Morocco’s Currency Rules: What Travelers Need to Know About Bringing Money In and Out

This legal framework aims to ensure transparency of capital flows and prevent illicit financial activities. It defines clear thresholds and declaration procedures for both entry and exit from the territory.

At the heart of this system is a declaration obligation upon entry. Any traveler carrying an amount with a counter-value equal to or greater than 100,000 Moroccan dirhams must declare it. This obligation concerns several types of values:

• Foreign banknotes (euros, dollars, etc.);
• Traveler’s checks;
• Bearer securities.
This process is carried out by submitting a written declaration to customs services at the border post, a document that remains valid for a period of six months.

This declarative formality is not a mere administrative constraint; it fulfills several essential functions for the traveler. It notably allows:

• To serve as proof of the origin of funds, often a prerequisite for making deposits into a foreign currency or convertible dirham account in Morocco.
• To condition the right to legally re-export unspent foreign currency at the time of departure.
It is also possible to declare amounts below this threshold, a useful precaution to justify any future operation.

Symmetrically, the rules for leaving the territory are based on the same logic of traceability. The transport of currency with a value equal to or greater than 100,000 dirhams must also be declared to customs. To be authorized, this operation must be supported by the initial declaration form filled out upon arrival or by a bank document proving that the funds were withdrawn from a foreign currency or convertible dirham account. Failure to comply with this obligation exposes the offender to the seizure of the undeclared excess as well as a fine set at 50% of this amount.

Beyond foreign currencies, the circulation of the Moroccan dirham itself is regulated, with an import and export limit set at 2,000 dirhams in cash. Furthermore, it is important to note that Moroccans residing abroad benefit from the same rights as residents regarding allocations for travel abroad. They can thus obtain from their bank an annual tourist allowance of 100,000 dirhams per person, usable for their trips outside Morocco.