Buying property in Morocco as a foreigner

Morocco is one of the easier markets for a foreign buyer: there is no quota, no special licence and no ban on owning a flat, a villa or a shop. The traps are elsewhere: the type of title, how the money arrives, and taxes on resale. As a broker, you will be asked about all three. Here is what to know and say.

The short version

1. Foreigners can buy residential and commercial property on the same terms as Moroccans. Agricultural land is the exception.
2. Always prefer property with a titre foncier (registered title). A melkia is a witness-based deed with no central register.
3. The deed is signed before a notary (or two adouls; since July 2026, Law 41.25, lawyers can no longer draft it), then recorded at the conservation foncière.
4. Pay from abroad in foreign currency through a Moroccan bank and keep the proof. Without it, getting the money out later is hard.
5. Budget about 6.5% to 7% on top of the price for duties and fees, before any agency fee.
6. Since 1 July 2026, cash paid on a sale above MAD 300,000 costs an extra 2%.
7. Since 1 June 2026, a power of attorney used to buy, sell or mortgage must be registered at court first.
8. Buying a home does not give a residence permit.

What foreigners can buy

Global Property Guide notes there is no restriction on the type of residential or commercial property a foreigner may own. Farmland is protected. Outside an urban perimeter, a foreigner who wants land needs an attestation de vocation non agricole: a certificate that the project is not farming, that the land has low agricultural value and that the plot size matches the need. A government circular reminded the rules in 2022, as reported by Bladi. In practice, steer foreign clients to flats, villas and plots inside city limits.

Titre foncier versus melkia

A titre foncier is a registered title held by the conservation foncière, part of the ANCFCC. Once registered, the right is final and can be enforced against anyone. The title shows the owner and any mortgage or seizure, so you can check it before the client commits.

A melkia (or moulkia) is a deed drawn up by two adouls, based on witness statements that the seller has owned and used the property. There is no central register, so the same property can be sold twice, and boundaries can be unclear. Lesmre explains that turning a melkia into a title (through a réquisition d’immatriculation) can take 12 to 36 months. Riads in old medinas and rural plots are the usual cases. A foreign buyer should only go ahead on a melkia with a lawyer, and ideally with titling done before the final payment.

The steps

1. Offer and checks. Agree the price, then ask for the title number and a recent land registry certificate. Check the seller’s identity, mortgages, charges and the co-ownership (syndic) situation.
2. Compromis de vente. A preliminary agreement sets the price, the deposit, conditions (such as a loan) and the date of the final deed. Have it drafted or checked by the notary.
3. Notary. The notary verifies the file, prepares the deed and collects the duties. Funds paid to notaries are held in deposit accounts centralised at the CDG, not in the seller’s account.
4. Payment. A non-resident sends foreign currency to a Moroccan bank, which converts it into dirhams. Under Office des Changes rules, a non-resident foreign buyer’s dirhams must come from currency sold on the exchange market, a foreign-currency account or a convertible dirham account. Keep the bank’s proof of conversion: it is what allows repatriation later.
5. Signing and registration. The deed is signed, registration duty is paid to the tax office, and the notary files the sale at the conservation foncière, which updates the title. Ownership is secure once the title shows the buyer.

Buyer costs, with a worked example

Rates checked for 2026:

• Registration duty: 4% of the price for built property (minimum MAD 1,000). Bare land is 5%, qualifying social housing 3%.
• Land registry (ANCFCC): 1.5% of the price plus MAD 100 per title, minimum MAD 500 (tariff in force since November 2016).
• Notary: commonly about 1% of the price plus VAT. There is no fee scale we could confirm, so ask for a written quote.
• Certificates, stamps and copies: small amounts, for example MAD 100 per land registry certificate.

Example figures: a foreign buyer pays MAD 2,000,000 for a titled flat in Casablanca.

Item	Working	MAD
Registration duty	4% x 2,000,000	80,000
Land registry	1.5% x 2,000,000 + 100	30,100
Notary fee	about 1% x 2,000,000, plus VAT	about 22,000 to 24,000
Certificates and sundries	allowance	about 2,000
Total		about 134,000 to 136,000

That is roughly 6.7% to 6.8% of the price, close to ReaConsult’s 2026 estimate of about 6.85% on a MAD 2 million flat. If the buyer also pays an agency fee of 2.5%, add MAD 50,000. Knight Frank tells international buyers to plan for about 10% all in, which leaves room for fees, furniture and legal advice.

The 2026 cash surcharge

Under Finance Law 2026 (CGI Article 133-III), from 1 July 2026 a sale above MAD 300,000 carries an extra 2% registration duty on any part of the price not paid by a traceable means (bank transfer, crossed cheque, card) and recorded in the deed. Loan-financed purchases are exempt, according to Medias24.

Example figures: on the MAD 2,000,000 flat, if MAD 300,000 were handed over in cash, the extra duty is 2% x 300,000 = MAD 6,000. For a foreign buyer it is worse than the 2%: cash cannot be proven as foreign currency, so that part may never be repatriated. Tell clients to pay everything by bank.

Powers of attorney: Law 31.18

Many foreign buyers sign through a representative. Since 1 June 2026, under Law 31.18 and its implementing texts, every power of attorney (procuration, or wakala) on real rights must be recorded in a register at the court of first instance before it is used. Al3omk reports that an unregistered power is void for sales and mortgages, and the land registry can refuse the deed. If your client will sign from abroad, build in time to have the power drafted correctly and registered.

Financing

• Residents borrow from Moroccan banks in dirhams. Bank Al-Maghrib’s survey put the average real estate loan rate at 5.06% in Q2 2026, with the key rate held at 2.25%.
• Non-resident foreigners can borrow too, but banks usually ask for a larger contribution. Global Property Guide cites down payments of 30% to 50%. Banks also ask non-resident individuals (not MRE) for a sworn statement that they have no residence in Morocco.
• MRE (Moroccans living abroad) can now borrow in dirhams up to 80% of the price (up from 70%), with the rest paid in foreign currency, according to Bladi citing the Office des Changes in July 2026. The loan is secured by a first-rank mortgage or a foreign bank guarantee and repaid in foreign currency or from a convertible dirham account.

Selling later: the TPI

When the client sells, they owe the taxe sur les profits immobiliers (TPI):

• 20% of the net gain (sale price minus purchase price and allowable costs), with a minimum of 3% of the sale price, even if there is no gain. The seller pays the higher of the two.
• A main residence occupied for at least five years is exempt (cut from six years by the 2023 Finance Law), once every five years. The 3% minimum still applies to the part of the price above MAD 4 million.
• Total sales up to MAD 140,000 a year are exempt.
• The return and the tax are due within 30 days of the sale.

Example figures: the flat bought for MAD 2,000,000 is sold for MAD 2,600,000 and the net taxable gain after allowable costs is MAD 450,000. TPI is 20% x 450,000 = MAD 90,000. The minimum is 3% x 2,600,000 = MAD 78,000. The seller pays MAD 90,000. A holiday home will not qualify for the main residence exemption.

To transfer the proceeds abroad, the bank needs the proof of foreign-currency funding, the sale deed and proof that taxes were paid. The Office des Changes allows the original investment plus the gain to leave.

Residency is not included

Morocco has no golden visa and no residence-by-investment route that we could find. Buying property does not create a right to stay. Under Law 02-03, a foreigner staying beyond 90 days needs a registration card from the police, granted on grounds such as income, work, study or family. A property can support that file as proof of housing, but nothing more. If a client says a seller promised residency, ask them to check directly with the DGSN or an immigration lawyer before they rely on it.

What a broker must explain

• Whether the property is titled, and that you have seen a recent land registry certificate.
• That land outside city limits needs a non-agricultural use certificate.
• That every dirham must arrive by bank, in foreign currency, with proof kept for repatriation.
• The real cost on top of the price, in dirhams, before they sign the compromis.
• That a power of attorney must be registered at court before use.
• That TPI is due on resale, with a 3% minimum.
• That the purchase does not bring residency.
• That your own fee is set out in a written mandate.

This guide is general information, not legal or tax advice. Morocco changed its cash and power of attorney rules in 2026. CloserPass is not affiliated with any Moroccan authority.

Find roles and more guides on Morocco on CloserPass.