Property in Morocco

For investment or pleasure, it doesn’t get much better than Morocco.

The Kingdom of Morocco is a destination which achieves the near-impossible. The mystery and romantic intrigue of Africa combine perfectly with the practical demands of the modern traveler and consumer in this most unique of destinations. Situated just three hours from the UK and 14km from Spain, across the Straits of Gibraltar, The Kingdom of Morocco sits at the north-western tip of Africa, separated from the rest of this immense continent by the Sahara desert and the snow-capped Atlas Mountains.

The capital city is Rabat.

Other major cities are Marrakech and Fes and the ports of Casablanca and Tangier. A former French protectorate, the people of Morocco have a unique cultural identity blended from Arab, Berber, European and African influences which in turn have influenced a distinctive culture, architecture and language. Arabic is the main language, although French and English are widely spoken. Islamic and deeply traditional in its outlook, to visit Morocco is to assail the senses in every way: from the souks of Marrakech to the beaches of Agadir, via the might of the Atlas Mountains, Morocco has something for everyone.

Whether you are looking for action (skiing, horse riding, scuba), education (a myriad of historical artefacts and ruins to explore), or pure relaxation (sun and sea), Morocco is a veritable treasure trove, and that’s before you have had a good go at losing yourself in the souks where you can barter away to your heart’s content for every kind of handicraft! And as if that wasn’t enough, the Moroccan climate is justifiably described as perfect, with hot and dry summers (30°C/86°F) and temperate winters (16-18°C/65°F).

From an investor’s point of view, it is worth noting that Morocco is often said to be in a position similar to that of Spain, 40 years ago, prior to its astounding property boom. A politically safe and stable country to visit and invest in, Morocco enjoys a vibrant, low-tax economy that has grown by an average of 4% a year since 1983. The forward-looking ruler of Morocco, His Royal Highness King Mohammed VI has put together a multi-billion dollar investment program (‘Vision 2010’) funded by the UAE, Morocco, Spain and the EU aimed at increasing tourism and investment in the country. Massive investment in local infrastructure will only enhance an already excellent outlook from a property investment perspective.

Getting there and around

At only 3 ½ hours direct flight time from the UK and a quick ferry crossing from mainland Spain, Morocco is easily accessible. Morocco’s national airline is Royal Air Maroc (AT) and other airlines serving Morocco include Ryanair, EasyJet, Alitalia, British Airways, KLM and Lufthansa. Morocco has five international airports: Casablanca (CMN) (Mohammed V), Tangier (TNG) (Boukhalef Souahel), Fez (FEZ), Marrakech (RAK) and Rabat-Salé (RBA). Travelling from these airports is easy and all feature the usual airport facilities and services.

Trains

Getting around Morocco is easy as there are many options available, ranging from a great train service to the ubiquitous camel! The Moroccan train service is one of the best in the African region, being cheap, reliable and fast, run by the national train service, ONCF. Trains travel between Tangier, Meknes, Fez, Oujda, Rabat, Casablanca and Marrakech, with overnight train services operating between Tangier and Marrakech. It is important to note that trains do not go to the popular destinations of Agadir and Essaouira, so buses will be your best option when travelling to certain places. Be sure to check before departing.

Buses and Taxis

Buses operate between most major towns, the three national companies being Supratours, CTM and SATAS. Safer and more comfortable than shared taxis, you can purchase tickets at the bus depot. Bear in mind, however, that city buses are a very different form of transportation and it is probably better to take a ‘petit taxi’ to get around town. Taxis are of two types in Morocco: big ones (grand taxis) and little ones (petit taxis), the larger ones being shared to cover longer distances. The smaller ones operate like regular, metered taxis, so if the meter isn’t working be sure to fix your fare before leaving!

Car hire

Car rental in Morocco is surprisingly inexpensive, so driving your own car to the country is a genuine alternative. The roads in Morocco are quite good but be aware that the distances between major towns can be significant. Air travel is possible within Morocco if you’re in a hurry, but be warned that it is expensive. RAM (Royal Air Maroc) operates between Casablanca to major cities.

Voltage

Electrical current is 220 volts, 50Hz. Two-pin round plugs are in use, similar to those used in France and other parts of Europe. Newer buildings use 220 V / 50 Hz power supplies, while older buildings use 110 V / 50 Hz, although some buildings have a mix of both. Morocco uses the metric system for weights and measures.

Time

All year round all of Morocco is on Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) the same time as Britain in winter, one hour behind in summer.

Economic

Morocco enjoys the fifth most powerful economy in Africa with an annual GDP of $152 billion, after South Africa, Egypt, Algeria and Nigeria. The country’s largest industry is the mining of phosphates. Its second largest source of income is from nationals living abroad who transfer money to relatives living in Morocco, with tourism proving to be the country’s third largest income generator. Since the early 1980s the Moroccan government has pursued an economic program toward sustainable economic growth with the support of the IMF, the World Bank, and the Paris Club of creditors.

Currency

Visitors to Morocco would be well advised to become familiar with the currency, the dirham (MAD or DH) before arriving as it can be a little confusing initially. Essentially, a dirham is made up of 100 centimes but confusion arises with the introduction of rials (also known as reales). Throughout Morocco, 20 rials make up a dirham, except in Tangier and the Rif, where only two rials are needed to make a dirham. Additionally, centimes are sometimes also called francs and pesetas. It is a good idea to be completely sure what you are being asked to pay, especially when bartering for goods in a souk! Coins are available in 5c 10c 20c, 50c, 1dh, 5dh and 10dh and notes are available in 20dh, 50dh, 100dh and 200dh. Shop around when exchanging money in Morocco as rates vary. Most travel agents and hotels offer exchange facilities and it should be noted that the import or export of the currency is prohibited. Some credit cards are accepted and the larger towns have ATMs for cash withdrawal.

Well-known credit cards such as MasterCard and Visa are accepted in hotels, restaurants and some shops. It's best to change travellers cheques at the bank. Always have your passport with you as you will need to give proof of your identity whenever you want to change money.

Tipping

Tipping is tricky business in Morocco, although there really is no definitive set of rules regarding the how and why. Essentially, it is 10% for meals and round up to the nearest 5 dirhams in taxis. 10 dirhams would be fine for a porter in normal circumstances. The main trouble comes when you approach the medina. Any faltering step or quick glance at a map will be met with eager offers of help, often from children. If you are guided briefly by a child to the right place, 5-10 dirhams is fine, 10-20 for an adult. If, however, you accept an offer from a guide to show you around for more than a few minutes, expect to pay around 50-75 dirhams. Obviously, if someone attaches themselves to you without being asked, you are under no obligation to pay anything.

The Moroccan climate is Mediterranean, pleasant and not prone to extremes other than in the mountainous interior of the country where temperatures of 38ºC and over are to be expected during the summer months. The terrain is such that the towns situated on the coast do not suffer from such intense heat and usually enjoy an average temperature of around 22ºC-27ºC. As such, the land around the coast is rich and is particularly well suited for use in agriculture.

The average temperature during winter (November to May) is around 15ºC, although the north experiences more than its fair share of cool, wet weather with frequent night frosts. It is important to be aware that sunset throughout the year signals a sharp drop in temperature.

Telephones

Country Dialing Code: 00 + 212 + local area code.

Public telephones can be found in city centres, but private telephone offices (also known as teleboutiques or telekiosques) are also commonly used. The GSM mobile telephone network in Morocco can be accessed via one of two major operators: Meditel or Maroc Telecom. Prepaid cards are available to buy in a phone shop showing a Maroc Telecom sign. The international access telephone code for Morocco is +212 and the outgoing code is 00 followed by the relevant country code (e.g. 0044 for the United Kingdom). Be warned that hotels often add a large markup to their telephone bills so it is best to check before making any international calls.

The Moroccan postal service is generally reliable and offers a post restante service in major cities for a small fee. You will need identification to collect your mail. Items shipped as freight are inspected at the post office before they are sent, so wait until this has been done before you seal the box.

Media

Moroccan dailies are published in Arabic, French and Spanish. British and European newspapers and the International Herald Tribune are sold at news kiosks in all the big cities.

In addition to Moroccan television, in Arabic and French, many hotels provide satellite service, relaying programmes from French, Italian, German and English-language networks.

The Internet has spread like wildfire in Morocco, with internet cafes numerous all over the country, often located next to, above, or below the telekiosque offices. Expect to pay around 4 - 10 dirhams per hour. Speeds vary from acceptable in the north to pretty slow side in rural areas.

Morocco’s visitors are truly spoiled for choice when it comes to leisure activities. Whether you are in the mood for sporting in the sea, in the air, on a racetrack or on snow, or you prefer to while away the hours immersing yourself in Morocco’s rich heritage, Morocco has it all, plus opportunities for shopping, lots and lots of opportunities for shopping! Morocco’s unique climate and wide biodiversity combines perfectly with its eclectic and diverse cultural makeup to offer the visitor everything one could want – and more. If you are a sun worshipper, the country’s beaches are second to none and also offer an insight into Moroccan life. Top up that tan at Grottes d'Hercules, Plage Ouemada at Al Hoceima, Lalla Fatma and Larache or see the fishermen and their wonderfully colourful boats at Dakhla.

If you’d rather be in the water than on the sand, then attempt some windsurfing at Agadir and Essaouira, two destinations famed for their ideal conditions. Indeed, surfing of all sorts is popular in Morocco: you can be carried along by the Atlantic waves or the trade winds, slide on the snowy slopes of the Atlas Mountains or the dunes of the south. All watersports are catered for in Morocco, including sailing & yachting, canoeing, rowing, waterskiing, scuba diving and deep sea, wadi, gorge and river fishing.

If dry land is more your bag, have a go at camel trekking, organised hikes in the stunning wilderness of the Atlas mountains, a Sahara tour, horse riding (mainly in Rabat, Casablanca, Agadir, Meknes, Fez, Oujda, Ouirgane and Tangier) or tennis, a hugely popular sport, played on clay courts. Morocco’s wonderful climate means that you can ski in the High Atlas mountains from January to March. Alpine skiing is best at Oukaimeden, a lovely unassuming resort 70 km south of Marrakech, which boasts great terrain suited to all abilities. Fez has Mischliffen on its doorstep, well equipped and friendly. The massifs of the Rif, Middle and High Atlas mountains keep the cross country fans happy, too.

Golf is growing in popularity in Morocco, not least because the country’s King Hassan II was an internationally ranked golfer. Some of the best-known of the country’s golf courses are located in Rabat, while Agadir has three courses.

Morocco is full of unique sights and part of the joy of forging a relationship with this magnificent country is in snuffling out these cultural gems. Asilah holds a fantastic arts festival every August and Fes is crammed full of historical landmarks and ancient buildings, while the Ouzoud Waterfalls in the country’s Azilal province, 95 miles north-east of Marrakech, are stunning, having remained uncommercialised and unspoiled. The prehistoric rock carvings of animals near Ouka’meden are fascinating while the infamous tree climbing goats of the Souss Valley in Agadir have to be seen to be believed.

Of course, no trip to Morocco would be complete without a shopping trip to one of its many souks and words do not really do the experience justice. Thanks to its situation at the crossroads between Africa and Europe, Morocco has long been one of the world’s most prominent marketplaces and as a result, Moroccans know how to buy and sell like no one else. Every region will have its weekly market, with only the main towns having one that opens daily. Each area in the medina will be specific to a type of purchase. The main souks are in Marrakech and Fes (Marrakech known for its lively, carnival type atmosphere, Fes for being a ‘real’ market for Moroccans), but they can also be found in many Moroccan cities. Comprising of a series of interweaving (surprisingly organised) tiny alleyways holding even tinier shops and stalls, time has stopped still in the souk, this most medieval of markets. Excited haggling can be heard as buyers argue the price of, well, practically anything you can imagine: fabrics, spices, meats, brass and ironwork, clothing, and other wares. Carpets are the main purchase of choice for the foreign visitor and expect to drink at least two glasses of the sweetest of mint teas while browsing. Leather goods are best in Fes while jewellery and traditional dress such as caftans and djellabas are good all over the country. If you are in the mood for something specific, it is good to do your research as regions specialise in not only different goods but in different colours and textures of those goods. Shopping can be quite overwhelming in terms of the noise, colour and smells so pace yourself and above all, bring cash - credit cards are used infrequently throughout Morocco.

Opening hours

Most administrative offices are open from 8.30 a.m. to noon and from 2.30 to 6.30 p.m., with a longer break on Fridays in deference to midday prayers.

Banks open Monday to Friday from 8.15 to 11.30 a.m. and again from 2.15 to 4 p.m. In summer, though, they operate non-stop from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. And during the holy month of Ramadan the schedule is 9.30 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Main post offices are open from 8 a.m. to 6.30 p.m. Monday to Thursday; Fridays it's 8 a.m. to noon and 4 to 6.30 p.m. Summer hours are curtailed.

Shops in the medinas tend to operate from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily, with a Friday break for prayers. In the nouvelles villes, a daily siesta from about noon to 3 p.m. is standard.

Museums follow an erratic schedule but most take a midday break.

A visit to Morroco makes one thing very clear: it is a country unlike any other and, as such, many of its customs and cultural identities are thoroughly foreign in every way. A heady mix of peoples, Moroccans like to express themselves artistically and colourfully in every way you can imagine, through music, art, sculpture, carpet weaving, song and so on. It is a friendly country of great dignity and custom is important, for example, photographing someone in a rural area without their permission would be met with great offense.

Throughout its history, Morocco has hosted many different peoples, including Phoenicians, Jews, Arabs, Romans and Moors, all of whom have had a direct and lasting impact on the country’s social structure. As a result, although Islam is the main religion of the country, all forms of belief are tolerated and Morocco protects its diversity and cultural heritage fiercely. Although the least Arabic of the Arab countries, it is still prohibited for any non-Muslim to enter a mosque under any circumstances and public displays of affection are frowned upon. People are expected to dress modestly and, even though people greet each other with kisses (including men meeting men), you will rarely see a man and wife holding hands. The 33 million Moroccan people are generally a mixture of Arabs and Berbers, the native inhabitants of Morocco, all of whom speak Moroccan, a predominantly Arabic dialect mixed with the multifarious variations of Berber. French and Spanish are considered to be the country’s ‘third’ languages. English is spoken in the tourist areas. Linguistically, Ancient Arabic is considered the only official language (although it is used rarely and never spoken).

A country of great beauty, Morocco celebrated the 50th anniversary of its independence from France in 2006 and has gone from strength to strength, continuing to successfully incorporate modern and international influences into its already diverse cultural makeup.

Holidays and festivals

Because two calendars are used in Morocco the standard Gregorian model of 365 days as well as the Muslim year, which is 11 days shorter things tend to be complicated. New Year's Day, a national holiday, always falls on January 1, but religious holidays follow a different rhythm. Consequently there's no such thing as a religious holiday that always occurs at a certain season. Here is the line-up of non-religious public holidays:

• January 1: New Year
• May 1: Labour Day
• July 9: Youth Day
• July 30: Fête du Trône (Coronation of Mohammed VI)
• August 14: Allegiance Day November 6 : Anniversary of the Green March
• November 18: Independence Day

No entry

If you are non-Muslim you will not be allowed to enter the prayer halls of mosques in Morocco. However, you can get a peek into some of the most impressive ones. Among the few places excepted from the no-go rule are the Mohammed V mausoleum in Rabat and the sanctuary of Moulay Ismaïl in Meknès.

Morocco’s diverse cultural heritage has inevitably seeped it's way into the country’s distinctive cuisine, which lends itself to heady spices and scents such as that of saffron and mint, a world away from the delicate herb-based cooking of the Mediterranean. The most famous of these spices must be harissa, a tongue tingling combination of garlic, chillies, oil and salt which is used to coat meats and perk up sauces. In any market you pass there will be sold ras el hanout, a combination of anything up to 100 spices, each mixture unique to the shop. Vegetables and meat are eaten in equal measure, as are plenty of grains, in particular couscous, which is often served as a dish at the end of a meal, with vegetables, nuts, spices and raisins. A ‘couscous of seven vegetables’ is common in Fez, where seven is considered a lucky number. The seven ‘lucky’ vegetables are onions, pumpkin, zucchini, turnips, chilli peppers, carrots and tomatoes. Savoury foods are often enhanced in this way, with fruits such as apricots and figs and are often cooked in a tagine, an earthenware pot and lid. Nuts are also used to add a little extra to a dish, pine nuts and pistachios in particular. Chicken and beef are the principle meats eaten, lamb being relatively expensive, but fish and pigeon are also popular. Meat is usually roasted slowly or grilled, then topped with sauces or even an apricot puree. Salad is often served at the start of a meal (tomato and green pepper) but dessert isn’t always on offer, the main drink at the end of the meal, green tea laced with sugar and mint, being a dessert in itself, so sweet is the syrup-sweet concoction!

Morocco’s healthcare system is fairly basic, especially outside the larger cities and the majority of healthcare workers will not speak English. As with travel to most other destinations in Africa, it is wise to take the right precautions such as not buying food from street vendors or drinking the tap water. Bottled water is freely available. It is strongly recommended that you take out full health insurance before departure, to include evacuation to the UK but be aware that most policies will not evacuate as a matter of course or because the Moroccan system is not up to scratch. General hospitals will offer some medical care for free but be prepared to pay for anything more than the most basic of treatments. Pharmacies are widespread and take turns in overnight opening.

As with most destinations in Africa you have to careful about what you drink and eat in order to avoid stomach upsets. Buying food from street vendors carries some degree of risk and tap water should not be drunk. There is plenty of bottled water available throughout the country. Luckily Morocco is basically malaria-free. It is, however, recommended that you are vaccinated against Typhoid and Hepatitis A, and it is a good idea to have your polio and tetanus vaccines up to date.

British passport holders do not need any visas to get into Morocco and your stay as a visitor is restricted to 3 months, but may be extended at a Moroccan police station. Travel regulations are known to change without notice to the public so it is a good idea to check current regulations with your travel agent. Your passport must be valid for 6 months following date of entry and you must have tickets and documents confirming return or onward travel.

When travelling to Morocco, it is wise to be aware that the country enforces strict censorship rules, which apply to fiction books and music CDs and cassettes in large numbers. Adults may bring in: 200 cigarettes (or cigarillos) or 50 cigars or 400 grammes of tobacco; 1 litre of spirits and 1 litre of wine; approximately 5 grammes of perfume.

It's forbidden to import or export the national currency, the dirham. You can bring in as much foreign currency as you wish but any amounts exceeding the equivalent of 15,000 DH must be declared. Change it into dirhams a bit at a time, according to need. You are supposed to change your unused dirhams into foreign currency before leaving the country, but only 50 per cent of the amount exchanged on arrival can be re-exchanged if you have stayed longer than 48 hours.

Importing goods into Morocco is fairly straightforward, although regulations have been known to change without notice. It is a good idea to confirm current regulations with the Foreign Office before committing to shipping plans. Used household goods and personal effects in reasonable quantities may be imported duty-free if owned for more than six months and if two shipments are sent, the second shipment must arrive no later then six months after the first.

With the right people assisting you, purchasing an overseas property can be an enjoyable and rewarding affair ... one, we at Property Club International are familiar with. If you still have questions having read this section, please don’t hesitate to contact us!

Some of the information in the information sections has been supplied by third parties, and Property Club International and its associated companies cannot be held responsible for any errors or omissions. Professional advice should always be sought at the time of purchase.