MRE: CIN number facilitates investigations into property owned in Morocco
The national identity card number (CIN) can facilitate searches launched by Dutch municipalities into houses and plots of land owned in Morocco by social assistance beneficiaries. Its use nevertheless remains subject to the consent of the person concerned.
Dutch municipalities have a particularly useful identifier when they seek to verify whether a recipient of “bijstand” (social assistance) owns assets in Morocco: the number of their Moroccan national identity card.
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The official guide Handreiking inkomen en vermogen in het buitenland V2026, dedicated to checks on income and assets held abroad, recommends requesting the CIN number in cases concerning Morocco. The document presents it as the Moroccan equivalent of the Dutch identification number. It may appear on the Moroccan passport, national identity card or driving licence.
This identifier makes it easier to distinguish a person with a common name and to link the various documents gathered during the check. However, on its own, it does not constitute proof that its holder owns a house or plot of land in Morocco.
To request an investigation, the municipality must have concrete elements suggesting that the beneficiary holds income or assets abroad. A mere suspicion is not enough. The more precise the information provided, the greater the chances of locating a possible property.
Casablanca is not enough
In addition to the CIN, the file may contain a readable copy of the Moroccan passport, particularly the page stating in French and Arabic the place and region of birth. The father’s full first names may also be requested.
The municipality must also provide as much information as possible about the property being sought: the city, neighbourhood or “hay”, a description of the route leading to the house and, where one exists, the number of the land title registered with the Land Registry.
The sole indication “Casablanca” is considered insufficient because of the city’s size and the number of its districts. In the event of an inheritance, investigators may also request the deed establishing the division among the heirs. The places where the beneficiary regularly spends their holidays may supplement this information.
These details are important because registering property with the Cadastre is not mandatory in Morocco and remains limited, particularly in certain rural regions. A property may still be registered in the name of a developer or the state, while streets and houses do not always have a reliable name or number.
The files are then forwarded, through a committee bringing together the Dutch representation, the Moroccan Ministry of the Interior and the Cadastre, to the local authorities. These authorities can help identify the exact location of the property before a land-title verification or a possible appraisal.
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However, the municipality cannot use the CIN number freely. The beneficiary must give their authorisation and receive a clear explanation of the reason for and purpose of its use. The CIN therefore facilitates the investigation, but removes neither the legal safeguards nor the obligation to have sufficiently serious indications.