MRE: European countries are seeking your accounts in Morocco, but cannot see their balances
Recipients of Dutch social assistance must report their bank accounts held in Morocco. But the service that coordinates checks abroad acknowledges a clear limitation: it cannot obtain or transmit information about their balances.
House, plot of land, pension… and bank account. In the Netherlands, municipalities are encouraged to ask “bijstand” recipients about all their income and assets held abroad.
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The official guide Handreiking inkomen en vermogen in het buitenland V2026 expressly asks officials to inquire about foreign bank accounts. For cases concerning Morocco, municipalities may also collect the Moroccan passport, the CIN number and other information making it possible to identify the recipient.
Holding an account in Morocco is therefore not in itself a problem. Its existence and the sums that could affect entitlement to social assistance must be declared.
The IBF cannot obtain the balance
However, the check has an important limitation. The International Fraud Information Bureau (IBF), which coordinates searches abroad for municipalities, can use various public or non-public sources depending on the agreements concluded with each country.
But the guide is categorical regarding banks: the IBF cannot request or transmit information concerning foreign bank accounts and their balances.
The difference compared with real estate in Morocco is significant. For a house or plot of land, an investigation may involve the local authorities, the Moroccan Ministry of the Interior, the Land Registry or even an appraisal of the property. For a bank account, the IBF mechanism described in the guide does not make it possible to obtain the balance directly from a foreign bank.
This limitation does not, however, remove the recipient’s obligation. Dutch legislation requires them to report information that could affect their entitlement to “bijstand”, including when it is located abroad. Information omitted, provided too late or incompletely may constitute a violation of this obligation.
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In other words, the Netherlands can ask a recipient whether they have a bank account in Morocco and include this asset in the assessment of their case. But when it comes to obtaining the balance through the IBF’s international investigation channel, the 2026 guide explicitly acknowledges that this possibility does not exist.