Moroccan Expats Beware: 5 Costly Customs Blunders That Could Ruin Your Trip Home

Exceeding duty-free allowances without declaration

The VAT refund is only granted if your purchases reach at least 2,000 dirhams including tax and remain within a non-commercial framework. Exceeding the thresholds, transporting in bulk, or forgetting to present the invoices causes the exemption to be lost.

Transporting products excluded from the tax refund

Even if you have a proper declaration form, certain products never benefit from exemption: food, tobacco, medicines, precious stones, weapons, private means of transport and their equipment, cultural goods. Presenting them as tax-free exposes you to adjustments.

Not presenting your purchases to customs

To obtain the VAT refund, you must present the purchased goods, a copy of the declaration form, and the invoices to customs, before leaving Morocco and within a maximum of 3 months. Failing to comply with this formality cancels any right to a tax refund.

Ignoring the rules on temporarily imported vehicles

Many MREs bring a vehicle to Morocco under the Temporary Admission (TA) regime. Forgetting to respect the deadlines or to regularize the situation leads to fines, or even the seizure of the vehicle.

The most costly mistakes at Moroccan customs concern non-compliance with deadlines, incorrect declaration, and lack of knowledge of exclusions. To avoid sanctions and additional costs, it is best to anticipate and be well-informed about the rules.