Staying for more than 3 months in Morocco

[qwer1234]

It seems that I am going to go to southern Morocco to build a hotel (partnering with a local friend) in October.
I am going to take my car with me in, as transport is very difficult there.

I was for one month in Morocco in spring. Probably I am going to be there until the end of the year(I do not plan to live there for the moment, but I will have to travel often). The problem is that on the web site of the Spanish Foreign Ministry it is written that tourists are allowed to stay in Morocco up to 3 months each year.
I do not want to get a residency card, as I will have problems with my car (registered in Spain).

Has somebody stayed for more than 3 months in Morocco by simply going to Ceuta or Melilla and getting and exit and entry stamp?

[MikeS]

I'd contact Peter at Bikershome, he'll definitely be able to tell you the best way to deal with this.

[desertexpress]

Hi,

Can you give me the adress in Morocco or coördinats. I coming in nov. to Morocco for 1 month. Maybe i can visit your hotel in South Morocco.
grts
Peter Penson

[qwer1234]

Originally Posted by desertexpress

Hi,

Can you give me the adress in Morocco or coördinats. I coming in nov. to Morocco for 1 month. Maybe i can visit your hotel in South Morocco.
grts
Peter Penson

Well, in November there will be no hotel at all, as first we will have to create a Ltd which takes a month, but you are welcome, if you want to come.
It will be in Ksar Ifri, on the main road between Rich and Errachidia (about 30 kilometers from each - about 5 kilometers after Hotel Jurassique if coming from Rich). Coordinates (from Google Earth): 32º06''48''N 4º22'02''W

Just send me a private message.

[Detourer]

I and 3-4 staff members enter Morocco 10 months a year, via Ceuta, for 20 days at a time, leading tours [so more than 3 months in total]. Been doing that for many many years and to be honest I have never given it a second thought........Never had a problem.
I know the area you are talking about, very nice, a good camping area there would be welcome. Knowing the owner we stop at Hotel Jurassica now and then...... I have looked at that area for a site but thought it was too near Tinerhir one way and Azrou [and the new Camping/hotel Euro] the other way.....Maybe thats why Jurassica always seems empty!
Not wanting to pee on your idea/plans but we have been down this road [hotel/camping] many times and have given up and will never waste time on it again. The Moroccans are far worse than even the Spanish in blocking every move you try and make [ask Zebra Camping at Ouzoud]. And like them we had the “nod” from the very highest levels...........
But the very best of luck................
.

[qwer1234]

Originally Posted by Detourer

I and 3-4 staff members enter Morocco 10 months a year, via Ceuta, for 20 days at a time, leading tours [so more than 3 months in total]. Been doing that for many many years and to be honest I have never given it a second thought........Never had a problem.
I know the area you are talking about, very nice, a good camping area there would be welcome. Knowing the owner we stop at Hotel Jurassica now and then...... I have looked at that area for a site but thought it was too near Tinerhir one way and Azrou [and the new Camping/hotel Euro] the other way.....Maybe thats why Jurassica always seems empty!
Not wanting to pee on your idea/plans but we have been down this road [hotel/camping] many times and have given up and will never waste time on it again. The Moroccans are far worse than even the Spanish in blocking every move you try and make [ask Zebra Camping at Ouzoud]. And like them we had the “nod” from the very highest levels...........
But the very best of luck................
.

Detourer, thank you for the information.

Could you please explain me more in detail 'The Moroccans are far worse than even the Spanish in blocking every move you try and make'

BTW, when I was in Ouzoud there was a very full camping in the upper part of the village, run by some europeans. Maybe it was the Zebra Camping. They told me that I should go to the neighbors as it was full. Well, the neighbors charged me 450dirhams for a bungalow-tent with no working hot water which costs (maximum) about 700euros to build. Needless to say that this place was nearly empty.

Also doing business in the south seems to be much easier, as the people there are much more honest. I would not even think to do something in the north (for me even Marrakech-Ouzoud is 'north').

[Tim Cullis]

The camping in the upper village sounds like Zebra and I know the place next door. 450dh is exorbitant, in southern Morocco I favour staying in Gites d'Etape which rarely charge more than 150dh for dinner, bed and breakfast!

It's three months per visit, not per year. Most people just go to Ceuta and back out again to renew this. Occasionally people get turned back but you just try again in six hours time when the shifts change. Vehicles are limited to six months per year.

When you enter the country with a vehicle you need to make sure you are given three months on that as well. I had a problem when I left my bike in Morocco for an emergency and when I returned my three months of vehicle entry were almost up. In sorting this out I had the chance to watch the Moroccan Customs' vehicle records IT system in action and it seems the six months per year limitation is per calendar year.

And of course if you renew your passport, all the records start again...

It's interesting that the Moroccans manage to have a fairly good system for tracking people and their vehicles in and out of the country and the UK spends billions and doesn't yet have a working system. Hey ho.

[qwer1234]

Originally Posted by Tim Cullis

The camping in the upper village sounds like Zebra and I know the place next door. 450dh is exorbitant, in southern Morocco I favour staying in Gites d'Etape which rarely charge more than 150dh for dinner, bed and breakfast!

It's three months per visit, not per year. Most people just go to Ceuta and back out again to renew this. Occasionally people get turned back but you just try again in six hours time when the shifts change. Vehicles are limited to six months per year.

When you enter the country with a vehicle you need to make sure you are given three months on that as well. I had a problem when I left my bike in Morocco for an emergency and when I returned my three months of vehicle entry were almost up. In sorting this out I had the chance to watch the Moroccan Customs' vehicle records IT system in action and it seems the six months per year limitation is per calendar year.

And of course if you renew your passport, all the records start again...

It's interesting that the Moroccans manage to have a fairly good system for tracking people and their vehicles in and out of the country and the UK spends billions and doesn't yet have a working system. Hey ho.

It is 6 months for a car and 3 months for a van. At least I got 6 months this spring.
It is per calendar year starting on December 20th.

So it seems that you can exit Morocco for a few weeks leaving your car/motorcycle there without problems?

[Tim Cullis]

Indeed, it's three months for any commercial vehicle, though my Nissan Navara Outlaw pickup (which in the UK is classed as a light commercial vehicle) slipped through as a car.

If you time things right you could stay two lots of three months in late 2011, then come back and do two more lots of three months in early 2012, then change your passport and do two lots of three months in late 2012, then...

Leaving a bike in Morocco is difficult and expensive to organise, but I had no choice. Pity as I already have bike storage facilties in southern Spain with MotoAdvenTours.

[qwer1234]

Well, I have 2 citizenships and 2 passports, so I would not need to change my passport if I want to do this. But what happens if you get caught and the officer is not willing to 'negociate' the penalty? I don't want to get a ban of entering Morocco or to end in a Moroccan jail.

So, for a normal car (Opel Astra) it is 3 or 6 months in a calendar year?
On my D16 I was given 6 months entering this April.

Also, are you allowed to leave Morocco without your car for a few weeks or a month? I have a place where I can park it safely. I need to know it because I will have to fly to Japan sometime this autumn and I don't want to drive all the way to Spain mainland and back only to park the car (and I don't want to pay an expensive parking in Ceuta or Melilla). Do you have to park your car at a customs background or something like that?

[pera]

Originally Posted by qwer1234

simply going to Ceuta or Melilla and getting and exit and entry stamp?

That´s what everybody I know does. If you are going to stay at Tafilalt region Melilla has the advantage that with and Spain registered car you don´t need to do anything about the car, simply stamp the passport. You must tell the Moroccan customs agents that you are going to come back Morocco in a few days or simply go ahead with your stamped passport. At Ceuta you must register the car for geting it out of Morocco and then for entry another time.

[svetlana71]

i am going with mercedes vito, is it in a kategory of a car or a wan? if it is a wan, does that mean i can not stay longer than 3 months per year?
and for my visa extension, i am holder of serbian passport, probably i can not extend it in spain.... is it posible to get visa extension in marocco? i will enter with 3 months tourist visa and mercedes vito, it is a small wan, hopefully in a category of a car..!!? mercedes vito is registered as "teretni" in english means "heavy load" like not just for passengers but also to carry a heavy stuff (i don't know in correct english) so is that mean it is a wan and not possible to stay with it longer than 3 monts per year?

vito is definitely a van, so you can stay with it up to 6 months in Marrocco
was no problem for my truck

[svetlana71]

thanks Moro :-))