Morocco’s New License Plates Spark Nationwide Controversy: Drivers Fined for Legal Tags

Drivers equipped with these official plates, issued by the National Road Safety Agency (NARSA), are being fined 400 dirhams on the grounds that their use would be prohibited on national territory, a situation that those concerned and experts consider to be without legal basis.

The phenomenon has been reported in several localities. Drivers who have been fined have shared their experience on social media, with photos of the reports. According to their testimonies, the justification provided by the gendarmes is that the new bilingual (Arabic and French) registration would be exclusively reserved for vehicles intended to leave the national territory, particularly towards Europe.

The sanctioned motorists denounce a measure that they consider arbitrary. Their main argument is that these plates are not only approved, but issued by a state authority, NARSA. They claim that to their knowledge, "no legal text" restricts their use within the borders of Morocco, which fuels a sense of incomprehension.

This confusion is compounded by the silence of the competent institutions. To date, neither the National Road Safety Agency, which issues the plates, nor the General Directorate of National Security (DGSN) have published an official statement to clarify the situation. This communication void leaves users and control agents uncertain about the exact regulations.