What customs requires
You go through two customs offices: the one you leave in France, and the one you arrive at in Morocco. Each has its own paperwork.
Leaving France: an inventory stamped page by page
When you move your main home outside the European Union, French customs does not ask for a declaration for your personal belongings. It does ask for a few documents (douane.gouv.fr, checked 05/11/2026):
- a document showing your change of residence, such as your passport, a lease or a title deed;
- a certificate from your landlord or the town hall, or a sworn statement if you have neither;
- an inventory of your belongings in two copies: detailed, with estimated values, dated, page-numbered and signed.
If your belongings are cleared at an inland customs office rather than at the border, bring a third copy of the inventory.
Customs stamps the inventory page by page. Keep it safe: it helps if your belongings ever come back to France. They can leave in one load or several, within one year. You can also give power of attorney to someone of your choice, such as your removal company.
Some items still need a declaration: weapons, gold, cultural goods, protected species. For jewellery and objects in gold, silver or platinum, a 10% tax applies on export, whatever their value. Jewellery, works of art, collectors' items and antiques worth more than €5,000 per item carry a 6% tax (douane.gouv.fr, checked 05/11/2026).
If in doubt, the French customs helpline, Infos Douane Service, answers on 0 800 94 40 40 (free from France), Monday to Friday except public holidays, 8:30 am to 6 pm. From Morocco or anywhere abroad, call +33 1 72 40 78 50.
Arriving in Morocco: used goods and new goods
According to the Morocco customs guide from FIDI, the international federation of removal companies, used household goods you have owned for more than 6 months enter without customs duty. New items are taxed (FIDI, 08/12/2023).
You need two documents for this:
- a certificate of change of residence;
- a priced inventory, in French or Arabic.
That guide comes from a federation of movers. It is not a text from Moroccan customs, and we have not yet been able to read the official text from the ADII (Morocco's customs and excise administration) on household moves for foreigners settling in Morocco. Ask your removal company to confirm these rules before you sign.
Keep the receipts for your recent appliances. According to FIDI, an item owned for less than 6 months does not count as a used good.
Ways to ship your belongings
There are four main options. The right one depends mostly on how much you are taking and on your budget.
A dedicated truck
A truck loads at your home in France and delivers to your home in Marrakech. It is the simplest way to move a whole house. You pay for the truck on your own.
Groupage (shared load)
Your belongings share a truck or container with other customers' goods, and you pay by volume. It suits people with little furniture. The departure date then depends on when the load is full, and your boxes go through more hands.
A shipping container
Your belongings travel by container to a Moroccan port, then by road to Marrakech. This is the option for large volumes. Plan for customs clearance at the port and the last leg by truck.
Suitcases, then buy locally
Some people arrive with a few suitcases and furnish their home in Morocco. It is the lightest option, especially if you rent furnished at first. Keep anything valuable or precious in your luggage: documents, jewellery, laptop, medicines with their prescriptions.
How much does it cost?
We do not give an average price. We found no recent, sourced price range for a move from France to Marrakech, and a made-up number would not help you.
The price depends mainly on volume in cubic metres, distance, the option you choose and access at both homes. If the truck cannot reach your street, in the medina for example, ask how the final delivery will be done and what it costs.
Get at least three quotes, all based on the same inventory. A serious quote spells out:
- the estimated volume and the option (dedicated truck, groupage, container);
- packing and dismantling, if included;
- who handles customs clearance in Morocco, and whether customs fees are included;
- insurance, on what declared value, and what it covers;
- any storage before delivery, and its price;
- delivery to your door, including stairs;
- payment terms (deposit, balance);
- an estimated timeline, with no firm promise if it depends on customs.
Assume that anything not written in the quote is not included.
Bringing your car
Your French-registered car enters Morocco under temporary admission. On arrival, you file a temporary admission declaration at the border post (French consulate in Morocco, 20/10/2025).
It can stay 6 months. A vehicle that has spent 6 months in Morocco can no longer use temporary admission in the same calendar year (French consulate in Morocco, 20/10/2025).
Your green card (motor insurance certificate) must cover Morocco. If it does not, you buy border insurance on the spot.
After that period, the car must leave Morocco or be cleared through customs. Duties are high: around 50% according to the FIDI guide (08/12/2023).
If you export the car from France, French customs asks for a photocopy of the registration certificate, the carte grise. A used car leaves under its current registration (douane.gouv.fr, checked 05/11/2026).
To drive in Morocco after that, see our guide to driving licences in Morocco (in French).
Bringing your pets
Your dog or cat can come with you. Our guide to moving to Morocco as an expat (in French) lists these rules (lesmre.com, Oct. 2026):
- a microchip fitted before the rabies vaccine;
- a valid rabies vaccine, given at least 30 days before departure;
- a health certificate issued or countersigned by an official vet within the 3 days before boarding.
Think about the way back too. To return to the European Union, your pet needs a rabies antibody titre test. If you have it done in France before you leave, you avoid the 3-month wait that applies when the test is done in Morocco.
These rules come from a specialist website. We have not yet been able to check them on the official pages of ONSSA, Morocco's food and animal health office.
Storage and temporary housing
If your furniture arrives before you have found a home, you may pay twice: once for transport, then for storage. You can also do it the other way round: arrive, rent for a few months, choose your neighbourhood, then bring the rest.
Our Discover Marrakech pack is built for that. It includes a verified flat for 1 to 3 months, airport pickup, a local SIM card, a half-day neighbourhood tour and a cost of living briefing. It costs €490, plus a housing fee (one month's rent or the landlord's commission). Details are on our English home page.
To choose a neighbourhood, our guide to living in Marrakech (in French) compares Guéliz, Hivernage, Targa and the Palmeraie. For your budget, see retiring in Morocco and the cost of living (in French).
If your furniture has to wait, ask the removal company whether it offers storage, and the monthly price.
Moving checklist
Three months before
- Sort everything: what goes, what you sell, what you give away.
- Get at least three quotes on the same inventory.
- Check your pet's microchip and rabies vaccine.
- Gather the receipts for your recent appliances.
One month before
- Write the inventory in two copies: detailed, with estimated values, dated, page-numbered and signed.
- Prepare proof of your change of residence.
- Ask your removal company how to get the certificate of change of residence for Morocco.
- Check that your green card covers Morocco.
The week you leave
- Have French customs stamp the inventory.
- Have your pet's health certificate signed within the 3 days before boarding.
- Keep documents, jewellery, medicines and prescriptions with you.
On arrival
- File the car's temporary admission declaration at the border.
- Note the date the car entered Morocco.
- Check every box on delivery before you sign.
What BAB does (and does not do)
BAB is not a removal company. We do not move furniture and do not sell removals.
We take care of the rest of your move, with a team on the ground that speaks French and English. The Settle Solo pack, at €1,490, includes:
- your residency card file, prepared and accompanied;
- opening a bank account;
- finding a long-term flat and checking the lease;
- internet and utilities;
- a doctor and health insurance;
- exchanging your driving licence.
For the residency card in Marrakech, the answer usually comes in 5 weeks to 3 months. That timing depends on the administration.
Settle Retiree, at €1,790, adds tax residency and pension transfer setup with a partner accountant. Settle Family, at €2,290, adds a school shortlist and applications. Every Settle pack includes 3 months of BAB Club free. All packs are described on our English home page.
Frequently asked questions
Do you pay customs duty on your furniture?
According to the FIDI Morocco customs guide (08/12/2023), used goods owned for more than 6 months enter duty-free, with a certificate of change of residence and a priced inventory. New items are taxed. We have not yet been able to confirm these rules in an official Moroccan customs text.
Can you bring your car?
Yes, under temporary admission, with a green card that covers Morocco. A vehicle that has spent 6 months in Morocco can no longer use temporary admission in the same calendar year (French consulate in Morocco, 20/10/2025). After that, it must leave or be cleared through customs, with duties of around 50% according to FIDI.
How long does a move from France to Morocco take?
We have not found a sourced timeline to give you. It depends on the option you choose and on customs clearance. Ask for a written estimate in every quote, and compare them.
Do you need to be at customs in person?
In France, no: you can give power of attorney to someone of your choice, such as your removal company (douane.gouv.fr, checked 05/11/2026). For customs clearance in Morocco, ask your removal company before you sign.
What is not confirmed yet
- The official Moroccan customs (ADII) text on duty-free furniture for a foreigner settling in Morocco. The rules above come from the FIDI guide.
- Who issues the certificate of change of residence for someone leaving France for Morocco.
- Prices and timelines for a move from France to Marrakech.
- The penalties if the car stays more than 6 months.
- Whether the owner must be present at customs clearance in Morocco.
- Pet rules on the official ONSSA pages.
Rules change. Check with customs and your removal company before you sign.
Sources
- Moving your main residence outside the European Union (douane.gouv.fr), checked 05/11/2026
- Moving abroad, Infos Douane Service (douane.gouv.fr), checked 05/11/2026
- Vehicles (French consulate in Morocco), updated 20/10/2025
- Morocco customs guide (FIDI), 08/12/2023
- Travelling to Morocco with a pet (lesmre.com), updated October 2026
Getting ready to move? Let's talk about settling in Marrakech: message us on WhatsApp at +212 644 678 783, or book a free 20-minute call.