property-transfer rules.
But the judge can act against the person who is in the Netherlands.
In its decision of July 28, 2026, the court thus maintains the obligation imposed on the woman to cooperate, but this time adds a penalty payment: 150 euros for each day of delay after the expiry of a two-week period following service of the ruling, capped at 30,000 euros.
The court is also strict regarding legal costs. Usually, in family disputes between former spouses, each party bears its own costs. But the judges consider that the woman’s persistent refusal over several years, even though she had already been ordered several times to carry out the transfer, justifies an exception. She will therefore also have to bear the legal costs set by the court.
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After six years of legal proceedings, the house therefore remains subject to Moroccan formalities. The Dutch courts cannot transfer the property to the ex-husband themselves; they can, however, make each new day of deadlock financially more costly for his ex-wife.