Digital identity in Massar: linking your national ID via NFC

Q: Who can use the NFC digital-identity feature?

This feature is usually for people who already hold an electronic national ID card (CNIE) , often older students or baccalaureate candidates. The older, non-electronic national ID card will not work with this method.

Q: Does NFC linking work on every phone?

No. Your phone must have NFC support and it must be turned on. If your phone has no NFC, this method may not be available and an alternative verification could be offered — it's best to check with your school.

Q: Where should I hold the card against the phone?

Place the card flat against the back of the phone , usually near the upper area where the NFC antenna sits, and keep it still for a few seconds until the read completes. Removing the phone case may help.

Q: Is linking a digital ID safe?

It is safe as long as you do it through the official Massar portal on the official domain (men.gov.ma) and not through a third-party app or site. Its purpose is to verify your identity electronically, so keep your ID card details private and never enter them anywhere unofficial.

A simple guide to linking your electronic national ID card (CNIE) to your Massar account using your phone's NFC reader, with requirements, steps and fixes for common problems.

By Massar Dalil TeamLast updated: 12 June 20265 min read

The digital identity feature in Massar lets you verify your identity by linking your electronic national ID card (CNIE) using the NFC reader in your phone. This method is typically for students who already hold an electronic ID card — often older students or baccalaureate candidates. This guide walks you through the requirements and linking steps in plain language, along with fixes for the most common problems.

Requirements

Before you start, make sure you have:

An NFC-enabled smartphone: most recent phones include this feature.
NFC turned on in your phone settings before you begin.
Your electronic national ID card (CNIE): the newer physical card with a chip, not the older paper card.
An active Massar account: if you haven’t signed in yet, start with the login guide.

If you still hold an older, non-electronic national ID card, this method won’t work for you; an alternative verification may be offered through your school.

How to tell if your phone supports NFC

Before you start linking, it helps to confirm that your phone actually has NFC. The simplest way is to open Settings > Connections (on some phones this is called Connected devices or More connection settings) and look for a toggle labelled NFC. If you can find that toggle, your phone supports the feature and you just need to switch it on before tapping the card.

Most mid-range and recent Android phones include NFC, and reasonably recent iPhones support it too. Older or very basic phones, on the other hand, may not have the feature at all — in that case you won’t find any NFC toggle in Settings no matter where you look.

If your phone doesn’t support NFC, there’s no need to worry: your school may offer an alternative way to verify your identity. Contact your moutamadris or school administration to ask about the options available in that situation.

Why link a digital ID and is it safe

A digital ID is used mainly to verify the account holder’s identity electronically — it proves that the national ID card in your hand really belongs to you and is tied to your Massar account. This helps protect your account and reduces the risk of someone impersonating you.

As for safety, the basic rule is simple: complete the linking only through the official Massar portal on the official domain (men.gov.ma). You should never be asked to enter your card details in a third-party app, an unrelated website, or a link sent to you by message or social media. If a site asks for these details and it is not the official domain, it is not trustworthy.

Always keep your ID card details private: don’t share or photograph them for any unofficial party, and be sure to close your session when you’re done if you’re using a shared device.

Linking steps via NFC

Follow these steps in order:

Turn on NFC in your phone settings (usually under Settings > Connections > NFC).
Open the official portal or Massar app and sign in to your space.
Choose the identity verification / national ID linking option if it is available in your account.
Place the card flat against the back of the phone, usually near the upper area where the NFC antenna sits.
Keep the card and phone still for a few seconds until a confirmation message appears.

When the read succeeds, you’ll usually see a message confirming that your identity has been linked to your account. The exact screens may vary slightly depending on the portal or app version.

Troubleshooting

The phone has no NFC

If your phone doesn’t support NFC, this method may not be available. In that case an alternative verification could be offered — contact your school through the contact page to confirm the available options.

NFC isn’t detecting the card

Make sure NFC is turned on in your settings.
Remove the phone case, especially if it’s thick or metal.
Move the card slowly around the back of the phone until it reads.

“The card could not be read” message

Try again, keeping the card and phone completely still.
Make sure the card is not damaged and is genuinely an electronic card.
If the error keeps happening, try later or from another NFC-capable phone.

An older card won’t work

The older, paper, non-electronic national ID card has no NFC chip, so it cannot be read with this method.

NFC is on but nothing happens

Make sure you have actually reached the card-reading step inside the portal, since the phone only starts scanning when the app asks it to.
Close the app or page and reopen it, then try again — the scan can occasionally get stuck.
Restart the phone if the problem persists, as this resets the NFC feature.

It reads then fails at the last step

Don’t pull the card away too soon; keep it against the phone until you see the final completion message, not just the start of the read.
Make sure you have a stable internet connection, since the last step usually needs to exchange data with the server.
If it keeps stopping at the final step, wait a little and try again — the service may just be busy temporarily.

I have an iPhone

Reasonably recent iPhones can read NFC. Make sure the operating system is up to date, and bring the top area of the phone’s back near the card, since the NFC antenna often sits there on an iPhone. If there’s no response at all, try from an updated browser or app, or use another NFC-capable phone.

Keeping your data safe

Only complete the linking inside the official Massar portal or app.
Don’t share a photo of your card or its details with any unofficial party.
If you run into trouble, ask your school for help through the contact page.

Frequently asked questions

Who can use the NFC digital-identity feature?

This feature is usually for people who already hold an electronic national ID card (CNIE), often older students or baccalaureate candidates. The older, non-electronic national ID card will not work with this method.

Does NFC linking work on every phone?

No. Your phone must have NFC support and it must be turned on. If your phone has no NFC, this method may not be available and an alternative verification could be offered — it's best to check with your school.

Where should I hold the card against the phone?

Place the card flat against the back of the phone, usually near the upper area where the NFC antenna sits, and keep it still for a few seconds until the read completes. Removing the phone case may help.

Is linking a digital ID safe?

It is safe as long as you do it through the official Massar portal on the official domain (men.gov.ma) and not through a third-party app or site. Its purpose is to verify your identity electronically, so keep your ID card details private and never enter them anywhere unofficial.