Work Visas in Morocco
How to get a work permit and which routes actually exist
Employment of a foreigner in Morocco is built around the employer, not the applicant. The contract is drawn on the official model and submitted for authorisation by the employment agency, which commonly requires evidence that no Moroccan candidate was available for the post, with exemptions for certain categories. The residence card follows the authorised contract.
| Core document | Employment contract for a foreign worker, authorised by the authorities source |
| Labour market test | Commonly an attestation from the employment agency that no national candidate was available source |
| Residence document | Carte de séjour, employee category, applied for at the police prefecture source |
| Typical first card | Commonly issued for one year and renewable |
| Social insurance | Registration with the national social security fund by the employer source |
The sequence, in the order it actually happens
The order is unusual and the source of most confusion. The job comes first, the authorisation second, and the residence card third. There is no general work-seeker permit and no points system.
The employer prepares the employment contract for a foreign worker on the official model and applies for it to be authorised. The supporting file commonly includes an attestation from the national employment agency, ANAPEC, indicating that the post was advertised and that no suitable Moroccan candidate presented themselves.
Once the contract is authorised, the worker applies at the police prefecture covering their residential address for the residence card in the employee category, within the period set by the rules and counted from entry.
Where the labour market test does not apply
- Categories exempted by the labour code or by bilateral agreement, which is why nationals of certain countries encounter a lighter file than others.
- Roles in companies operating under specific investment or export-oriented regimes, where a simplified regime is applied.
- Spouses of Moroccan nationals, who derive their right to work from the family category rather than from an employer authorisation.
- Company directors and legal representatives, whose position is documented through the commercial register rather than through a subordinate contract.
- Short assignments and intra-group secondments, which are handled differently from a local hire and should be checked against the published rules before travel.
Self-employment and company formation
A foreigner may register a company and hold the position of manager, and this is a common route for consultants and small business owners who cannot find a sponsoring employer. The residence card is then applied for in the self-employed or business category, supported by the commercial register entry, the tax identification and evidence of the activity.
This route replaces the employment authorisation with a company file. It is not lighter overall, but it removes the dependence on a Moroccan employer being willing to complete an unfamiliar procedure.
Working remotely for a foreign employer
Morocco has not published a dedicated remote worker or digital nomad residence category. People working online for clients abroad while resident in Morocco either remain within the ninety-day visa-free period, or apply under one of the existing categories, most often self-employed or independent means.
Because the ninety-day rule is generous and easy, a substantial informal population never enters the residence system at all. That is a description of what happens rather than an endorsement, and overstaying carries fines and complications on departure.
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Official sources
Checked against these pages in September 2026. Fees and processing times change without notice — confirm before you act.