In Laayoune, southern Morocco, the Consulate of the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire is carrying out a large-scale administrative operation to issue and renew biometric passports for the local Ivorian community. The initiative began on Saturday, July 18, and will continue until Wednesday, July 22, as part of efforts to bring consular services closer to citizens.
The operation is taking place at the honorary consulate and is being supervised by an official delegation from Côte d’Ivoire’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and African Integration, specially dispatched from Abidjan.
Yves Tadet, First Counselor at the Embassy of Côte d’Ivoire in Morocco, explained to Le360 that the mission in Laayoune is part of the regular consular services provided by the diplomatic representation. He emphasized the exceptional nature of this initiative, however, highlighting the presence of a technical team sent from the Ivorian capital to process biometric documents directly on site.
" We are here as part of a routine visit, but one that carries particular importance, " Tadet said. " The embassy team I represent has been reinforced by a team specially sent from Abidjan to regularize the situation of our compatriots who are facing document-related issues, including passport renewals. The operation is expected to last four days and to benefit 150 people. "
The initiative represents the second phase of a broader program aimed at modernizing consular services and streamlining administrative procedures. Its objective is to ease the financial and logistical burden on nationals by sparing them the need to undertake long and costly trips to diplomatic missions located in other Moroccan cities.
Beneficiaries have expressed strong satisfaction with what they described as an unprecedented initiative. The deployment of administrative experts and technicians directly to their place of residence represents significant savings in both time and resources, particularly for obtaining biometric passports.
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Samuel Amani, a representative of the Ivorian community in Laayoune, said: " We are here this morning at the consulate for biometric passports. Before, we were obliged to travel to Rabat to process our documents. Now, things have become easier. "
One Ivorian resident who came to renew her passport and register her daughter added: " I came to the consulate today to renew my passport and register my daughter. People here are welcoming, and the consulate teams are very professional. "
According to available figures, the Consulate of Côte d’Ivoire in Laayoune serves a community of nearly 12,000 Ivorian nationals living across Morocco’s southern provinces. They are active in various sectors of the economy or are pursuing their studies at Moroccan universities and training centers.
An Ivorian national living in Laayoune described the city as a " second homeland, " saying it offers excellent conditions for work, stability, and integration, much like it does for many of her compatriots who have chosen to settle there permanently.
Like several other major Moroccan cities, Laayoune is no longer merely a transit point for migrants from sub-Saharan Africa. Thanks to the employment, training, and investment opportunities available, as well as the security climate in the city, Laayoune has emerged as a genuine place to live, settle, and build a future for a steadily growing expatriate community.
