Immigration & Work Permits

Use your own company

Foreign nationals are permitted to work in Morocco if they fall under one of the following situations:

• Entering into a work contract with an entity established in Morocco (either a Moroccan company or a fixed place of business of a foreign company). The company must obtain approval from ANAPEC (a government agency) and the Ministry of Employment in Morocco.
• Seconded by the foreign parent company to its Moroccan subsidiary or branch. Under a secondment arrangement, they are still employees of the foreign company and as such, only require the approval of the Moroccan Employment Ministry.

A foreign company that wishes to employ foreign nationals must first set up its Moroccan subsidiary / branch / representative office. This Moroccan entity is then required to apply for the relevant work permit for the employee before the employee commences work in Morocco.

Step 1: Certificate from ANAPEC (not secondment)

Companies are only able to hire foreign nationals after proving that there are no suitable local candidates for the job. This is done by obtaining a certificate from the National Agency for the Development of Employment and Skills (ANAPEC), confirming the non-availability of any Moroccan candidates to fill the position offered to the foreign applicant.

Categories of employees exempt from the requirement to obtain a certificate issued by ANAPEC:

• Moroccan nationals and the descendants of Moroccan mothers who can accredit that they have been resident in Morocco for at least six months;
• Persons relocated for a limited period employed by foreign companies awarded public contracts or their subsidiaries;
• The spouses of Moroccan citizens;
• Company owner/directors;
• Company associates and shareholders;
• Delegates or representatives in the framework of cooperation for a period not exceeding six months;
• Coaches and players holding a permit issued by the relevant services of the Department of Sport;
• Artists holding a permit issued by the National Directorate of National Security;
• Political refugees and stateless persons.

Agency: ANAPEC

Step 2: Contract endorsement from the Ministry of Employment and work permit application

Companies wishing to employ foreign nationals must also obtain approval from the Ministry of Employment. Foreign nationals’ employment contracts must follow the model established by the Ministry of Employment and Vocational Training. The forms to be completed can be downloaded from the Ministry’s website. Next, the contract must be certified by the Department of Employment in the Moroccan Ministry of Employment.

The Ministry has launched an online service for the instruction and endorsement of employment-contract files for foreign employees (first establishment and renewal). For first-time applicants, the following documents are required:

• Two copies of the work-permit application signed by the foreign national;
• Five original copies of the employment contract for foreign nationals;
• Qualifications and work certificates accrediting the employee’s experience;
• Copies of the first few pages of the applicant’s passport;
• Certificate issued by the National Agency for the Development of Employment and Skills (ANAPEC), confirming the non-availability of any Moroccan candidates to fill the position offered to the foreign applicant;
• Copy of the company’s articles of association.

For renewals:

• Two copies of the application for employment-contract endorsement, signed by the employee;
• Five original copies of the employment contract for foreign nationals;
• Certificate, issued by the CNSS, accrediting payment of the last three months’ social-security contributions by the employee;
• Copy of the Moroccan registration card;
• Certificate issued by NAPES confirming the non-availability of any Moroccan candidates to fill the position offered to the foreign applicant;
• Copy of the company’s articles of association in the case of a change of employer.

Authorisation is granted in the form of a visa stamped on the employment contract. If authorisation is denied, the employer must bear the costs of sending the employee back to his country of origin or residence.

The date of the visa is the date at which the employment contract takes effect. Any modification to the contract (e.g. working conditions) must be communicated to the ministry and requires a new visa and authorisation, which can be withdrawn at any time by the Ministry of Employment. For indefinite-term employment contracts, foreign nationals may also be required to apply for a new residency permit and visa every year.

Step 3: Obtain an entry visa to Morocco

Applicants must submit the following documents to the Moroccan diplomatic and consular authorities:

• 3 copies of the Entry Visa Application Form for the Kingdom of Morocco
• 3 recent passport-sized (4 x 3cm) colour photos, clearly showing the features of the face
• 1 copy of currently valid passport (pages indicating: identity and validity)
• Identity document or residency card
• Passport
• Return transport ticket
• Hotel reservation or accreditation of family accommodation
• Accreditation of means of subsistence
• Chancellery and document fees and formalities.

Note that the individual diplomatic authorities may request further documentation, depending on the individual application.

In countries without a Moroccan diplomatic presence, applications should be made to the accredited diplomatic authority in the relevant country or via honorary consuls. If no such representation is available, applications should be made directly to the Moroccan Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Department of Consular and Social Affairs, in Rabat ([email protected]) for the visa to be forwarded for collection at the airport.

Step 4: Obtain registration card

All foreign nationals intending to work in Morocco are required to obtain a work permit and registration card (indicating the nature of the work). These are valid from 1 – 10 years (maximum), but are renewable for an unlimited number of times.

Foreign nationals are required to go to the National Security Service or Royal Gendarmerie in the municipal district where they reside and submit a registration application, before their visa expires or within ninety days of entering Morocco. On making an application to obtain a registration card, the foreign national is given a receipt which is valid for a provisional period.

The length of the registration card is determined based on the reasons for the application and the documents submitted, as well as any bilateral conventions or agreements between Morocco and the applicant’s nationality.

For registration cards that are “for work reasons”, foreign nationals must submit an employment contract endorsed by the Moroccan Ministry of Employment, plus an entry visa to Morocco bearing the words “for work reasons”. Foreign nationals wishing to practice a professional activity subject to licensing must furnish a Moroccan entry visa authorising them to practice the intended activity.

Agency: National Security Service or Royal Gendarmerie

Cost: MAD 100 per year of intended duration of the registration card