Morocco Entry Requirements 2026

Your passport must be valid for at least six months beyond your intended departure date from Morocco. So if you plan to leave Morocco on 15 August 2026, your passport must not expire before 15 February 2027. Border agents at Mohammed V Airport in Casablanca, Marrakech Menara and Agadir apply this rule consistently. An expired or nearly-expiring passport is one of the most common reasons travellers are denied boarding at their origin airport or turned back on arrival — check the expiry date several weeks before you travel.

Technically, Moroccan border regulations allow officers to request proof that you have somewhere to stay, and this is written into the entry conditions for most nationalities. In practice, officers at major airports rarely ask leisure tourists for hotel confirmations. However, the safest approach is to carry a printed or downloadable riad or hotel booking confirmation for at least your first night. If you are staying with a local host, have their name, address and a message thread ready. Travellers arriving on tight connections or with minimal baggage are more likely to be questioned.

Morocco does not have a blanket legal requirement for an onward ticket in the same way some countries do, but border officers have the discretion to ask for evidence you intend to leave. Travellers arriving without a return or onward flight — particularly those on open-ended trips or one-way budget fares — are occasionally questioned. Having a return ticket, even a refundable one, prevents any awkward conversation at the immigration desk. If you genuinely have no fixed onward travel, a printout of a ferry booking (for example, Tangier to Algeciras or Tarifa) works equally well.

Morocco still uses a paper arrival card (the fiche de police or fiche d'hébergement) at major points of entry. Cabin crew sometimes distribute these on the plane; otherwise you fill one in at a desk before reaching the immigration booths. You will need your passport number, flight details, your first address in Morocco and your country of residence. Keep a pen to hand — the desks before immigration can be crowded. The form takes about two minutes to complete. Some riad owners in the medinas of Fes and Marrakech will also ask for a copy of this slip on check-in, so do not discard it.

Only citizens of certain countries — primarily those within the European Union and some Arab League members — may enter Morocco using a national identity card rather than a full biometric passport. EU nationals from France, Spain, Italy and several other member states have historically been able to use their carte nationale d'identité. However, rules on this have tightened in recent years and vary by nationality, so check the latest guidance from your own country's foreign ministry and the Moroccan embassy before you travel. Travellers from the UK, US, Canada, Australia and most non-EU countries require a valid full passport with no exceptions.

If your passport has less than six months of validity remaining beyond your planned exit date, you will almost certainly be denied boarding by your airline — airlines are financially liable for passengers they transport who are then refused entry, so check-in staff follow the six-month rule strictly. If somehow you make it to the immigration counter in Morocco with an expiring passport, the officer has authority to deny entry and return you on the next flight at your own expense. The practical solution is simple: renew your passport before you book flights. Most passport renewal services in the UK, US, Canada and Australia now offer expedited processing within one to two weeks.

Citizens of over 65 countries — including the UK, US, Canada, Australia, all EU member states, Japan, South Korea and most of the Americas — may enter Morocco visa-free for stays of up to 90 days within a 180-day period. This applies to tourism and leisure travel; working, studying or staying longer requires the appropriate residency permit. Citizens of countries not on the visa-free list must apply for a Moroccan visa in advance through the nearest embassy or consulate. The visa-free policy has been stable for many years but always confirm your nationality's status before departure, as bilateral agreements can change.