Every way into Morocco.

The consular short-stay visa is for visa-required nationals entering Morocco for tourism or other short purposes who are not eligible for, or prefer not to use, the eVisa. It is issued for single or two entries and allows a maximum stay of up to 90 days. The consular fee is MAD 220 for a single-entry visa and MAD 330 for a two-entry visa. Applications are filed at a Moroccan embassy or consulate, with processing typically a few to several days. In exceptional cases, and in the absence of diplomatic representation, short-stay and transit visas may be issued at border posts by the security services. The short-stay visa does not by itself lead to residency; to settle, a long-stay visa and a residence permit are required.

Government fee

MAD 220

Processing time

10 days

Max stay

90 days

Validity

90 days

Single-entry electronic visa for tourism, applied for online through the official Accès Maroc portal (www.acces-maroc.ma). Eligibility covers two groups: nationals of designated countries who may apply on an ordinary passport alone (the list has grown to over 100 nationalities since the 2022 launch, e.g. India, Israel, Thailand, Jordan, Guatemala, Azerbaijan), and nationals of other countries who hold a residence permit valid at least 180 days in the EU, USA, UK, Canada, Australia, Japan, Norway, New Zealand, Switzerland or the UAE, or a valid multiple-entry non-electronic visa (valid 90+ days) of the Schengen Area, USA, UK, Canada, Ireland, Australia or New Zealand. The eVisa is valid 180 days from issue and authorises one entry for a stay of up to 30 days, extendable once by 30 days at a local police/passport office (60 days total). Standard fee is MAD 700 (about EUR 68) with 72-hour processing; an express 24-hour option costs MAD 1,000. The eVisa does not lead to residency — holders cannot apply for a residence permit on this basis.

• Apply online
• Apply with ChatGPT

Government fee

MAD 700

Processing time

3 days

Max stay

30 days

Validity

180 days

The transit visa is issued to travellers crossing Moroccan territory en route to a third country. It permits one or two transits, each for a maximum stay of 72 hours. The consular fee is MAD 170. Unlike the tourist and business eVisa, the transit visa is processed in person at a Moroccan embassy or consulate before travel; in exceptional cases the security services may issue transit visas at border posts. Applicants must hold an onward ticket and, where required, a visa for the onward destination. The transit visa confers no right to work, study or reside.

Government fee

MAD 170

Processing time

6 days

Max stay

3 days

Validity

90 days

The business category of the Accès Maroc eVisa, for meetings, negotiations, conferences and short professional visits (not paid local employment). Eligibility, fees and validity mirror the tourist eVisa: single entry, valid 180 days from issue, stay up to 30 days, with MAD 700 standard (72-hour) or MAD 1,000 express (24-hour) processing. Applicants either qualify by nationality on an ordinary passport, or by holding a qualifying residence permit or multiple-entry visa from an eligible country. A business invitation from a Moroccan company strengthens the file. As with the tourist eVisa, this authorisation does not confer the right to work locally or to apply for a residence permit.

• Apply online
• Apply with ChatGPT

Government fee

MAD 700

Processing time

3 days

Max stay

30 days

Validity

180 days

For foreign nationals admitted to a Moroccan higher-education institution (public or private university, business school, or recognised cultural/training institution) or coming under a university exchange. Applicants apply at the Moroccan consulate in their country of residence, ideally 3-4 months before the programme start; consular processing is typically 5-20 days. After arrival, the student registers with the police and obtains a student residence permit (titre de séjour 'étudiant') from the DGSN within 90 days; the card is generally valid for one academic year and renewable for the duration of studies. Students must show admission, sufficient resources, health insurance and accommodation. Study time supports later transition to work permits and counts toward long-term residence.

• Study: Full enrolment in the admitting institution.
• Residency after 4 years

Processing time

20 days

Foreigners who wish to carry on an independent economic activity in Morocco (freelancers, liberal professionals, auto-entrepreneurs or sole traders) must demonstrate their legal capacity to exercise that activity and then obtain a residence permit. In practice the standard route is to register a company or a sole proprietorship via the Regional Investment Center (CRI), and self-employed/liberal status (e.g. auto-entrepreneur) is reserved for people already legally resident in Morocco. Certain regulated liberal professions (such as chartered accountants) require enrolment with the relevant professional body. The first residence card is usually valid for 1 year and renewable, leading toward a multi-year card with continued legal residence. Applicants must show a genuine, viable activity and means of subsistence.

• Work: Independent/professional activity for which authorisation is granted.
• Study: Permitted.
• Residency after 4 years
• Family: Family via reunification permits.

Validity

365 days

Foreigners taking salaried employment in Morocco are hired on a foreign employment contract (Contrat de Travail d'Etranger, CTE) that must be approved by the Ministry of Labour and Professional Integration before work begins. The employer must first obtain a labour-market non-availability attestation from ANAPEC (the national employment agency), which involves advertising the post in two Moroccan newspapers (one French, one Arabic); ANAPEC issues the attestation within a maximum of about 20 working days. The CTE visa is then requested through the Ministry's online TAECHIR portal (taechir.travail.gov.ma), with a decision target of around 10 days. Once the contract carries the Ministry's visa, the worker obtains a long-stay entry visa at a Moroccan consulate abroad, then applies for a residence permit (titre de séjour) at the DGSN within 90 days of arrival. The work authorisation is tied to the contract and is renewed with each new CTE; continuous legal residence can lead to a multi-year residence card.

• Work: Salaried work for the sponsoring employer under the approved CTE.
• Study: Permitted alongside employment.
• Residency after 4 years
• Family: Family may join via family-reunification residence permits.

Morocco does not operate a formal golden-visa or citizenship-by-investment programme. Foreign investors instead establish or invest in a Moroccan business through the Regional Investment Center (CRI) and then obtain an investor-category residence permit (titre de séjour). There is no fixed minimum threshold to obtain residency itself, but the 2022 Investment Charter (Law 03-22) reserves its principal investment grants for projects of at least MAD 50 million (excluding tax), and projects above MAD 200 million require approval by the Interministerial Investment Commission. The investor residence card is initially valid for 1 year and renewable annually; after several renewals (typically 3-5 years) holders can move to a long-term card valid up to 10 years. Residency is contingent on maintaining the underlying business activity.

• Work: May manage and work in the invested business.
• Study: Permitted.
• Residency after 4 years
• Family: Family via reunification permits.

Validity

365 days

Morocco has no dedicated retirement visa, but pensioners and other financially independent foreigners settle under the visitor/retiree category of the residence permit. After entering on a long-stay visa, the applicant registers with the police and applies for a titre de séjour at the DGSN within 90 days, choosing the non-working visitor/retiree category and showing they will not work locally. The key requirement is robust proof of stable funds — typically clear bank records and pension statements — sufficient to live in Morocco without local employment, plus proof of accommodation and a recent medical certificate. The first card is valid for 1 year and renewable; continued legal residence (about 4 uninterrupted years) opens access to a long-term card valid up to 10 years.

• Study: Permitted on a non-degree basis.
• Residency after 4 years
• Family: Dependent family via reunification permits.

Validity

365 days

Immediate family members of a foreigner legally resident in Morocco (holding a valid residence permit or récépissé) may obtain a residence permit on the basis of family reunification. Eligible members are mainly the spouse, minor children and, in some cases, dependent parents; same-sex marriages, civil partnerships and cohabitation are not recognised for this purpose. The sponsor must show legal residence and sufficient means to support the family. Each member files a separate application in person at the police station with jurisdiction over the place of residence (there is no online process). The resulting card is typically valid for 1 year and renewable, tracking the sponsor's status and leading toward a long-term card with continued residence.

• Study: Permitted.
• Residency after 4 years
• Family: This permit is itself the family route; each member files individually.

Validity

365 days

Foreign spouses of Moroccan citizens obtain a residence permit (titre de séjour) on the basis of the marriage, applying at the local police prefecture within 90 days of taking up residence. The card is initially valid for 1 year and renewable, and marriage to a Moroccan national is one of the recognised grounds for faster access to a long-term residence card. A foreign woman married to a Moroccan man may also apply for Moroccan nationality by marriage after a continuous period of cohabitation in Morocco (commonly cited as 5 years) under the Nationality Code, subject to conditions and review. Documents must establish a valid, registered marriage.

• Work: Generally permitted; a CTE may still be required for salaried roles.
• Study: Permitted.
• Residency after 4 years
• Family: Spouse is the applicant; children of the couple included.

Validity

365 days

Morocco issues diplomatic and service/official visas to holders of diplomatic, service or official passports travelling on government business, and to staff of accredited diplomatic missions and international organisations. These visas are processed by Moroccan consular posts and the Directorate of Consular and Social Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; many nationalities benefit from bilateral visa-exemption arrangements for diplomatic/service passports. The visa is tied to the official mission and is not a route to ordinary residence or work in the private sector; accreditation and length of stay follow the assignment.

• Work: Limited to the official mission/assignment.
• Family: Accredited dependants covered under the mission.

Any foreigner intending to stay in Morocco more than 90 days must hold a residence permit (titre de séjour / carte d'immatriculation), issued by the General Directorate of National Security (DGSN). The salaried-worker category is granted to foreigners exercising a professional activity under contract with a Moroccan company, on the basis of the Ministry-approved foreign employment contract (CTE). Applications are filed in person at the local police prefecture (Bureau des Etrangers) within 90 days of arrival. The first card is normally valid for 1 year and renewable; after a period of continuous renewals the holder can obtain a multi-year card (commonly 5 or 10 years), and a 10-year residence card is generally available after about 4 uninterrupted years of legal residence. The permit must be kept aligned with a valid CTE.

• Work: Work permitted within the terms of the approved CTE.
• Study: Permitted.
• Residency after 4 years
• Family: Dependants apply under family reunification.

Validity

365 days

Moroccan nationality is governed by the Nationality Code (Dahir of 6 September 1958, as amended). Ordinary naturalisation generally requires several years of habitual and regular residence in Morocco (commonly cited as 5 years immediately before the application), legal majority, good health, good conduct and adequate knowledge of Arabic, with sufficient means of subsistence. A foreign woman married to a Moroccan man may acquire nationality by marriage after a period of continuous, stable cohabitation in Morocco (commonly cited as 5 years), by declaration subject to government review. Children born to a Moroccan parent acquire nationality by descent. Naturalisation is discretionary and decided by the Ministry of Justice; it is not a guaranteed outcome of residence.

• Work: Full rights upon acquiring nationality.
• Study: Full rights as a national.
• Residency after 5 years
• Family: Children acquire nationality by descent; spouse may apply by marriage.

After a period of continuous legal residence, foreigners can move from annual residence cards to a long-term residence title valid for up to 10 years. A residence card is generally available to foreigners who have lived at least 4 uninterrupted years on Moroccan territory, with renewals extending validity to 2, 3, 5 or 10 years depending on the case and category; marriage to a Moroccan national is an exception that can shorten the path. The long-term card preserves the right to live and (for the relevant categories) work in Morocco and must be renewed before expiry. It does not by itself grant nationality, which is governed separately by the Moroccan Nationality Code.

• Work: Work rights follow the underlying category; salaried roles still need a CTE.
• Study: Permitted.
• Residency: This is the long-term residence status itself; renewable up to 10 years.
• Family: Family via reunification permits.

Validity

3,650 days