Moving to Morocco – paperwork, renting an apartment, working.

Last updated on August 18th, 2022 at 10:33 am

If you are reading this blog it means you are moving to Morocco or at least you are considering doing so.

Well, no need to browse more blogs because you will find all information here:

• What to start with
• How to find a job
• How to open a company
• How to become a resident
• Finding the right place to live
• Meeting other foreigners

Coming to Morocco (and staying)

Morocco is a tourist-friendly country so you can easily come here for 3 months without applying for Visa (EU citizens, I don’t know the procedures for Americans, Africans, Asians etc).

If you want to be a resident you will have to go through a long and tiring process to obtain residency that I have described in detail here.

There are many foreigners who leave Morocco every 3 months because they don’t want or need Carte de sejour. Theoretically you are allowed to stay in Morocco for 3 months in 2 rounds, which means you can’t exceed the 6 month limit. Practically, I don’t know a single person who would have problems because of that. There are many Europeans who have been just going back and forth for years.

If you are a freelancer, have a remote job contract signed in your country, insurance or you travel outside Morocco a lot, it is a good option for you and you don’t need residency. Atlernatively you can obtain a visitor’s residency which doesn’t allow you to get employed in Morocco. With this kind of residency permit you are allowed to stay and live in Morocco without having to leave the country every 3 months.

Getting employed and opening a business

I have written a detailed article about job possibilites in Morocco and you can read it here. If you are an aspiring business owner, you can learn how to open a company from another blog post (here).

A list of websites that you can search for work in Morocco:

• • rekrute.com
  • avito.com
  • emploi.mitula.ma
  • emploi.ma
  • learn4good.ma
  • marocannonces.com
  • marocemploi.net

Renting or buying a property

A friend of mine, a British writer Tahir Shah has bought and renovated an old house and he described the process in his amazing book entitled The Caliph’s House.

Buying a property may be a little bit complicated because of Moroccan inheritance law. When, let’s say, a man dies, his property is divided between his kids, cousins (uncles or aunts) and his spouse. As a consequence, there are many owners of a house which makes it sometimes very difficult to buy it. It is enough that one person doesn’t want to sell their part. That explains why there are so many beautiful abandoned villas in Morocco.

When it comes to renting, the process is way easier. You need to find the right place (If you are in Casablanca I recommend a group on Facebook, Flatshare in Casablanca) and then you will need to sign the contract with the owner, legalize the document and move in. Remember that living as an unmarried couple in Morocco is illegal and even foreigners are often refused rental contract in such situations.

A very popular way of finding a flat in Morocco (apart from searching online) is walking around in the area that you like and asking the guardians or parking guys if there are any flats for rent.

Get in touch with expats

There are several Facebook groups that unite expats in Morocco. Here is the list of my personal favorites and you can ask questions that won’t be left unanswered:

Expats in Morocco

Expats in Casablanca

Expats in Marrakech

Expats in Rabat & Casablanca

English speaking ladies in Agadir

English speaking ladies in Fez

English speaking ladies in Tanger and Tetouan

You can also join my group on Facebook where members are allowed to post Morocco-related offers, events, pages etc

You can also check blogs for expats located around the world:

Expat.com

Expat-blog.com

Internations.org (The Internations community in Marrakesh is solid, well-developed and known!)

If you need help settling down or opening a business, check this link.