Morocco Customs Refutes New Tax Rumors on Imported Gifts for Travelers

"There has been no change since the entry into force of the 2012 decree establishing the legal framework that travelers at border crossings (airports, ports, level crossings) must comply with," said Nizar Nasr, a senior official of the Customs and Indirect Taxes Administration (ADII), specifying that customs officers have received no new instructions on this subject.

The 2012 decree, which has not been amended, authorizes the importation of products and objects worth up to 2,000 dirhams for people with their usual residence in Morocco or foreign visitors. Moroccans residing abroad, on the other hand, benefit from a total exemption from duties and taxes for personal items worth less than 20,000 dirhams per calendar year.

This regulation is applied with a lot of flexibility, assures Nizar Nasr, stressing that "customs have never taxed a person for exceeding the authorized threshold of 200 or 300 dirhams." The senior official recalls that Bank Al Maghrib has prohibited the export and import of more than 2,000 dirhams by travelers who must also declare amounts of 100,000 dirhams or more. A measure aimed at combating money laundering and the financing of terrorism, he said.