A somewhat “dry” article on the various formalities required to enter Morocco. We have tried to be complete and clear. So, to this question, the answer depends on two things:
- your nationality (not your place of residence, it is the passport that counts and not the residence permit)
- the duration and purpose of your stay
Visa-exempt nationalities
The updated list of visa-exempt countries can be found on the official website of the Moroccan Ministry of Foreign Affairs (link at the bottom of the page). It currently includes 73 countries, the vast majority of which are
- European Union member countries (28)
- and four non-EU European countries (Switzerland, Iceland, Norway and Russia)
- Commonwealth countries, including the United States, Canada and Great Britain (10 countries)
- two Maghreb countries, Algeria and Tunisia
- all Gulf countries except Iraq
- six of the eight countries of the West African Economic Union
- China’s sphere of influence (China, Hong Kong, Macao)
- Malaysia, the Philippines and Singapore
But large countries such as India, for example, are not included.
| Algeria | Greece | Oman |
| Argentina | Hong Kong | Peru |
| Australia | Hungary | Philippines |
| Austria | Iceland | Poland |
| Bahrain | Indonesia | Portugal |
| Belgium | Ireland | Puerto Rico |
| Brazil | Italy | Qatar |
| Bulgaria | Ivory Coast | Romania |
| Burkina Faso | Japan | Russia (Federation) |
| Canada | Kuwait | San Marino |
| Chile | Latvia | Saudi Arabia |
| China | Liechtenstein | Senegal |
| Colombia | Lithuania | Singapore |
| Croatia | Luxembourg | Slovakia |
| Cyprus | Macao (Administrative Region) | Slovenia |
| Czech Republic | Malaysia | South Korea |
| Denmark | Maldives | Spain + Andorra |
| Dominican Republic | Malta | Sweden |
| Estonia | Mexico | Switzerland |
| Finland | Netherlands | Tunisia |
| France + Monaco | New Zealand | Turkey |
| Gabon | Niger | United Arab Emirates |
| Germany | Norway | United States of America |
| Great Britain |
For some countries, even without a visa, there are limitations on the length of stay:
- Hong Kong and the Maldives: stay limited to 30 days ;
- Dominican Republic: stay limited to 60 days, renewable for one year only ;
- Hungary and Malaysia: stay limited to 90 days.
Special cases, application to be made even if you are exempted from a visa
If you have made an exceptional request to extend your stay beyond your three months, you may no longer return to Morocco without a visa in the calendar year in which this request was made.
Journalists who do not need a visa still need authorisation from the Department of Communication (request for accreditation and/or authorisation for shooting or filming). Applications must be submitted at least 15 days before the start date of the report.
AEVM: “Autorisation Electronique de Voyage au Maroc (Electronic Travel Authorisation for Morocco)
Nationals of Congo, Guinea and Mali must nevertheless obtain an A.E.V.M. which can be applied for online on the Ministry’s website. The AEVM was instituted in 2018 and is similar to the procedures put in place by Europe (ETIAS) and the United States (ESTA). It is the “Canada Dry” of visas, a prior information intake, without the cumbersome visa application.
The AEVM is issued within six days. It is valid for six months for a single entry for a maximum of 90 days. It is not “renewable” (in the sense that the person must leave Morocco and start the process again.
If refused, it is always possible to apply for a visa.
The visa for other nationalities
The visa is normally valid for three months, but can be valid for up to one year. After that, you have to apply for a visa or residence permit again.
Types of visas
The short-stay visa allows you to stay in Morocco for a maximum of three months. So, in general, several short stays over a period of three months. It is valid for three months.
The long-stay visa is valid for up to one year and allows multiple stays of up to three months.
The transit visa allows passage through Moroccan territory for a maximum duration of 72 hours. It can be issued for one or two passages (round trip).
Reasons for issuing a visa
The reason is important. It determines the documents to be submitted with the visa application. It must be identical to that which will be included in the application for a residence permit, if you apply for one after your arrival in Morocco.
Here is the list of reasons for applying for a visa (in bold, the reasons corresponding to an application for a residence permit):
- Work
- Business
- Investor
- Seminars, Conferences…
- Student (and trainee and researcher)
- Family reunion
- Journalist
- Visitor (including tourists)
- Medical stay
- Refugees and stateless persons
- Aircrew and seafarers
- Technical assistance (personnel coming to do technical maintenance, for example on a solar power plant)
- Cultural or sporting events and artistic performances
The visa application
All visa applicants must provide :
- Application form for a visa to enter the Kingdom of Morocco (please note that this PDF is an example, use the one on the official website for an application);
- Two colour passport photos on a white background;
- Identity card or residence permit or any document in lieu thereof;
- AND a valid passport (longer than the duration of the visa);
- A photocopy of the passport (pages indicating identity and validity).
Other documents depend on the type of visa and are required to justify the reason for the visa:
- foreign work contract validated by the Ministry for a work visa
- recommendations or invitations for investors, businessmen, participants in conferences,
- proof of resources for visitors and students
- documents proving family ties, etc.
You can find the complete list here.
Online application: E-visa or traditional “paper” application
The online e-visa application is only possible for tourist (visitor) visas, for a single entry and a stay of less than three months.
For all other types of visas, it is necessary to go through the usual application process at a Moroccan consulate.
Nationalities for which an electronic visa application is possible
| Albania | Georgia | New Zealand |
| Andorra | Germany | Northern Irland |
| Argentina | Greece | Norway |
| Australia | Guatemala | Poland |
| Austria | Hungary | Portugal |
| Azërbaijan | Iceland | Serbia |
| Bahamas | India | Seychelles |
| Belgium | Israel | Singapore |
| Brazil | Italy | Slovakia |
| Canada | Japan | Slovenia |
| Chili | Jordania | South Korea |
| Colombia | Liechtenstein | Spain |
| Costa Rica | Lituania | Sweden |
| Czechia | Luxembourg | Switzerland |
| Danemark | Malta | United Arab Emirates |
| Estonia | Mauritius | United Kingdom |
| Finland | Netherlands | USA |
| France |
(There are some countries whose nationals are theoretically exempt from the visa requirement, as the visa may have become necessary, for example if one has applied for an extension of stay to exceed three months).
For all other types of visa, you must go through the usual application process at a Moroccan consulate.
The cost of a visa for Morocco
- Transit visa (72 hours maximum): 170 dirhams
- Single entry visa, less than three months: 220 dirhams at a consulate, 770 dirhams for an e-visa, 1,100 dirhams for an e-visa express
- Double entry visa, less than three months: 330 dirhams
Health documents
With the decline in Covid cases, the procedure has become lighter, but it is always subject to change, especially while we are in a state of health emergency.
At the time of writing, to enter Morocco you need:
- a health form which can be downloaded here for example (and which is nothing more than the old information form…)
a complete vaccination passport or a negative PCR test less than 72 hours old (time between sampling and registration) for adultsa complete vaccination passport for children aged 12 to 18nothing for children under 12
Just one day after we published this post, Morocco suppressed the requirement for vaccination passport and PCR.
Official Moroccan websites for visas, AEVM and e-visas
- Morocco-AEVM
- Official website for the application of AEVM for Morocco (French only, which makes sense as the three countries subjected to AEVM are French speaking)
- List of countries whose nationals are exempt from the visa requirement for entry into Morocco
- The official list, given by the Moroccan government, to consult for verification.
- Access Morocco
- The official website to check the necessary authorisations and apply for an E-visa (French, English and Arabic)