General Buyer Guide
Buying Property
in Morocco.
Everything you need to understand before committing: what the purchase costs, how the legal process works, how to protect yourself on a pre-construction purchase, and what changes when you are buying from outside Morocco.
Transaction Costs
Budget 6–7% Above
the Purchase Price.
These costs are largely fixed by law. They apply regardless of buyer profile, property type, or city. Budget for them from the start — not as a surprise at the notary's office.
| Cost | Rate | Who Pays | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Registration duty (droits d'enregistrement) | 4% | Buyer | Standard rate for residential property. A reduced 3% may apply for qualifying social housing. |
| Land registry fee (conservation foncière) | 1.5% | Buyer | Mandatory. Registers the title in your name. Plus a fixed 200 MAD for certificates. |
| Notary fees | 0.5–1.5% | Buyer | Plus 20% VAT on the notary portion. Minimum around 2,500 MAD. Higher-value properties tend toward the lower end of the range. |
| Stamp duties & admin | ~0.5% | Buyer | Administrative costs handled within the notary process. |
| Agent commission (if applicable) | 2.5–3% | Varies | Not always applicable. Clarify at the start of any engagement whether a commission applies and who pays it. |
| Total (excl. agent) | ~6–7% | Buyer | Consistent across major Moroccan cities as of 2025–2026. Verify exact figures with your notary. |
Example: on a 700,000 MAD apartment, budget approximately 42,000–49,000 MAD in transaction costs on top of the purchase price.
The Purchase Process
From Reservation
to Title.
Morocco's property purchase process is formal and notarial. Every transaction that registers a title must go through a licensed notary. The steps below reflect the standard off-plan process — the most common path for new development buyers.
Due Diligence Before Any Commitment
Before signing anything or paying a deposit, verify the developer's track record, the exact unit specifications, the legal permit status, the delivery timeline, and the payment schedule. Do not rely on verbal information alone.
Reservation Contract (Contrat de Réservation)
A written reservation agreement locks in your unit, floor, price, surface area, specifications, and payment terms. A deposit is typically paid at this stage — commonly 5–10% of the purchase price. Read this document carefully before signing.
Preliminary Sales Contract (Compromis de Vente)
Formalises the purchase agreement between buyer and seller. Payment milestones are tied to construction stages. Often prepared or reviewed by the notary.
Staged Payments
For off-plan purchases, payments are typically staged: at reservation, at foundation completion, at structural work, at finishing, and at delivery. Each stage should be documented before payment is released.
Final Deed (Acte de Vente) at the Notary
The notarised deed of sale transfers ownership. The notary verifies title, confirms no outstanding debts or mortgages on the property, manages the payment, and initiates the land registry process.
Land Registry Registration (Titre Foncier)
The notary submits the deed to the National Agency for Land Conservation (ANCFCC), which registers the property in your name. The titre foncier is the document that conclusively proves ownership under Moroccan law.
Pre-Construction
The Best Price Often
Comes With the Most Risk.
Pre-construction can offer the best entry pricing — but it requires the most careful verification. These risks apply to all buyers. MRE and international buyers face additional exposure because they leave Morocco while the building is still being constructed.
Delivery Risk
Delays are not uncommon. If your contract does not specify what happens when delivery is missed — penalties, withdrawal rights, revised timelines — you have limited leverage.
Specification Risk
What is promised verbally — finishes, kitchens, windows, parking — can differ from what is delivered. Descriptions must be in writing in the reservation contract.
Follow-Up Risk
Once you leave Morocco, someone needs to track progress and maintain developer communication. Buyers who return abroad often find silence where they expected updates.
Developer Risk
Ask what the developer has delivered before, when, and whether they are known in the local market. A developer with multiple completed projects is meaningfully different from one on their first.
Legal Document Risk
A reservation signed without a notary, without permit confirmation, or without a clear payment schedule offers limited protection. Get everything documented before committing money.
Pressure Risk
Sales teams know that MRE and visiting buyers have fixed return dates. Urgency around a price or deadline is a tactic — not a reason to commit before you are ready.
What to Verify Before Any Deposit.
Property Inspection
What to Verify Before
You Commit.
Whether you are buying in person or relying on someone to visit on your behalf, a property evaluation should be systematic. These are the questions worth asking before any deposit changes hands — organised by what you are looking at.
A newly finished unit always presents well. Fresh paint and clean finishes look the same regardless of the quality underneath. The issues — fissures, humidity, poor workmanship, ventilation problems — appear after delivery, once the building has settled and gone through its first full seasonal cycle. This is why a surface-level visit is not sufficient, and why the evaluation of a new build requires knowing what to look for before the problems become visible.
Cross-Border Money & Banking
What Changes When
You Are Not Based in Morocco.
The purchase process is the same regardless of where you live. But if you are a foreign national or an MRE buyer, there are four financial and legal matters that need to be set up correctly from the start — how you bring money in, how you protect your right to take it back out, and how financing works as a non-resident.
The Convertible Dirham Account
Open a compte en dirhams convertibles with a Moroccan bank before transferring any purchase funds. This account receives your foreign currency (euros, dollars, pounds), converts it to dirhams for the transaction, and — critically — preserves your legal right to repatriate the full sale proceeds when you eventually sell. Without this account, getting money back out of Morocco is significantly more restricted.
How to Protect Your Exit
If you pay at least 30% of the purchase price in foreign currency via a convertible dirham account and register the transaction with Morocco's Office des Changes at the time of purchase, you can repatriate the full sale proceeds in one transfer after taxes are settled. Without this structure, repatriation is limited to 25% per year — meaning full access to your funds takes four years after the sale.
MRE Mortgages
Most major Moroccan banks offer MRE-specific mortgage products with preferential terms. Typical requirements: proof of MRE status, 6 months of bank statements, employment contract and payslips, and a personal contribution of 20–40%. Loan terms can extend to 25–30 years. Repayments go through your convertible dirham account. A minimum 30% foreign currency contribution is required to preserve the repatriation guarantee.
Power of Attorney
A notarised power of attorney (procuration) authorises a trusted person — a family member or professional — to act on your behalf in Morocco for property-related matters: signing contracts, receiving keys, dealing with the developer or notary, managing tax filings. Essential for buyers who cannot be present at every step, especially during off-plan construction periods.
Structure the purchase correctly from the start. It cannot be fixed after the fact.
The repatriation guarantee is not automatic. It depends on how the purchase was funded and whether the transaction was registered with the Office des Changes at time of purchase. Your Moroccan bank handles this as standard procedure — but it must be initiated correctly from the beginning. A purchase funded entirely in dirhams locally, without the convertible account and Office des Changes registration, does not benefit from the guarantee.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common Questions
Answered.
Yes. Foreign nationals can purchase and own residential property outright in Morocco's urban areas with no restrictions on number of properties. The only significant restrictions apply to agricultural land and certain border areas. The purchase process is the same as for Moroccan residents — through a notary, with land registry registration.
Budget approximately 6–7% of the purchase price: 4% registration duty, 1.5% land registry, 0.5–1.5% notary fees plus 20% VAT, and around 0.5% in admin and stamp duties. These are the mandatory state fees — only the notary portion has any negotiation room on larger transactions. If an agent is involved, add a further 2.5–3%.
The notary is legally required and verifies title, manages the legal process, and registers ownership. An independent lawyer is not required but is strongly recommended for foreign buyers — particularly for navigating complex documentation in French or Arabic and catching issues before they become problems. For straightforward new-build purchases many buyers use only the notary.
This depends entirely on what is in your reservation and preliminary purchase contracts. Delays are not uncommon. The reservation contract should include a delivery date and clear terms for what happens if it changes — penalties, withdrawal rights, or revised timelines. Contracts without these protections leave the buyer with limited leverage. This is one of the most important things to review before signing.
No. Residency is not required to purchase property in Morocco. You can buy as a non-resident. The key requirement is opening a convertible dirham account with a Moroccan bank if you want to preserve your full repatriation rights on eventual sale.
Yes. Most major Moroccan banks offer mortgages to non-residents. Foreign nationals typically need a 30–50% down payment and comprehensive income documentation. MRE buyers benefit from preferential terms — typically 20–40% down, up to 30-year terms. All mortgage repayments go through a convertible dirham account. A minimum 30% foreign currency contribution is required to preserve the repatriation guarantee on eventual sale.
Yes — if you structured the purchase correctly. If you paid at least 30% of the purchase price in foreign currency via a convertible dirham account and registered the transaction with the Office des Changes at the time of purchase, you can repatriate the full proceeds in one transfer after taxes. Without this structure, repatriation is limited to 25% per year over four years.
Where Elaf Sky View Fits
A Project You Can Verify.
The inspection checklist above is not theoretical. We went through the Kénitra market as buyers ourselves — five months, multiple projects, and a search that included wrong addresses, abandoned offices, and a developer who cancelled when the questions got too specific. We chose Elaf Sky View because it was the only project we could actually verify against every item on that list. We committed our own money before proposing a mandate. For a buyer applying this checklist to Elaf: the developer, permits, specifications, construction timeline, and price logic are all available for review. View Elaf Sky View →
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Buying in Morocco?
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Trying to Buy or Build.
Whether you are comparing properties, buying from abroad, returning home, or bringing a development to market, the right next step depends on your situation. Tell us what you are working on and we will respond with the most relevant path forward.
Kénitra 14000, Morocco
(future office)