Hi all.. just 3 weeks to go before we're off to Maroc - getting a teeny weeny bit excited now!

Is a PhotoCard driving license madatory in Morocco, or will an old 'paper' licence be ok? I sent mine off for replacement a week ago but I'm getting the jitters in case there's a problem with the application and it comes back.. Any thoughts?

The other thing - I'm taking 2 bikes down in a van and the 2nd rider is flying into Marrakesh the week after, am I likely to encounter any problems buying insurance at the border (do I need to??)

Just got to fit a new set of TCK80's this week, fabricate some racks for my 5L jerries and I'm fit to go...

Greg

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I wish my wheelies were intentional...

<Is a PhotoCard driving license madatory in Morocco...>

In my experience I have never been asked to show a driving license in any Saharan country (even the international one that people sometimes buy).

What counts is the vehicle ownership document (carte gris) in your name and a passport.

have a great trip - it wont be cold...

Ch

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Morocco Overland 4 pre-order for Xmas • Trans Morocco Trail

Chris, does a normal garden variety V5 do the job as a "carte gris" ?

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Yes , its the same thing. But carte gris is what they call in most of the Sahara so its a word worth knowing.

Ch

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Morocco Overland 4 pre-order for Xmas • Trans Morocco Trail

Merci Chris, Cheers

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You will probably have some problems trying to get in with a car and two bikes. Car and one bike is no problem. At the worst you will have to deposit it at the border and pick it up later.

This was the situation a year or so ago. Maybe it has changed in the meantime, I don't know.

I have seen people in Morocco with loads of bikes but they were organised tours and had all the paperwork sorted out in advance. How this paperwork is done I don't know either.

Kev ... I called the Moroccan Embassy and the transport consultation guy advised that as long as I had copies of all the necessary documents, V5, letters of authority (Rob's blagged a GS1200 on loan the lucky bleeder!) from BMM and copies of his air ticket I should be ok.

Let's hope so!!

Greg

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I wish my wheelies were intentional...

Hi Greg

Sounds good, I'd be interested to know how you get on.

Kevin

>>In my experience I have never been asked to show a driving license in any ?>>Saharan country

Hi !!! . Well , I remember that there are some countries really interested in the driving license. for example : Senegal , Guineas , and probbably Burkina (not sure , can't remember for sure) but

if you are asking for a Passavant , they ask you for your driving license. Sometimes pretended not having it (to see what'd happened , just in casE) and they were really serious about that .Specially Senegal and G.Bissau

Indeed , in Burkina *I think* the military write down your passport , and the police write down your Driving license. No passport at all . Only the driving license.

Anyway ... Why bother ? I am sure anyone can get either a driving license
of if not... just http://www.driverlicense.net/pr2/index.html and have a trouble-free licensed trip.

Javier

We did a trip in Mauritania 2 years ago, which involved driving through Morocco with 4 pax, 2 Land Rovers and 9 bikes. Moroccan customs initially told us we could only import vehicles with drivers (ie 2 cars and 2 bikes, or 4 bikes etc.). We had all the paperwork for the flights of the clients, cartes grises, permission letters from clients explaining why we had their bikes etc. etc. etc. etc.

Then we just sat and blocked up the customs area until they gave up and let us through (whole process took about 2 hours, but no cadeaux!).

I will admit though that a cold in the Ibis on the other side went down well!

Sam.

...they tried it again.

But I'd photocopied the original forms - proving that it was, in fact, possible...

Sam.

hi, went thro the moroccan border two weeks ago on my own with my gsa, it looked chaotic, lots of shouting and people with carrier bags. I had all my paper work ready and was helped along by this guy from the moroccan tourist board, he had id and spoke v good english. I bought my insurance and even had a bit of a laugh with the tall official guy who kept saying "lovely jubbly", well, this tourist guy asked where i was heading, i said chefchaouen and he said he lived in tetoun which was on the way and he would show me round and show me the medina, . to be honest, i thought he was genuine, my first mistake was going thro the border when i was not thinking clearly and still tired and still suffering from the constant seasickness that i had two days ago in the bilbao crossing, anyway, he took a taxi and i followed him on my bike, ten miles down the road i flagged him down becasue i had no petrol in the tank and no dirhams, he took me to a petrol station and i filled my tank which he paid for and we were off thro the back streets of tetouan. It was at this stage when i thought to myself, what are you doing ?? anyway we parked up and i locked up my bike and we went to see his friend. In his friends carpet shop i was shown the roof top view which was ok, then down stairs for a sit down and a mint tea, you like these carpets sir ? an hour later i had to stand up and physically walk away from this guy but thanked him very very much for his hospitatility, found the tourist guide in the other room and asked to go back to my bike so i could press on to chefchaouen. On the way back thro town, i asked to go to a bank to change money and went instead to his friends shop and i just changed 100 euros (£70 ish) for 1000 dirhams. When we got back to the bike which was ok, i was just waiting for it........ I gave him back the 100 dirhams he had paid for my petrol and then....what about my guide fee he asked ? I said to him that you are a guide, you get paid by the authorities, no no,long story short i gave him 100 dirhams and then asked the way out of thetown to chefchaouen which he told me, then he was getting loud and waving (but not violent) i gave him another 100 dirhams and he still wasnt happy but i started up and set off and got lost ! I wont go on about what happened during the rest of the trip ( in fez....arghhhh!) I f anyone reads this, please learn from my experience, in hindsight i was naive and stupid, so when you go, you dont have to be ! have a good trip.

Hi can anybody confirm if this is still the case i.e. I can drive in Morocco on a British driving license?

Many thanks

Nick

Hi Nick,
It has been more than a year since I have been in Morocco and I have a German driving licence. But are you seriously doubting that Morocco stopped accepting driving licences valid in the EU?
What would be the point of it?
There would have been a massive outcry at the HUBB, don’t you think so ?
And I am quite sure the foreign office would mention it in their travel advice for morocco.
Besides I always find it useful to carry an international driving licence because they are very easy to replace. Over here in Germany they issue them on the spot for approx. 20 Euro.

In short: check out the website of the foreign office, relax and enjoy your trip.

Hans

I hired a 4x4 in Marrakech last week, with a UK driving licence.......so......
.