If you hold a full passport from the UK, Ireland, any other EU country, the US, Canada, Australia or New Zealand, you require no visa to enter Morocco for up to ninety days. Note, however, that your passport must be valid for at least six months beyond your date of entry, and always double check your visa requirements before departure as the situation can change. South African citizens are among those who need a visa; applications should be made to the nearest Moroccan embassy or consulate.
When entering the country , formalities are fairly straightforward, though you will have to fill in a form stating personal details, purpose of visit and your profession . In recent years, Moroccan authorities have shown an occasional reluctance to allow in those who categorize themselves as "journalist"; an alternative profession on the form might be wise.
Note that items such as electronic equipment and video cameras may be entered on your passport. If you lose them during your visit, they will be assumed "sold" when you come to leave and (unless you have police documentation of theft) you will have to pay 100 percent duty. All goods on your passport should be "cleared" when leaving to prevent problems on future trips. Vehicles need a Green Card.
Visa extensions
To
extend your stay in Morocco you should - officially - apply to the Bureau des Etrangers in the nearest main town for a residence permit. This is, however, a very complicated procedure and it is usually possible to get round the bureaucracy by simply leaving the country for a brief time when your three months are up. If you decide to do this - and it is not foolproof - it is best to make a trip of at least a few days outside Morocco. Spain is the obvious choice and some people just go to the enclave of Ceuta; the more cautious re-enter the country at a different post. If you are very unlucky, you may be turned back and asked to obtain a
re-entry visa prior to your return. These can be obtained from any Moroccan consulate abroad.
Children on parents' passports
If travelling as a family, note that children travelling on their parents' passports must have their photographs affixed to the passport. If this is not done, it is possible that you will be refused entry to Morocco. This is not just a piece of paper bureaucracy: families are regularly refused entry for failing to comply.
Moroccan embassies and consulates abroad
Algeria 8 Rue des C่dres, al-Mouradia, 12070 Algiers (tel 02/60.74.08).
Australia 11 West Street, North Sydney, NSW 2060 (tel 02/9922 4999).
Canada 38 Range Rd, Suite 1510, Ottawa, ON K1N 8J4 (tel 613/236-7391); 1010 Sherbrooke St W, Montreal, PQ H3A 2R7 (tel 514/288-8750).
Denmark ุregๅrrds All้ 19, 2900 Hellerup, Copenhagen (tel 3962 4511).
Mauritania Tevragh Zeina 634, BP621, Nouakchott (tel 25.23.99).
Netherlands Oranjestraat 9, 2514 The Hague (tel 070/360 2900); Vondelstraat 65-67, 1054 Amsterdam (tel 020/618 1616).
Spain c/Serrano 179, Madrid (tel 91 458 0950); Rambla de Catalunya 78, Barcelona (tel 93 215 3470); c/Teniente Maroto 2, Algeciras (tel 956 661 803).
South Africa 799, Schoeman St, PO Box 12382, Arcadia, Pretoria 0083 (tel 012/243 0230).
Sweden Kungsholmstorg 16, Stockholm (tel 08/5455 1139).
UK 49 Queens Gate Gardens, London SW7 5NE (tel 020/7581 5001).
USA 1601 21st St NW, Washington DC 20009 (tel 202/462-7979); 10 E 40th St, 24th Floor, New York, NY 10016 (212/758-2625).
Morocco has no diplomatic mission in Ireland or New Zealand , which are covered by the embassy in London and the consulate in Sydney respectively.
