The Ordre National des Médecins is the professional body that regulates the medical profession in Morocco. It keeps the register of physicians, applies the code of medical ethics and exercises disciplinary authority. Registration with the council is the legal condition for practising medicine in the country, whether the diploma was obtained in Morocco or abroad.
From Latin ordo, rank or order, used in the French tradition for a self-governing professional body; the Moroccan council follows this model of an ordre professionnel.
CNOM Maroc; Conseil National de l'Ordre des Médecins; Ordre des médecins marocain
National Medical Council of Morocco
The council is organised at national and regional level. Its central tasks are keeping the register of physicians authorised to practise, applying the code of medical ethics, giving an opinion on questions of professional conduct and exercising disciplinary powers. Registration is not a formality attached to the diploma: it is a separate legal step, and practising without it is not permitted. The council also verifies that the applicant fulfils the conditions of qualification, of good standing and of the other requirements laid down by law.
A physician who obtained a medical degree abroad is registered on the basis of the recognition of the foreign diploma, not of the diploma alone. In practice, recognition is obtained first from the competent ministry, and the recognition decision then forms part of the registration file submitted to the council, together with identity documents, the diploma, and the other supporting documents requested. Because the requirements and the list of documents are set by the council itself, the current list should always be checked directly with the competent regional body before assembling the file.
If you study medicine in Europe and intend to return, the council is the last step of your path, not the first. The sequence is usually: complete the European degree, have it recognised, register with the council, and only then take up a post or sit the résidanat if you wish to specialise. Planning backwards from this sequence during your studies, in particular by keeping certified transcripts and clinical training certificates, is the most effective preparation for a return home.
France has a comparable body, the Ordre des médecins, which likewise keeps a register and applies a code of ethics, and registration there is equally compulsory. The two registrations are independent of one another: being registered in Morocco does not give access to the French register, and the reverse is also true. For a diploma issued outside the European Union, French registration presupposes the authorisation procedure, and conditions relating to nationality and to professional standing also apply, which should be checked individually with the competent French authorities.
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