Morocco pension reform: retirement age at 63, pensions up 8%, what changes for MREs
The pension reform bill presented on 12 May 2026 raises the legal retirement age to 63, increases pensions by 8% over three years and groups CNSS, CMR, RCAR and CIMR into two pillars. Nothing is enacted yet: the vote is announced for October 2026. We separate what is in the presented bill from what circulates without being settled, and look at the three MRE situations actually concerned.
Key points
- •Pension reform bill presented on 12 May 2026
- •Legal retirement age raised to 63, from 60 today, in stages
- •Pensions raised by 8%, spread over three years, applied from 2027
- •Schemes grouped into two pillars: a public one with CMR and RCAR, a private one with CNSS and CIMR
- •Vote announced for October 2026, target entry into force 1 January 2027
- •Nothing is enacted to date. None of these measures applies today
What the presented bill contains
The government presented its pension reform bill on 12 May 2026. Three directions stand out.
The legal retirement age. It would rise from 60 to 63, in stages, with transitional provisions intended to preserve rights already acquired.
Pension levels. An 8% increase is planned, spread over three years, with application announced from 2027.
Scheme architecture. The bill organises the system into two pillars: a public pillar bringing together the Caisse marocaine des retraites and the Régime collectif d'allocation de retraite, and a private pillar bringing together the Caisse nationale de sécurité sociale and the Caisse interprofessionnelle marocaine de retraites. This mirrors the agreement reached in the April 2025 social dialogue, which also covered transition arrangements and stronger scheme governance.
CNSS has more than 4.3 million contributors and around 970,000 pensioners.
What circulates and is not settled
This is where many articles move too fast.
A retirement age of 65. A gradual rise to 65 is among the parameters examined by the technical committee. It is not what was presented on 12 May, and it is not adopted.
Higher contribution rates. Under study, but the level is not set. Any precise figure circulating today on this point does not come from a text.
A mandatory top-up scheme for high earners. The idea appears in reform scenarios, with no published text defining a threshold or the arrangements.
Until the law is voted and published in the Official Bulletin, current parameters remain those that apply.
What it changes for MREs
Three situations are actually concerned.
You contributed in Morocco before leaving
The most common case. The threshold for opening CNSS pension rights was lowered from 3,240 to 1,320 contribution days by decree no. 2.25.265 of May 2025, opening rights to short Moroccan careers, which are common among MREs who left young. That threshold is not called into question by the presented bill.
Raising the liquidation age would, however, push back the date at which this pension can be claimed. The calculation is detailed in our guide Calculating your CNSS pension.
You contribute voluntarily to CNSS from abroad
Voluntary insurance lets you keep contributing after salaried activity in Morocco ends. Current conditions: 1,080 prior contribution days and enrolment within 60 months of the end of activity. The rate is 12.89% of a declared salary between the 2026 minimum wage, 3,422 dirhams a month, and 6,000 dirhams a month, which means a contribution of roughly 441 to 773 dirhams a month.
A rise in contribution rates is among the parameters under study. How the scheme works is set out in Contributing voluntarily to CNSS from abroad.
You combine a Moroccan career and a career abroad
Periods worked in a country linked to Morocco by a bilateral social security convention can be aggregated to open rights. Morocco has signed such conventions with France, Belgium, Spain, Italy, the Netherlands, Germany and others. Four countries where MREs live have none: Switzerland, the United States, Norway and Denmark.
Pushing back the Moroccan age without an equivalent shift in the country of residence creates a gap between the two liquidations. The aggregation mechanisms are detailed in Combining a French and a Moroccan pension.
The announced timetable
| Stage | Date |
|---|---|
| Bill presented | 12 May 2026 |
| Parliamentary examination | June and July 2026 sessions |
| Vote announced | October 2026 |
| Target entry into force | 1 January 2027 |
| Pension increase applied | from 2027 |
These are the announced dates. A legislative timetable can slip, and the Family Code reform illustrates this: it entered its parliamentary phase and is still not adopted.
Frequently asked questions
Does the reform already apply? No. The bill was presented on 12 May 2026 and the vote is announced for October 2026. Until the text is published in the Official Bulletin, current rules remain in force.
Is the retirement age going to 63 or 65? The presented bill sets 63. A rise to 65 is among the parameters examined in technical committee, without having been presented or adopted.
Can my already liquidated CNSS pension fall? The bill provides for an 8% increase over three years, not a reduction, and announces transitional provisions preserving acquired rights. The final text will prevail.
Does the 1,320-day threshold change? It is not called into question by the presented bill. It remains the condition for opening CNSS pension rights, under decree no. 2.25.265 of May 2025.
Will the voluntary insurance rate rise? A rise in contribution rates is under study, with no level set. The rate applicable today remains 12.89% of the declared salary.
Do my years contributed in Europe count towards the Moroccan pension? They can be aggregated if a bilateral social security convention links Morocco to the country concerned, which is the case for France, Belgium, Spain, Italy, the Netherlands and Germany. Switzerland, the United States, Norway and Denmark have no such convention with Morocco.
Sources
Pension reform bill presented on 12 May 2026. April 2025 social dialogue agreement on the two-pillar architecture. Decree no. 2.25.265 of May 2025 lowering the threshold to 1,320 days. CNSS voluntary insurance parameters in force in 2026.
This article describes the state of a bill. LesMRE informs and points you in the right direction, without substituting for your pension fund or a professional. For a personal situation, our directory lists verified accountants and advisers in Morocco.
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